ACROSS THE PLANET

Russian Orthodox Priest
Photograph by Gerd Ludwig
Father Sevastyan meditates on the Gospels at Svyato-Kazansky hermitage, one of many Russian Orthodox communities resurrecting across the land.

Demsa Dancer, India
Photograph by Kieron Nelson

Orissa, India. Behind a ramshackle cluster of market stalls an impromptu Demsa dance was in full swing. The women danced in semicircles while the men played musical instruments. Suddenly, the crowd stopped clapping. A young man, his face painted a vivid blue, stood in the middle of the circle. He vanished into the multitude, only to reappear like a deity on the shoulders of two men. The dancing started again with the banging of drums as he was spun in a circle to the delight of the crowd.

Fishing, Celebes Sea
Photograph by Liang Huan Chuan
In Semporna, many Filipinos and Malayu who traditionally fish for a living have erected hundreds of these homes in the Celebes Sea.