At Bangkok's Reclining Buddha temple, Krairath Chantrasri says he is a proud custodian of the ancient skill of "nuad Thai," the body-folding, sharp-elbowed form of Thai massage that was added Thursday to UNESCO's prestigious heritage list. Originating in India and practiced in Thailand for ...
No dating, no sex, no marriage, no kids: South Korea's growing feminist movement
Bonnie Lee doesn't care about finding a boyfriend or a fairy-tale wedding, and will decide her own happily-ever-after: "I'm a straight woman who is no longer interested in having relationships with men." She is not alone. A growing number of South Korean women are banding together ...
Shuri Castle fire threatens Okinawa's tourism and traditional crafts industries
A predawn fire that destroyed much of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, has shocked the local tourism industry and associations of traditional Ryukyu Kingdom crafts, raising alarm about the loss of the historic attraction and potential harm to the prefecture's ability to promote ...
After protests, India drops plan to let officials use force to evict tribes from forests
India has dropped plans to give forest officials the right to use force against indigenous people and open up more land for commercial plantations after nationwide protests. Proposed amendments to a century-old Indian Forest Act aimed to give officials the power to arrest and shoot ...
Clandestine Japanese enthronement rite embodies tradition but is marked by controversy
The Daijosai, the most secretive and controversial part of the ceremonies, is a Shinto rite that begins on Thursday and involves the new emperor praying for peace and a rich harvest.
Indian business sags as Diwali prospects dim
For Indian executive Bibhas Chakraborty, Diwali used to mean shiny expensive gifts from business associates keen to use the auspicious — and spectacular — Hindu festival to deepen ties. Now he mostly gets sweets and nuts. As Asia's third-largest economy battles waning consumer demand, extravagant ...
Aichi illustrator shines light on local moon-viewing tradition called 'Japan's Halloween'
There is a tradition in Japan of holding moon-viewing parties to celebrate the harvest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, believed to be the best time of the year to watch the full moon, and this year it ...
Pakistan women work hard to overcome country's taboos about menstruation
Bent over her hand-cranked sewing machine, Hajra Bibi carefully stitches sanitary pads for the women of her mountainous village in northwestern Pakistan, one of many rural areas in the deeply conservative country where periods are still taboo. "I am responding to a crisis," said the ...
Young Chinese women give tradition a nod by wearing Hanfu costumes
Li Doudou's gray kitten squeezes in next to her as she sits painstakingly applying makeup and putting up her hair in a bun adorned with elaborate ornaments. Looking like she has just stepped off the set of a Chinese historical drama, the 26-year-old property appraiser ...
Samoan diaspora ink bonds with ancestors and motherland
Oliver Fagalilo takes a labored breath and tenses his body before a sharp steel comb, dipped in ink, is driven into his skin. Six hands keep him still and his skin taut as a Samoan artist works on the traditional tattoo that will cover more ...
Young Maori women on frontline of New Zealand's fight for indigenous rights
Five years ago, law graduate Pania Newton and her cousins got together around a kitchen table and agreed to do everything in their power to prevent a housing development on a south Auckland site that is considered sacred by local Maori. Newton, now 29, is ...
Via language, song and nature, young Taiwanese reconnecting with indigenous roots
The Truku elders of Taiwan still dream about their mountain home four decades after bulldozers tore it down — a classic symptom of trauma as community members struggle to accept their loss. At one evening gathering, Miya Yudaw described his recurring dream, where the mountain ...
