The main feature of the Mitsuyama Taisai Festival, three 18 meters tall “mountains”. are displayed at the Itate Hyozu Shrine on March 31, 2013 in Himeji, Japan. The festival is held once in 20 years since 1593, Priests of Itate Hyozu Shrine welcome to all the gods across the country for top of the three mountains and treat with food seven days from today as to pray for peace and prosperity. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe)

These snaps capture true winter wonderlands – as Mother Nature's icy grip takes hold of America's National Parks. From snow-capped mountains in Yosemite to an icy still Glacier Bay, the incredible images show their beauty is year round. In other breath-taking shots crisp frost lines the paths through Great Smokey Mountains and Crater Lake has had more than a dusting of snow. Here: Apostle Island National Lakeshore Park in Wisconsin. (Photo by U.S. Department of the Interior/Cater News)

Chinese Kazakh eagle hunters sit on horseback as they travel to a local competition on January 29, 2015 in the mountains of Qinghe County, Xinjiang, northwestern China. The festival, organised by the local hunting community, is part of an effort to promote and grow traditional hunting practices for new generations in the mountainous region of western China that borders Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. The training and handling of the large birds of prey follows a strict set of ancient rules that Kazakh eagle hunters are preserving for future generations. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Venezuela's food shortages, inflation and crumbling medical sector have become such a source of anguish that a growing number of young women are reluctantly opting for sterilizations rather than face the hardship of pregnancy and child-rearing. Traditional contraceptives like condoms or birth control pills have virtually vanished from store shelves, pushing women towards the hard-to-reverse surgery. While no recent national statistics on sterilizations are available, doctors and health workers say demand for the procedure is growing. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

A man rides a bike on a submerged road alongside a boat at Demra area in Dhaka on July 24, 2020. As many as 20 districts including the latest additions Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, and Naogaon have so far been hit with the worsening flood situation across Bangladesh and many more areas might be inundated if the situation does not improve soon, said Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC). (Photo by Sultan Mahmud Mukut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Tourists ride in inflatable boats as they go rafting down a river at Buyun Mountain Scenic Spot on July 10, 2020 in Dalian, Liaoning Province of China. (Photo by Wang Hua/VCG via Getty Images)

A church made entirely from ice is seen during the night at Balea Lac resort in the Fagaras mountains January 29, 2015. (Photo by Radu Sigheti/Reuters)

A woman rides a mechanical bull while tailgating before a college football game between the Arizona Wildcats and West Virginia Mountaineers at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Ernesto Benavides/AFP Photo)