In the heart of the theatre district and steps from Boston Common, the 356-room Revere Hotel straddles the line between business chic and new age style, attracting a smattering of local glitterati to its Emerald Lounge for evening cocktails.

BBC: Business trip: Boston

Mr. Pierre Louis, who died in 2009, aimed to professionalize the musician corps with a disciplined rehearsal schedule and uniforms, and he turned to local themes to "nationalize" a new musical style, as Mr. Dow put it.

WSJ: The Enduring Voice of Haiti

Will local conservatism mix with the imported variety to forge a new style of Catholicism, girding for fresh battles with secularism and longing for a reversal of the Reformation?

ECONOMIST: Catholics in Britain

Typical Belarusian New Year celebrations take place according to the 'old' Julian style calendar and are combined with distinctive local performing arts.

UNESCO: Culture