The way of ancestors,"Aluk todolo"

A singular practice taking place on Indonesian island questions our relationship with death in our societies. There, in Toraja, Central Sulawesi, the dead have a place of choice. They are honored and their bodies are treated with special care. Far from being hidden from the sight of the living, dead share the same roof than the living several months before being buried. Some time after the funeral ceremony, the coffins are opened and family take portraits with their ancestors.

The "Night of the Dead”

The inhabitants of the small Pacanda Island undertake their rite rooted from Purépecha religion. The funeral altars, which are first installed in the deceased’s family homes, are moved on November 1st in the cemetery. During the night, a lot of lighted candles emerges, accompanied by the smoke of incense and “apazecua” to help guide the soul of the deceased up to them. The Day of the Dead celebrates the continuance of life, family relationships and community solidarity.

Dogsbodies

Almost every day, some teenagers come to the largest open-air crematorium of Nepal, in the Pashupatinath temple, a sacred Hindu temple. They execute the instructions of the priests in exchange of small change. They usually carry the wood logs and stock the fire while the priest conducts the ceremony to assist the soul of the deceased in his next reincarnation.

The man & the machine

In the noisy night of Darjeeling, this man, emerging from the steams, seemed to come from another time, as a character of one of Emile Zola’s novel. It looks like a strong one-to-one between the man and the machine where the loneliness of this machinist emanates, almost fantastic. The loneliness but also the dignity.

Novitiation ceremony

The Shinbyu, novitiation ceremony is one of the most important events in a Buddhist's life in Myanmar. It consists for boys and sometimes girls to enter the Buddha's Order of Sangha as a novice. The first day, the boys are dressed and made up like princes, in reference to Prince Siddhartha who abandoned his property and his status as a prince to become a Buddha. The second day the families gathered in the monastery. The novices have their head shaved, ask permission in Pali and wear the robe.

Fruits and vegetables at twilight

Under the twilight, the greengrocers look proud, sitting in the middle of their stalls filled with fruits and vegetables. The mountains of carrots, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and so much more, bring forth multiple colors: ocher, yellow, green and garnet. It seems that the products of the earth are the central characters, and the men organize their scenography, until the choice of the color of the LEDs, to highlight their beauty.

The butchers

In this covered market of the city of Darjeeling in India, the first thing that catches the eye is these meat carcasses occupying all the space. Far from being hidden, they are proudly exposed to the sight of customers and passersby by these men proudly exercising their work.

Bagmati Aarati

Bisket Jatra - Offerings