Flickr user Vintage Lulu is sharing her collection of Japanese postcards from late 19th and early 20th century…
The photoset was dubbed as vintage Geisha postcards, but most of those ladies look like ordinary people (including some westerners) wearing traditional Japanese kimonos instead of real Geishas… pretty neat nonetheless.
Giarai (or Jarai) is an ethnic group based primarily in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Sharing a couple of photos of a traditional Giarai Tomb at the Musuem of Ethnology in Hanoi; pretty interesting design lol…
The floating village is one of the tourist attractions and cultural heritages in Halong Bay, Vietnam. People have been living in these floating houses for hundred of years with fishing as the main income activity.
The tourism boom in recent years should bring a bit of extra income for the villagers, but to be frank… what they get is only a very small chunk of the Halong travel business. Well, I guess a little is better than nothing.
Most of the junks and cruises would pass by at least one of the floating villages and would probably make a short stop at a fish farm where travellers can buy some extra seafood to supplement their meals on the junks, or perhaps just taking a peek into the basic living of the villagers.
Photos below were taken during my Vietnam trip in July 2008…
A Buddhist temple in Thailand, is holding rituals for devotees to ‘die and reborn’.
Everyday hundreds of people would visit the Wat Prommanee temple in Nakhon Nayok, about 100km northeast of Bangkok, to participate in the ritual. The devotees would lie in coffins for a few minutes while the monks chant some prayers… and then rise from the coffins believing that they are cleansed of their past and ready for a new life [more on IHT]
The temple has been running the ceremony for more than three years, and its popularity seems to be ever growing with up to 700 visitors per day during weekends. The attendees would pay 100-180 bath (~ USD3-5) to partake in the ceremony.
Speaking of superstition.
Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in which the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
Ramadan is the Islamic month of fasting… Muslims would not eat or drink anything from true dawn until sunset [more on Wiki]
Ramadan is huge in Malaysia with Islam being the predominant religion; temporarily food markets (pasar ramadan) would be set up in various places during the month for the convenience of the Muslims to buy their food for breaking of fasts.
As for non-Muslim, it’s a month to sample a great varieties of dishes and cuisines from the Ramadan markets; it’s also quite a popular season for foreign travellers to visit Malaysia for the traditional food and cultural experience.
Sharing some photos from a Ramadan bazaar in Seberang Jaya, Penang…
Bahnar Rong (Ba Na Rông) are communal houses of the Bahnar tribe from Central Highlands (Tây Nguyên) region of Vietnam.
The distinctive features of the traditional Bahnar Rong are the tall & steep roof and lifted platform which are built to adapt to the (often rainy) tropical weather; the houses are traditionally used for cultural, religion and gathering purposes for men.
These traditional Bahnar Rong are almost obsolete nowadays, as the people are replacing their communal houses with iron and cement instead.
The photos here were taken at the Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi where the Bahnar Rong, along with other traditional houses of various ethnic minorities, were built as an effort to preserve the fading Vietnamese culture and heritage.
Photo of Japanese Geisha posing in swimsuits (or bath-suits) during the Meiji Era (1868-1912) or Taisho Era (1912-1926) of old Japan…
More pictures available on Flickr [via Japanprobe]
Chuseok (추석 - Full Moon Harvest) is a Korean festival celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month in lunar calendar (Sept 14 in 2008).
Chuseok is one of the two biggest holidays in Korea (the other is Seollal the Korean New Year). It is considered the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving and a time to honour ancestors with newly harvested grains and fruits [more on KoreaNet]
As for Korean entertainment fans, it’s the season to see their favourite Korean celebs in traditional Hanbok wishing everyone a happy Chuseok. Sharing a few pics of some all-girls Korean pop groups (image from Newsen and Star)…
Jewelry
