Call them customs, second nature or ways to celebrate the passage of time: rituals are humanity’s waypoints on our journey through life. From the quotidian Asian breakfast that’s been elevated to an almost spiritual act, to one writer’s annual bird-like migration to Antarctica, this issue honours the joy found in traditions old and new around the world.

Join us on a magical journey as we reveal the surprisingly contemporary world of Romanian witches, the matriarchal traditions of Estonia’s Kihnu island and the deep meaning of Fuji-ko, which sees some 400,000 pilgrims make the journey to Japan’s most storied mountain each year. The act of reading these stories? A ritual in itself.