“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)

Flower garlands, fruits and a pair of sandals of a woman who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), are placed by her relatives on the spot where she was cremated, as part of a ritual at a crematorium in New Delhi, India, April 30, 2021. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

A woman looks on while a horse-drawn carriage passes by Italian artist Emilio Ferro's artwork installation “Portal of Light” at the Giza pyramids necropolis during the second edition of the Art D’Égypte exhibition “Forever is Now” on October 27, 2022. (Photo by Khaled Desouki/AFP Photo)

Coaches of the North-East Express passenger train that derailed late Wednesday near Raghunathpur railroad station in Buxar district of Bihar state, India, Thursday, October 12, 2023. The train was on its way to Assam state from New Delhi. (Photo by Aftab Alam Siddiqui/AP Photo)

A honour guard soldier gives a flower to a girl on International Women's Day in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, March 8, 2024. International Women's Day on March 8 is an official holiday in Russia. Per tradition, men give flowers and gifts to female relatives, friends and colleagues, even though in the past two years flowers have gotten more expensive. Marches, demonstrations and conferences are being held the world over, from Asia to Latin America and elsewhere. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

Miss Utah Krissia Beatty competes in the swimsuit competition during the first night of preliminaries of Miss America at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, September 8, 2015. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)

Michael Bath, from McLeans Ridges in New South Wales, Australia, estimates that in his lifetime he has taken more than 3,500 images of lightning bolts illuminating the sky. Photo: Alstonville, New South Wales, Australia – January 8, 2003. (Photo by Michael Bath/Caters News)