Festivals play such an important part in societies that somewhere there is probably a festival going on every day of the year. The origins of many are lost, but feasts and processions can be seen on Egyptian pharaohs’ tombs. Festivals celebrate life, religion, nature, and local customs, giving us a sense of belonging and continuity. But most of all, they are a celebration of the human spirit. With our own festive season receding into memory, Marion Bull picks out a a few others for the New Year
They are the most intelligent of the apes, but human activity is causing their numbers in the wild to dwindle. Penny Batchelor went to the one place in the world where it’s still possible to have a close encounter with an orangutan
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