Religious Rituals

This patch of dirt was once a lush jungle that locals say was home to ancient spirits. Now, luxury villas, bars and restaurants are being built here instead to bring in foreign investors.

The popularity of real Christmas trees surged during the pandemic and is continuing, but some growers are having trouble keeping up because of bad weather conditions affecting supply.

This month, celebration is in the air for millions of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Newar Buddhists across the world who are observing Diwali — the Festival of Lights. But what about those who aren't religious?

Each year, millions of Shiite Muslims flock to Karbala in Iraq to mourn Imam Hussein. So what does Ashura mean to them? 

Two recent coronial inquests have thrust kambo into the spotlight in Australia. So why do people choose to burn their skin and apply the frog poison?

The NSW Coroner's Court is told that the organiser of the Dreaming Arts Festival played guitar while Jarrad Antonovich lay dying and later described his death as a "beautiful occasion".

The first call for help to the ambulance service suggested Jarred Antonovich, who had a swollen face and was in "discomfort", was suffering an asthma attack.

For many who gathered in Canberra, celebrations were tempered by fears for loved ones affected by war.

The pope urges Muslim, Christian and Jewish world leaders to counter the whims of the powerful. 

The Hindu festival, a national holiday across India, symbolises the victory of light over darkness.

Beechworth's dress library is in its infancy and in less than a week around 75 dresses have been offered up, soon to be at prices less than an obstacle for those who want to join in.

Ramadan is the holiest month in the Muslim calendar, and central to it is the practice of fasting from dawn to dusk. But what has fasting got to do with purification?

Young children run at the fearsome sight of the Kankurang, but in Gambia the figure symbolises a spirit that provides order and justice and is considered a protector against evil.

Shark callers head into the sea in wooden canoes to beckon sharks and kill them. But a new mining practice threatens their ancient traditions.

Australia's death count could double in 50 years, and our cemeteries are likely to run out of space well beforehand. So what's the answer? One Australian state might have the solution. 

A friend forwarded a link to a new funeral home that can compost your body after you die, and it sent me down a rabbit hole, writes Claudia Long.

Sri Lankan police arrest a self-proclaimed exorcist after the death of a nine-year-old girl she repeatedly beat with a cane to drive out a possessive demon.

Jewish women have used a mikvah or ritual bath for generations, but when COVID meant Tasmania's faithful could not travel interstate for the purifying act —Launceston's Shluchim couple stepped up.

A grieving family claims its father's interred ashes were exhumed without approval after a burial bungle at a South Australian cemetery.

Thousands of students, disappointed when presentation balls were cancelled this year, hope they'll have a fresh chance to dust off their dresses and polish their dancing shoes.

Black rights activist Mwazulu Diyabanza says in a post on Facebook that taking the statue is "part of the recovery of our artworks that were all acquired by looting, robbery, violence" in colonial times.

Hare Krishnas care for cows until their final breath at their custom-built bovine retirement village near Murwillumbah, New South Wales.

Millions of people around the world are welcoming the year of the rat, and along with the celebrations comes a list of dos and don'ts in order to ensure good fortune.

A few years ago it was close to being lost for good, but an Indigenous language has been revived and is now being used in Welcome to Country ceremonies.

A New Zealand man will appear in court after being charged with five counts of murder, after five family members were found dead with no visible injuries present last month.