“The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and also the Riau Islands. In Thailand, this festival is called Tesagan Gin Je, the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed”. – Wikipedia. Photo: A devotee gest pierced at the Bang Neow shrine in Phuket. (Photo by Paula Bronstein)

A participant wearing a motorcycle helmet gets sprayed with firecrackers, during the “Beehive Firecrackers” festival at the Yanshui district in Tainan, Taiwan on March 1, 2018. According to Taiwan's Tourism Bureau, the “beehive” festival started in the late 1885 as a request to the gods to spare Yanshui from a cholera outbreak which was making its way through the villages. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A naked Hindu holy man arrives to bath in the Godavari River during Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, at Trimbakeshwar in Nasik, India, Saturday, August 29, 2015. Hindus believe taking a dip in the waters of a holy river during the festival, will cleanse them of their sins. According to Hindu mythology, the Kumbh Mela celebrates the victory of gods over demons in a furious battle over a nectar that would give them immortality. (Photo by Rajanish Kakade/AP Photo)

Anne London found her focus at the age of 19 while working for Tippi Hedren, founder of Shambala , a refuge for big cats, elephants and other species located in California. There, as she walked among the animals, she realized that the commercial art field was not for her, and she dedicated her life to bringing about awareness of the plight of endangered wildlife across the globe, and raising money for conservation efforts.

A young man shows off his new Sony PlayStation Vita portable gaming device that he just bought at the Sony Store during the official German launch of the new Vita on February 21, 2012 in Berlin, Germany. Several hundred video gaming enthusiasts waited hours in line to be among the first to buy the new device. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

A young Hindu girl sits for a ceremony where she and other girls are worshipped as “Kumari”, or living goddess, during Ram Navami festival, at a temple in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 28, 2015. Ram Navami marks the birth of Hindu God Rama. (Photo by Bikas Das/AP Photo)

A devotee offers oil lamps on top of his body as part of a ritual during Dashain, the biggest religious festival for Hindus in Bhaktapur, Nepal, October 22, 2015. Hindus in Nepal celebrate victory over evil during the festival by flying kites, feasting, playing swings, sacrificing animals and worshipping the Goddess Durga as well as other gods and goddess as part of celebrations held throughout the country. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A christmas teddy bear is wheeled along on a trolley at the Steiff stuffed toy factory on November 23, 2012 in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany. Founded by seamstress Margarethe Steiff in 1880, Steiff has been making stuffed teddy bears since the early 20th century ever since her nephew Richard Steiff exhibited the first commercially produced teddy bear in Europe in 1903. Teddy bears are among the most popular children's toys and the company is hoping for a strong Christmas season. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller)