The ubiquitous marigold; Vlad the Impaler; Dante’s durable nightmare
|  | Monday, October 24, 2022 | | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY NADIA SHIRA COHEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION | |
These fiery orange-and-yellow flowers dominate broad stretches of the world this time of the year. Right now, marigolds grace doorways and tables during India’s five-day festival of light, known as Diwali. In coming days, their bright bouquets will start showing up in homes in Mexico, Central America, and parts of the United States, ahead of Day of the Dead celebrations next week.
The flower, native to the Americas, has played an important ceremonial role in Mexico for centuries. The Nahua believed the blooms were a gift from the sun god “so that they might honor their dead.” The color and musky aroma of marigold petals, key to the Día de los Muertos traditions, are said to guide the spirit of a loved one home.
How did one flower spread from the Americas to become central to a holiday far away in the world’s most populous nation?
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 | | PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEN HERMANN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION | |
Flowers, anyone? Above, riverside vendors in Kolkata wear and sell garlands of marigolds, orange (upper left) and yellow (upper right). Top: marigolds also punctuate a homemade altar for a Mayan version of the Day of the Dead known as Hanal Pixán, or “food for the souls.” See our photographers' best images here. | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY HUGH KINSELLA CUNNINGHAM | | | Who will break this cycle of violence? A small movement of women is trying to slow a conflict that has killed more people than any struggle since World War II. “We need to find the courage to sit around the same table,” one leader, Love Kpakay, says. Nat Geo finds they are making progress in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Pictured above, peace activist Liberata Biuratwa speaks to people displaced by a rebel offensive.) | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNN JOHNSON, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION | | | Night at the museum: Thankfully for these kids though, the creature towering above them won’t come alive at midnight. This image, captured by Nat Geo Explorer Lynn Johnson, shows boys settling in for a sleepover at the Field Museum in Chicago. To mark Museums and Galleries Month in the United States, explore the world’s most beautiful museums. See more of our vintage photos here. | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY ELEANOR BURFITT | | | The plastics detective: Years ago, Imogen Napper wondered about facewash. How many microbeads—granular plastic pieces—would it take to clean her face? Around 100,000 microbeads were found per wash, and many of those found their way into our water, the marine scientist and Nat Geo Explorer determined. Her research, among many of her environmental investigations, was cited in efforts to replace plastics in facewash with natural scrubbing agents like sugar and salt. | | | |
| Today's newsletter was curated and edited by Sydney Combs, Heather Kim, Jen Tse, and David Beard. Have an idea or link to a story you think is right down our alley? Let us know at david.beard@natgeo.com. Happy trails! | | | |
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