Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- The extravagant samba parades began in Rio on Sunday night as the city celebrated Carnival. Tourism officials said almost 730,000 visitors arrived in Rio this year for the big party -- a 5 percent increase over last year. It's the first Carnival since Rio was named as host to the 2016 Olympics, and officials have been working hard to show that the city, known for the drug-gang violence that pervades its slums, can safely host major events.(22 images)

A member of Beija Flor samba school performs on a float during carnival celebrations at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, early Monday, Feb.15. An estimated 700,000 foreign tourists are in town to take part, many of them fleeing snowy winter conditions in Europe and the United States. AP / Martin Mejia

Newlyweds in Thames Town, China

Thames Town is the English name for a new town in Songjiang, about 30 km from central Shanghai, China and situated on the Yangtze River. It is named after the River Thames in England, the United Kingdom. The architecture both imitates and is influenced by classic English market town styles. There are cobbled streets, Victorian terraces, corner shops - empty as in an abandoned film set. Some of the architecture has been directly copied from buildings found in England, including the church (copied from one in Clifton, Bristol) and a pub and fish and chip shop (copied from buildings in Lyme Regis, Dorset). The picturesque church and main square makes an idyllic backdrop for many Chinese Wedding photos. -- Wikipedia
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Chinese newlyweds pose for wedding photographs in Thames Town on November 19, 2010 in Songjiang, China. Chinese wedding couples gather daily to have their wedding portraits taken in the themed Chinese town. "Thames Town" is the English name for a newly built town in Songjiang, 35 km from central Shanghai, China and situated on the Yangtze River. It is named after the River Thames in England. The architecture both imitates and is influenced by classic English market town styles. Getty Images / Daniel Berehulak 

Onbashira Festival

Onbashira is a festival held every six years in the Lake Suwa area of Nagano, Japan. The purpose of the festival is to symbolically renew the Suwa Taisha or Suwa Grand Shrine. "Onbashira" can be literally translated as "the honored pillars". Onbashira lasts several months, and consists of two segments, Yamadashi and Satobiki. Yamadashi traditionally takes place in April, and Satobiki takes place in May. "Yamadashi" literally means "coming out of the mountains." Before this portion of the festival, huge trees are cut down in a Shinto ceremony using axes and adzes specially manufactured for this single use. The logs are decorated in red and white regalia, the traditional colors of Shinto ceremonies, and ropes are attached. During Yamadashi, Teams of men drag the logs down the mountain towards the four shrines of Suwa Taisha. The course of the logs goes over rough terrain, and at certain points the logs must be skidded or dropped down steep slopes. Young men prove their bravery by riding the logs down the hill in a ceremony known as "Ki-otoshi."
Source: Wikipedia
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Participants astride a huge log slide down a hill during the Onbashira Festival on April 9, in Shimosuwa, Japan. The septennial festival has taken place for the past 1,200 years. The huge timbers are used as sacred pillars for the Suwa Grand Shrines of Kamisha and Shimosha, which are re-built in Suwa City. The lumbers' journey down the mountainside often results in injury and fatalities as participants try to ride the timbers as they slide down the mountain. Getty Images / Koichi Kamoshida