Pope Benedict XVI led the Catholic Church at a crucial time and had to confront a growing sexual abuse scandal.
A scholar of Middle Eastern cultural traditions explains the history and significance of the bisht.
Songs of the season – sacred and secular music alike – sometimes acknowledge that Christmas isn’t all joy.
Iranian women have often used images of actions such as singing and dancing unveiled to show what freedom means to them…
The Christmas story is about Jesus coming to mankind. As holiday decorations show, Christians around the world often picture…
‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ is now a treasured Christmas classic, but it didn’t start life that way – not in the UK,…
The dead of winter, when the longest night of the year takes place, has also traditionally been celebrated as a time of…
Multicultural Jewish families and Jews of color are innovating food-centered holidays to bring their whole selves to the…
The Muslim Brotherhood once held the reins of power in Egypt. Now it faces internal splits, government repression and dwindling…
The idea of virgin birth has been part of Christianity since the start, but its significance has shifted over time.
The Catholic Church practice of granting indulgences, criticized by Martin Luther in the 16th century, still exists, as…
The influential movement, which is still controversial both inside and outside Catholicism, must be understood in the context…
Hotei, a Japanese god who carries a large sack, has come to be identified with Santa Claus – except that he brings the…
As Christmas approaches, Nativity scenes showing three wise men visiting the newborn Jesus are put up around the world.…
It takes a lot of steps – and help from other people – to make a physical book you can hold in your hands.
Traditional ordination into a Buddhist monastic life requires meeting guidelines based on male and female genders.
Morality police first appeared in Iran soon after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. But similar forces were present in parts…
Recent years have put more attention on LGBTQ people’s struggle for acceptance in the LDS church, but asexual Latter-day…
The eruption of Mauna Loa is a profound spiritual experience for many Native Hawaiians. An anthropologist explains Native…
Indonesia has criminalized same-sex sexuality, but trans people are finding support in some trans-inclusive mosques and…