World on my postcards

The second postcard received from a friend visiting Kentucky! Very big thank you to Paige! According to Kentucky website, Maybe nothing defines the culture of Kentucky better than the state's obsession with horses.

 First postcard of 2017! Amazing surprise from a friend visiting Detroit! Massive thank you!

This is the largest war canoe in the world was built for 1940 centennial commemoration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi . The 35 metre canoe carries a crew of 90 paddlers and is regularly launched for annual commemorations of the Treaty signing.

Le Mont-Saint-Michel is an island commune in Normandy, France.   As of 2009, the island has a population of 44.   According to legend, the archangel Michael appeared in 708 to Aubert of Avranches, the bishop of Avranches, and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet.

  The coffins are said to be carved by the elderly before they die. If an elderly person is too weak or ill to do so, his/her son, or a relative would do it for him/her. When the person dies, he/she is placed in the coffin in a foetal position. This is due to the belief that a person should exit the world in the same position that he/she entered it. After being wrapped up in blankets and tied with rattan leaves, the corpse is carried to a cliff in a procession. During this procession, mourners attempt to grab and carry the corpse. This is due to the belief that it is good luck to be smeared with the blood of the deceased, since it would allow a person to possess the skills of the deceased. After reaching the site for the burial, the corpse would be placed in the coffin and tied or nailed to the side of the cliff.

 The Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 (Russian: Парад Победы, tr. Parad Pobedy) was a victory parade held by the Soviet army (with a small squad from the Polish army) after the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. This, the longest and largest military parade ever held on Red Square in the Soviet capital of Moscow, involved 40,000 Red Army soldiers and 1,850 military vehicles and other military hardware.