In mid-March Valencia, Spain, revels in the festival of Las Fallas. The festival is a celebration the waning days of winter and the arrival of spring. Know as the feast of Saint Joseph, the city is given over to a carnival of bonfires, fiesta, fireworks and bullfights.
In March of 2003, then President George W. Bush announced to the nation that the United States and coalition forces had launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. joined by Britain, Australia and Poland set out to topple the regime of Saddam Hussein. Baghdad had fallen to the invading forces by April 9th. One of the primary missions was to recover and destroy weapons of mass destruction – none were ever found.
Six days after Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new head of the Catholic Church, the newly dubbed Pope Francis was formally installed as the church’s next pontiff. Addressing thousands of people at his inauguration mass at the Vatican, the first Latin American pope delivered a homily on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Photographer Daniel Becerril documented unconventional Catholic priest Adolfo Huerta, known as “Gofo,” who likes rock music, dyes his hair red, dresses in black, and enjoys riding his motorcycle. Huerta, who was ordained five years ago, found God and the priesthood while studying philosophy at the Pontifical University in Mexico City and working with HIV-positive patients and sex workers as a social activist. He says it is important to demystify faith and accept people’s differences without judgement, and in his sermons he references rock songs, quotes books and tells jokes.
Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new pope by the Papal conclave on Wednesday. His selected name: Pope Francis. He is the first Jesuit to become pope.
Mush! Mush! Mush! Mitch Seavey, 53, became the oldest champion of the 2013 Iditarod Great Sled Race on Tuesday. The win comes a year after his son became the youngest winner.
Heralded as the “Last Great Race,” mushers and their dogs take on a grueling 1,000-mile sled-dog race track from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The first race began on March 3, 1973 and finished 32 days later.
Browse photos taken by Bill Roth of the Anchorage Daily News and Nathaniel Wilder of Reuters.
Believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, some 100 million were said to have attended the 2013 Kumbh Mela festival, held on the banks of the Sangam in Allahabad. Hindus made the pilgrimage to bathe in the holy waters to wash away their sins at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The festival alternates between the cities of Nasik, Allahabad, Ujjain and Haridwar every three years.
Photos taken by Daniel Berehulak of Getty Images. You can read his account on Time’s Lightbox blog.
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After meeting to discuss issues, the Catholic Church’s cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday afternoon to elect a new pope. Meanwhile, near the Pantheon in Rome, the tailors at Gammarelli will make preparations of their own.
For 200 years, the ecclesiastical tailors have been creating garb for bishops, cardinals, pontiffs and priests. As Catholics await the announcement of the Vatican’s next leader, Gammarelli is expected to be already creating papal garb — in small, medium and large sizes so whoever is chosen will get the right fit.
Issues surrounding women’s rights and the treatment of women received special attention around the globe during International Women’s Day on March 8. To commemorate the occasion, Reuters photographer Joe Penney documented traditional headdresses worn by the women of Gao in Mali.
Radical Islamist group MUJAO (Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa) placed limitations on these headdresses during their nine-month reign, which ended in January with the arrival of French and Malian troops. The headdresses, made of beads, gemstones, fabric and fake hair and traditionally worn by elites for special occasions, were criticized by MUJAO, who said they were not Islamic enough.
The first day of the Crufts dog show got under way in Birmingham, England. The four-day show features over 25,000 dogs, with competitors travelling from 41 countries to take part. Crufts, which was first held in1891, sees thousands of dogs vie for the coveted title of ‘Best in Show.’
Dogs have been entered into breed judging, Gamekeepers’ classes and the Obedience Championships, including a record number of dogs from overseas. In addition, thousands more dogs will take part in agility, heelwork to music, flyball and a number of other competitions and displays as well as the popular Discover Dogs area.
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Great Baltimore Fire of 1904
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Ray Lewis retrospective: 1996-2013
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Double Exposure series