A woman holds up what the Chris Steaks & Burgers restaurant says is Thailand's biggest burger weighing more than 6 kilograms, before a competition held to eat it at the restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, October 11, 2019. Chris Steaks and Burgers is offering a 10,000 baht ($330) prize for anyone who can finish the mammoth snack in nine minutes – one baht for every calorie. (Photo by Jiraporn Kuhakan/Reuters)

It is said that Torajans are people who “live to die”. For this Indonesian ethnic group, funerals are such extravagant events that they sometimes attract tourists. Families can postpone burials years (and the deceased are considered sick and hosted at home until the funeral) until the family can raise enough money and gather as many relatives as possible. And then it’s a jubilant multiday social event with a parade, dances and animal sacrifices. Agung Parameswara photographed these funerary practices when he traveled to South Sulawesi province, where the Torajans live. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/The Washington Post)

A 15-year-old girl denied a horse from her parents has turned to a cow to fulfil her riding dreams. Teenager Regina Mayer, from southern Germany, is able to ride her cow, Luna. She has even trained her bovine pet to soar over a beer-crate hurdle like a regular show jumper. Why, you may well ask, when most cow-owners are surely content to let the creatures chew and lactate and sit down to indicate the imminent arrival of rain? Well, Regina's parents wouldn't let her have a horse.

A blooming cherry tree is seen along the Tidal Basin on Sunday March 20, 2022 in Washington, DC. As Covid-19 precautions begin to lift around the country large crowds are able to once again descend upon the region for the blossoming cherry trees. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The Boston Celtics dancers perform during the second quarter of the game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on December 2, 2024. (Photo by Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports)

A black golden shaded British Shorthair cat is admired by visitors as he is carried at the Cat Extravaganza event at Olympia in London, Sunday, February 18, 2024. Loving Cats Worldwide brought its Cat Extravaganza and Rescue Awareness Event to London, where visitors could learn all about this intelligent species by observing the show's five judging rings. Plus, meet with local rescues and charities, as well as hear educational anecdotes about different cat breeds. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Photo)

A man irrigating a rice paddy field using a traditional method. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). Japan, circa 1938

The torrential rain has failed to dampen the spirits of this hyena as he bursts into a hysterical laugh in Kenya, on Oktober 24, 2013. (Photo by Mark Bridger/Solent News & Photo Agency)

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