#byak karon

[sheltiechicago]

Sasi Laut is a traditional ceremony performed by local communities in Raja Ampat on the Bird’s Head peninsula in the newly formed Indonesian province of Southwest Papua.

This ceremony is performed at the start or the end the sea harvest season. The people in Raja Ampat believe that when they go out to sea, their success depends on the Sasi ceremony. The practice sustainably provides significant benefits to the preservation of marine life in Raja Ampat. By closing off a chosen area until a specified time, Sasi Laut ensures an abundant harvest in highly sought-after catch such as lobster and sea cucumber

Young men wear traditional Byak Karon clothing in Werur Raya village, Tambrauw regency. The word ‘sasi’ means oath. Sasi Laut is a tradition passed on by their ancestors and practised by local communities in Raja Ampat

Photograph: Garry Lotulung

[xtruss]

Litli-Hrútur, Iceland 🇮🇸! Lava flows after the eruption of a volcano at the Reykjanes peninsula. Iceland has 33 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. It has an eruption every five years on average. Photograph: Juergen Merz/Glacier Photo Artist/Reuters

Pamplona, Spain 🇪🇸! Revellers run in front of bulls during the San Fermín fiestas in Pamplona. Photograph: Álvaro Barrientos/AP

Sabucedo, Spain 🇪🇸! People attend the traditional Rapa Das Bestas in the village of Sabucedo. Wild horses are captured in the hills and then carried to a farmyard to brand them and cut their horsehair. Several thousand people attended to observe young people overcoming horses without using ropes or sticks. Photograph: Brais Lorenzo/EPA

Litli-Hrútur, Iceland 🇮🇸! People watch flowing lava during a volcanic eruption near Litli-Hrútur. Thousands of small earthquakes had been recorded in the area in the week leading up to the eruption, signalling that the magma below the ground was moving and an eruption was imminent. Photograph: Kristinn Magnusson/AFP/Getty Images

Islands of Indonesia 🇮🇩! Fishermen on the water at sunset. Photograph: Garry Lotulung

Islands of Indonesia 🇮🇩! Elvira Bless in traditional Byak Karon clothing. Photograph: Garry Lotulung