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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
A child playfully jumps into the water accumulated at a flooded area next to a house after rising water levels in the rivers caused flooding at Jhusi area of Allahabad on August 6, 2021. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)

A child playfully jumps into the water accumulated at a flooded area next to a house after rising water levels in the rivers caused flooding at Jhusi area of Allahabad on August 6, 2021. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)
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19 Aug 2021 09:32:00
Competitors perform at the World Irish Dance Championship on April 13, 2014 in London, England. The 44th World Irish Dance Championship is currently running at London's Hilton London Metropole hotel, and will host approximately 5,000 dancers competing in solo, Ceili, modern figure choreography and dance drama categories during the week long event. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Competitors perform at the World Irish Dance Championship on April 13, 2014 in London, England. The 44th World Irish Dance Championship is currently running at London's Hilton London Metropole hotel, and will host approximately 5,000 dancers competing in solo, Ceili, modern figure choreography and dance drama categories during the week long event. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
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15 Apr 2014 09:36:00
AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus laughs as she attends a swimming event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, August 21, 2004. Niedringhaus, a veteran Associated Press photographer who had covered wars around the world was shot dead and another reporter was wounded on April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them in eastern Afghanistan, the news agency said. Picture taken August 21, 2004. (Photo by Reuters/Staff)

AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus laughs as she attends a swimming event at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, August 21, 2004. Niedringhaus, a veteran Associated Press photographer who had covered wars around the world was shot dead and another reporter was wounded on April 4, 2014 when an Afghan policeman opened fire on them in eastern Afghanistan, the news agency said. (Photo by Reuters/Staff)
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05 Apr 2014 01:23:00
Men cover their heads from the sun while riding on a motorcycle during a hot day in Cairo, Egypt, August 17, 2015. A heatwave killed at least 61 people across Egypt from Sunday to Tuesday and caused nearly 600 people to be admitted to hospital, Egypt's health ministry said on state news agency MENA on Wednesday. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

Men cover their heads from the sun while riding on a motorcycle during a hot day in Cairo, Egypt, August 17, 2015. A heatwave killed at least 61 people across Egypt from Sunday to Tuesday and caused nearly 600 people to be admitted to hospital, Egypt's health ministry said on state news agency MENA on Wednesday. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)
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18 Aug 2015 13:47:00
A Chinese tourist uses the scarf of a friend as she is helped while she and others struggle to climb in the wind on an icy section of the Great Wall at Badaling, on a cold day after a snowfall on November 30, 2019 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A Chinese tourist uses the scarf of a friend as she is helped while she and others struggle to climb in the wind on an icy section of the Great Wall at Badaling, on a cold day after a snowfall on November 30, 2019 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
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10 Dec 2019 00:05:00
Buddy the dog peers from a vehicle before the start of a movie at a drive in cinema in Snagov, Romania, Monday, June 1, 2020. Romania further loosened the measures imposed during a nationwide lockdown in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections, with museums, open air restaurants, cinemas and beaches opening for public on Monday. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo)

Buddy the dog peers from a vehicle before the start of a movie at a drive in cinema in Snagov, Romania, Monday, June 1, 2020. Romania further loosened the measures imposed during a nationwide lockdown in order to limit the spread of the COVID-19 infections, with museums, open air restaurants, cinemas and beaches opening for public on Monday. (Photo by Andreea Alexandru/AP Photo)
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21 Jun 2020 00:05:00
A child dressed as Hindu God Shiva begs for alms from devotees at the Sangam, the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on the Makar Sankranti festival during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, January 14, 2024. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take dips in the confluence, hoping to wash away sins during the month-long festival. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

A child dressed as Hindu God Shiva begs for alms from devotees at the Sangam, the confluence of three rivers – the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, on the Makar Sankranti festival during the annual traditional fair of Magh Mela in Prayagraj, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Sunday, January 14, 2024. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims are expected to take dips in the confluence, hoping to wash away sins during the month-long festival. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)
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05 Feb 2024 11:34:00