“A Hadaka Matsuri (“Naked Festival”) is a type of Japanese festival, or matsuri, in which participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a Japanese loincloth (called fundoshi), sometimes with a short happi coat, and rarely completely naked. Whatever the clothing, it is considered to be above vulgar, or everyday, undergarments, and on the level of holy Japanese shrine attire. Naked festivals are held in dozens of places throughout Japan every year, usually in the summer or winter. The most famous festival is held in Okayama, where the festival originated. Every year, over 9,000 men participate in this festival”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Japanese men wear loincloths as they splash about in freezing cold water during Saidaiji Naked Festival, at Saidaiji Temple on February 18, 2012 in Okayama, Japan. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

The report, prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live. The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Iceland. The bottom 10 were Madagascar, Tanzania, Liberia, Guinea, Rwanda, Benin, Afghanistan, Togo, Syria and Burundi. The United States came in at 13, the United Kingdom at 23, France at 32, and Italy at 50. Here: #8. NEW ZEALAND: A woman dives from a platform into a giant air bed at a park in Palmerston North September 29, 2011. (Photo by Marcos Brindicci/Reuters)

Lightning over Mow Cop Castle which is a folly at Mow Cop in the civil parish of Odd Rode, Cheshire, UK on August 13, 2020, as thunderstorms continue during the current heatwave. (Photo by Lee Scally/Bav Media)

These illuminating images show the crumbling remains of some of the worlds places of worship. The shots include golden chapels, overgrown synagogues and eerily silent rooms that were once used for prayer. They were visited by Matthias Haker, a 31-year-old photographer from Potsdam, Germany. Adding to the general intrigue of his images, Matthias never discloses the location of a shot – not even the town, country or continent. Here: The Church of All Saints. (Photo by Matthias Haker/Caters News)

Looking at the photos taken by Aaron Groenom, very easy to get lost in this starry wonderland. A series of photos Dark Places - a collection of works in which the artist from South Dakota contrasts the beauty of the universe to various natural or man-made forms on Earth. Using long exposures, it captures the magical landscape filled with fabulous atmosphere, striking color palettes and far-distant galaxies.

A view through mist shows the Kirk of Saint Mary Magdalene in Primorsk, Leningrad Region, Russia on March 24, 2019. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

Shrine Parishioners pull their portable shrine during Nada No Kenka Matsuri, or Nada Fight Festival at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine on October 16, 2011 in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. The fight, the highlight of the shrine's Autumn Harvest Festival, attracts 100,000 people. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)

A Guarani Indian woman jokes with her son in the village of Pyau at Jaragua district, in Sao Paulo April 27, 2015. The National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) has recognised 521 hectares of this area as indigenous territory, making it the smallest indigenous reserve in Brazil. Members of the Guarani community have now established a new village outside the demarcation and are being threatened with an eviction through a court order. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)