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Unfortunately “semana santa” will not take place this year due to the corona virus pandemie. Hopefully next year.
All those lives lost will be missed.
Aravan’s wedding is a semi-religious transgender event that takes place in Koovagam near the village of Villupuram in the Tamil month of Chitrai (April/May).
The festival takes place at the Koothandavar Temple dedicated to Aravan (Koothandavar). The participants marry the Lord Koothandavar, thus reenacting an ancient story of Lord Vishnu (Krishna) who married him after taking the form of a woman called Mohini. The next day, Koothandavar dies. Festival participants mourn Koothandavar’s death through ritualistic dances and by breaking their bangles.
The festival also serves as a platform to raise awareness for transgender issues in mainstream society.
Check the full story here.
Catholicism is a way of life in Sicily. The re-enactment of Christ’s death at Easter is one of the main events in the religious calendar. Every little village in Sicily has one or several brotherhoods whose members walk the streets displaying religious artefacts and symbols. Each village has their own schedule and processions differ significantly in size and duration. Trapani holds the record where processions continue for a full 24 hours.
Most the the pictures shown in this gallery were taken in Enna. All brotherhoods start around 3 in the afternoon and finish their processions around midnight.
Check the full story here. You may also want to check out “Devoted“.
Sandhia from Madurai has a woman’s body but feels like a man. She wants to be called “Raja” only.
Raja is not being accepted for what he is. When being threatened by his neighbours, he and his mother had to run.
On foot. The good road ends just outside Lamayuru however. After that it’s dirt tracks and then donkey trails. Most rivers have to be crossed on horseback or on foot. Not a joke even if it hasn’t been raining for a while.
The locals are used to foreigners but you could hardly call this mass tourism. The tourists leave enough rupees to bolster farmers’ incomes by staying on their land and eating their food, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to change the traditional lifestyle in this part of the world.
Check the full story here.
I love walking the streets of Kathmandu at festival times. So much is happening. Every moment you might stumble over something unexpected around the next corner.
I also enjoy the relaxed atmosphere around the large stupas Bodnath and Swayambhunath.
Check the gallery here.
Kushti had its origin in Parthia (Persia) around 1000 BCE although there is a slightly different interpretation of it in India. Kushti wrestlers start at an early age to submit to a stringent life codex of physical exercise while developing body strength. They live off a high-calorie diet that is supposed to increase body mass. Wrestlers must renounce all worldly possessions to live only for their sport.
Kushti is linked to the monkey God Hanuman who represents strength and bravery, which is why every Akhara (school) has a shrine dedicated to him. Wrestlers pray to Hanuman regularly, for example before a match.
Check the full story here.
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