Wedding on Bali

Two most important events on Bali prepared with great care are weddings and funerals and the costs for both of these two events are enormous. The costs for this wedding in the photos below was 4000$ and it is even more for people that live in such terrible conditions. For the people in the western cultures it seems ridiculous and absurd to spend such an amount of money when you can barely live on your salary, but eastern cultures think it is inappropriate not to celebrate a wedding with all necessary rituals. Have a look at one typical Balinese wedding.

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Why is he doing this?

OMG! This looks so bizarre! Does anybody know why the hell is this guy doing this to himself and why are all of these people standing right beside him and doing nothing but watching this poor fella hurting himself? It seems to me like religious thing, because only the religion has such a power to make people do painful and foolish things. Anyway, if anyone knows what is going on in these photos below please let me know. Thanks!

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Muslim Shiites Ceremonials

The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.

It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD). According to Sunni Muslim tradition, the Prophet Muhammad fasted on this day and asked other people to fast.; Sunni Muslims also celebrate the day claiming that Moses fasted on that day to express gratitude to God for liberating the Israelites from Egypt.

In some Shia countries and regions such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become a national holiday and most ethnic and religious communities participate in it. Even in India, Ashura (often called Moharram) is a public holiday.

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