People & Customs

Festivals, gestures and the habits that differ from one place to the next.

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  Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos): Origins, Ofrendas and La Catrina

  What Mexico's Day of the Dead is, when it is celebrated, what goes on an ofrenda, where La Catrina comes from, why it is not 'Mexican Halloween', and how a film created a parade.

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  Hand Gestures Around the World: Same Sign, Different Meaning

  Thumbs up, OK, the V sign, beckoning and nodding: which everyday gestures change meaning from country to country, what the evidence says, and the myths behind some of them.

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  How Did Halloween Start? Samhain, All Hallows' Eve and the Jack-o'-Lantern

  Where Halloween comes from: the Gaelic festival of Samhain, the Christian feast of All Saints, guising and souling, turnip lanterns, and how the holiday crossed the Atlantic.