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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)
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06 Oct 2016 09:15:00
Balis Chinese community perform the dragon dance during Chinese New Year called Ngelawang ceremony on January 21, 2023 in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. The Chinese diaspora of Southeast Asia is celebrating Lunar New Year, as COVID-19 restrictions have been removed, it is traditionally a time for people to meet their relatives and take part in celebrations with families. In Indonesia, ethnic Chinese families visited temples to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit on January 22. The Chinese community in Bali observes Chinese New Year in accordance with Balinese customs. In multiculturalism, the Balis-Chinese community believes that the performance of the dragon dance, the lion dance called Barong Sai, and offerings to the unseen world will safeguard the community from calamity and balance between the seen and unseen world. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)

Balis Chinese community perform the dragon dance during Chinese New Year called Ngelawang ceremony on January 21, 2023 in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. The Chinese diaspora of Southeast Asia is celebrating Lunar New Year, as COVID-19 restrictions have been removed, it is traditionally a time for people to meet their relatives and take part in celebrations with families. In Indonesia, ethnic Chinese families visited temples to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit on January 22. (Photo by Agung Parameswara/Getty Images)
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29 Jan 2023 00:38:00
A young boy plugs his ears as his sister (C) and nanny (L) watch from Gravelly Point Park as planes land at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on June 29, 2017. President Donald Trump' s travel ban on people from six mostly Muslim countries will come into force late Thursday, as controversy swirls over who qualifies for an exemption based on family ties. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP Photo)

A young boy plugs his ears as his sister (C) and nanny (L) watch from Gravelly Point Park as planes land at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on June 29, 2017. President Donald Trump' s travel ban on people from six mostly Muslim countries will come into force late Thursday, as controversy swirls over who qualifies for an exemption based on family ties. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP Photo)
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01 Jul 2017 07:52:00
Alejandro Ccasa prays after waiting three days next to an empty oxygen tank for his uncle who has COVID-19 outside a refill shop where he is the first in line before it opens in Callao, Peru, early Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Ccasa said his family has one large tank and it gives about four hours of oxygen therapy. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)

Alejandro Ccasa prays after waiting three days next to an empty oxygen tank for his uncle who has COVID-19 outside a refill shop where he is the first in line before it opens in Callao, Peru, early Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Ccasa said his family has one large tank and it gives about four hours of oxygen therapy. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)
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03 Feb 2021 09:18:00
A feminist activist uses a slingshot during a protest against gender violence and patriarchy in Santiago on November 29, 2019. Furious Chileans have since October 18 been protesting social and economic inequality, and against an entrenched political elite that comes from a small number of the wealthiest families in the country, among other issues. (Photo by Javier Torres/AFP Photo)

A feminist activist uses a slingshot during a protest against gender violence and patriarchy in Santiago on November 29, 2019. Furious Chileans have since October 18 been protesting social and economic inequality, and against an entrenched political elite that comes from a small number of the wealthiest families in the country, among other issues. (Photo by Javier Torres/AFP Photo)
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02 Dec 2019 00:07:00
In this photo taken on Monday, August 5, 2019, a family watches explosions at a military ammunition depot near the city of Achinsk in eastern Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, in Achinsk, Russia. Russian officials say powerful explosions at a military depot in Siberia left 12 people injured and one missing and forced over 16,500 people to leave their homes. (Photo by Dmitry Dub/AP Photo)

In this photo taken on Monday, August 5, 2019, a family watches explosions at a military ammunition depot near the city of Achinsk in eastern Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, in Achinsk, Russia. Russian officials say powerful explosions at a military depot in Siberia left 12 people injured and one missing and forced over 16,500 people to leave their homes. (Photo by Dmitry Dub/AP Photo)
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14 Jan 2020 00:05:00
Filipino Muslims pray outside the Blue Mosque as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr on May 13, 2021 in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, during which Muslims in countries around the world spend time with family, offer gifts and often give to charity. Parts of the Philippines remain under strict lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with religious venues restricted to 20 percent capacity only. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

Filipino Muslims pray outside the Blue Mosque as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr on May 13, 2021 in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, during which Muslims in countries around the world spend time with family, offer gifts and often give to charity. Parts of the Philippines remain under strict lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with religious venues restricted to 20 percent capacity only. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
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04 Jun 2021 11:55:00
In this Saturday, June 24, 2017 file photo, Zeid Ali, 12, left, and Hodayfa Ali, 11, comfort each other after their house was hit and collapsed during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq. The Ali cousins said some of their family members are still under the rubble. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo/File)

In this Saturday, June 24, 2017 file photo, Zeid Ali, 12, left, and Hodayfa Ali, 11, comfort each other after their house was hit and collapsed during fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq. The Ali cousins said some of their family members are still under the rubble. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo/File)
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14 Oct 2021 09:07:00