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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
Nguyen Manh Quan (top), 26, a civil servant, carries a girl using his throat area as he performs during a showcase of the traditional Thien Mon Dao kung fu at Du Xa Thuong village, southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam May 10, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)

Nguyen Manh Quan (top), 26, a civil servant, carries a girl using his throat area as he performs during a showcase of the traditional Thien Mon Dao kung fu at Du Xa Thuong village, southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam May 10, 2015. Thien Mon Dao, a traditional Vietnamese martial art, was formed by 18th century villagers in Du Xa Thuong village, who believed the art form could help improve health as well as fight against foreign invaders. There are currently about 3,000 practitioners including farmers, industry workers and state servants. These practitioners say they are able to bend metal against their bodies and carry heavy objects using their throats, eyes or tongues, as well as run across the surface of a river, according to Thien Mon Dao kung fu master Nguyen Khac Phan. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)
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11 May 2015 12:27:00
A plume of smoke rises above Gaza City as Israeli air strikes hit on August 18, 2011 in Gaza City, Gaza

A plume of smoke rises above Gaza City as Israeli air strikes hit on August 18, 2011 in Gaza City, Gaza. The airstrikes came hours after attacks by militants killing Israelis in a cross border operation near Eilat, Southern Israel. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
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19 Aug 2011 09:23:00
A bullied student with vitiligo is celebrating learning to love her skin by turning it into art  making a world map, flowers and even a Van Gogh painting. Ashley Soto, 21, from Orlando in Florida, USA, has found turning her white patches of skin into art has empowered her and helped her to embrace her vitiligo. Here are some of the art pieces Ashleys made to celebrate and embrace her vitiligo from a world map to simply tracing her vitiligo and also Van Goghs Starry Night. (Photo by Ashley Soto/Caters News Agency)

A bullied student with vitiligo is celebrating learning to love her skin by turning it into art making a world map, flowers and even a Van Gogh painting. Ashley Soto, 21, from Orlando in Florida, USA, has found turning her white patches of skin into art has empowered her and helped her to embrace her vitiligo. Here are some of the art pieces Ashleys made to celebrate and embrace her vitiligo from a world map to simply tracing her vitiligo and also Van Goghs Starry Night. (Photo by Ashley Soto/Caters News Agency)
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16 Mar 2017 00:02:00
Indian performers painted as tigers take part in the “Pulikali”, or Tiger Dance, in Thrissur on September 17, 2016. The folk-art event is held every year in the town during the “Onam” festival. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

Indian performers painted as tigers take part in the “Pulikali”, or Tiger Dance, in Thrissur on September 17, 2016. The folk-art event is held every year in the town during the “Onam” festival. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)
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19 Sep 2016 09:13:00
A woman watches rescue operations after a bus and a truck crashed on the road that links the Honduran capital with the south of the country, near Germania, 11 km south of Tegucigalpa on February 5, 2017. At least 12 people were killed and 35 injured of some 70 who were on board the bus. (Photo by Orlando Sierra/AFP Photo)

A woman watches rescue operations after a bus and a truck crashed on the road that links the Honduran capital with the south of the country, near Germania, 11 km south of Tegucigalpa on February 5, 2017. At least 12 people were killed and 35 injured of some 70 who were on board the bus. (Photo by Orlando Sierra/AFP Photo)
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07 Feb 2017 00:00:00
A Balinese man performs a traditional dance at Art Center Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on May 30, 2025. (Photo by Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP Photo)

A Balinese man performs a traditional dance at Art Center Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on May 30, 2025. (Photo by Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP Photo)
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05 Jul 2025 03:34:00
People ride on a motorcycle in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

People ride on a motorcycle in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)
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20 Apr 2024 05:28:00