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)

An Iraqi Muslim woman walks past Christmas decorations for sale in the Shiite holy city of Najaf on December 17, 2015. (Photo by Haidar Hamdani/AFP Photo)

Mechanic and welder Sergei Kulagin, 32, strengthens the bracing of a spider sculpture, made by Kulagin, during a demonstration on the wall of an automobile repair workshop in the town of Divnogorsk outside Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, October 15, 2014. Enthusiast Kulagin, who works as a mechanic of an automobile service station, created about 20 sculptures made of used car parts and components during his non-working hours. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

A member of an Egungun masquerade group, his identity obscured under his ornate costume in Ouidah, Benin on March 13, 2019. The exclusively male practitioners, found across Yoruba culture, use dance and spinning in the belief that they will summon the spirits of ancestors. (Photo by Massimo Rumi/Barcroft Images)

The first Australian Kangaroo gold coin issued by The Perth Mint in 1989 featured an iconic bounding Red Kangaroo. Designed by Dr Stuart Devlin AO CMG, goldsmith and jeweller to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this classic creation has since been featured on the kilo release each year in the highly sought-after bullion series.

Luna Portnoi emerging Argentine Artist Luna Portnoi has been developing her practice in Buenos Aires for over five years. Her work is deeply connected to themes of color, nature, astronomy, childhood, magic, ancient civilizations, collaboration and the passions, openness and emotions we experience as children that are often left behind in adulthood. Already well known in Buenos Aires, the Artist has also received international press coverage.

Luna Portnoi emerging Argentine Artist Luna Portnoi has been developing her practice in Buenos Aires for over five years. Her work is deeply connected to themes of color, nature, astronomy, childhood, magic, ancient civilizations, collaboration and the passions, openness and emotions we experience as children that are often left behind in adulthood. Already well known in Buenos Aires, the Artist has also received international press coverage.

Bao Bao the panda, one of the National Zoological Park’s cutest inhabitants in Washington, D.C., recently celebrated her first birthday on August 23rd. As part of the celebration, Bao Bao got her very own cake. The large tiered cake showcased a big number 1.