Maldives Edition
World Family Photo Box Day leads today's complete edition for Maldives.
Daily Edition
Official observances, world days, local context, and everyday celebrations for people who need something worth reading, sharing, or talking about today.
A day for printed pictures, old phones, albums, names written on backs, and the people a household remembers together.
National holiday. A significant day for Burkina's Catholic community. Churches fill, choirs sing, and afterward everyone gathers for a meal that always includes riz gras. The faith runs deep in the Centre-Ouest and the processions through Koudougou and Ouaga are a sight that stays with you.
The Maldives has a centuries-old goldsmith tradition ("vevun") that is one of the most refined in the Indian Ocean. Maldivian goldsmiths work with gold and silver to create intricate jewelry that blends Islamic geometric patterns with local motifs : crescent moons, coconut palms, fish, and the Maldivian national emblem. The most distinctive Maldivian jewelry forms include the "holhavali" (a wide silver bangle with floral engravings worn by women), the "kanfattu" (gold ear ornaments that frame the face, worn on formal occasions), the "fattaru" (a gold necklace with coin-like pendants), and the "udhuvalu" (silver rings worn on the toes). The goldsmiths use traditional tools : small hammers, fine chisels, and hand-powered drills : and the techniques are passed from master to apprentice, often within families. The jewelry is an essential part of a Maldivian bride's dowry, and the making of wedding jewelry is the goldsmith's most important commission. Malé's goldsmith quarter, in the old part of the city, has been the center of this craft for centuries, and the narrow streets still ring with the tap-tap-tap of hammers on precious metal. The tradition is threatened by cheap imports and the rising cost of gold, but a new generation of Maldivian designers is reviving traditional forms with contemporary aesthetics.
