Loading...
Done
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. But often, their funeral isn’t the last time the dead are seen. In August, crypts are opened, coffins are slid back out and bodies delicately unsheathed. This tender ritual is known as Ma’Nene, which is customarily performed every few years. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/The Washington Post)

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)
Details
06 Oct 2016 09:15:00
“Aurora over a glacier lagoon”. A vivid green overheaded aurrora pictured in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park reflected almost symetrically in Jokulsrlon Glacier lagoon. A complete lack of wind and currrent combin in this sheltred lagoon scene to crete an arresting mirror effect giving the image a sensation of utter stillness. Despite theis there is motion on a suprising scale, as the loops and arcs of the aurora are shaped by the shifting forces of the Earth's magnetic field. (Photo by  James Woodend/The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 Contest)

“Aurora over a glacier lagoon”. A vivid green overheaded aurrora pictured in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park reflected almost symetrically in Jokulsrlon Glacier lagoon. A complete lack of wind and currrent combin in this sheltred lagoon scene to crete an arresting mirror effect giving the image a sensation of utter stillness. Despite theis there is motion on a suprising scale, as the loops and arcs of the aurora are shaped by the shifting forces of the Earth's magnetic field. James Woodend of Great Britain won the grand prize with the image, beating out more than 2,500 other entries. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 contest is judged by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and BBC Sky at Night magazine. (Photo by James Woodend/The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 Contest)
Details
26 Sep 2014 13:39:00
Health workers wearing face masks spray disinfectant liquid on sacrificial animals amid concerns over the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the pandemic COVID-19 disease ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha at an animal market in Hyderabad, southern Pakistan, 21 July 2020. Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of the Sacrifice, is the second and holiest of the two main Islamic holidays celebrated each year (the other one being Eid al-Fitr). Every year, on the 10th day of the Islamic lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah, Muslims around the world ritually slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts: one is reserved for the family, another for friends and relatives, and the third is given to the poor and needy. The Saudi Supreme Court has declared that the first day of Eid al-Adha this year falls on 31 July. (Photo by Nadeem Khawar/EPA/EFE)

Health workers wearing face masks spray disinfectant liquid on sacrificial animals amid concerns over the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the pandemic COVID-19 disease ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha at an animal market in Hyderabad, southern Pakistan, 21 July 2020. (Photo by Nadeem Khawar/EPA/EFE)
Details
23 Jul 2020 00:07:00
A pigeon, known as Siyah Kinifirli, with an approximate market value of 1000 Turkish Lira ($263), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey, December 23, 2016. As night-time approaches in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, most of the alleyways of the city's old bazaar are emptying out of buyers and vendors, except for one. The bustle of daytime trading has died down, but on this little street, a stream of men carry cardboard boxes filled with pigeons to a cluster of three teahouses. Here, they sell the birds at Sanliurfa's famed auctions to a dedicated band of pigeon keepers and breeders, a pastime that has been thriving for hundreds of years across the region and over the nearby border into war-torn Syria. In a country where the minimum wage is about 1,400 Liras ($367) a month, enthusiasts regularly easily spend hundreds of dollars for one bird. “I once sold a pair of pigeons for 35,000 Turkish Lira”, says auctioneer Imam Dildas. “This is a passion, a hobby you cannot quit. I've been known to sell the fridge and my wife's gold bracelets to pay for pigeons”. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)

A pigeon, known as Siyah Kinifirli, with an approximate market value of 1000 Turkish Lira ($263), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey, December 23, 2016. As night-time approaches in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, most of the alleyways of the city's old bazaar are emptying out of buyers and vendors, except for one. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)
Details
17 Jan 2017 12:05:00
Revellers participate in a parade on the street during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, south of Skopje, Macedonia January 13, 2016. Vevcani village marks the annual Orthodox St. Vasilij Day with a carnival that features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. The highlights of the carnival include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. (Photo by Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)

Revellers participate in a parade on the street during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, south of Skopje, Macedonia January 13, 2016. Vevcani village marks the annual Orthodox St. Vasilij Day with a carnival that features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. The highlights of the carnival include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. (Photo by Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)
Details
15 Jan 2016 08:05:00
“Bazooka”, a one year old stray cat, is treated at the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) clinic in Tel Aviv, Israel, 06 January 2016. Bazooka arrived at the clinic in critical condition after he went through severe abuse with bruises all over his body and painted with pink oxidation. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA)

“Bazooka”, a one year old stray cat, is treated at the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) clinic in Tel Aviv, Israel, 06 January 2016. Bazooka arrived at the clinic in critical condition after he went through severe abuse with bruises all over his body and painted with pink oxidation. The Israeli street cat population is estimated to be about two million. Without enough financial support from the state, animal rights organizations find it difficult to keep the up with the pace when it comes to spaying and neutering feral cats, causing the population to grow. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA)
Details
27 Jan 2016 13:17:00
A Palestinian youth jumps with a sword as he demonstrates his ninja-style skills for the photographer in front of the ruins of buildings, that were destroyed in 2014 war, in the northern Gaza Strip January 29, 2016. The youths, who have been receiving martial arts training at local clubs in Gaza for the past two years, decided to form a team to hold regular shows in the hope that the publicity generated will eventually lead to them being invited to participate in international contests. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

A Palestinian youth jumps with a sword as he demonstrates his ninja-style skills for the photographer in front of the ruins of buildings, that were destroyed in 2014 war, in the northern Gaza Strip January 29, 2016. The youths, who have been receiving martial arts training at local clubs in Gaza for the past two years, decided to form a team to hold regular shows in the hope that the publicity generated will eventually lead to them being invited to participate in international contests. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)
Details
30 Jan 2016 13:05:00
A man yells for help minutes after a Serb shell hit a crowded pedestrian walkway in Sarajevo, May 1993.  Radovan Karadzic, a 70-year-old former psychiatrist, still in robust health, is the most senior political figure to be convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. He was found guilty of 10 out of 11 charges. He was acquitted of a second count of genocide in Bosnian towns. (Photo by Reuters)

A man yells for help minutes after a Serb shell hit a crowded pedestrian walkway in Sarajevo, May 1993. Radovan Karadzic, a 70-year-old former psychiatrist, still in robust health, is the most senior political figure to be convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. He was found guilty of 10 out of 11 charges. He was acquitted of a second count of genocide in Bosnian towns. (Photo by Reuters)
Details
25 Mar 2016 13:05:00