This custom of worshipping the Lord Sun (as in Chhath Puja), the sustainer of life on Earth, was also common in ancient Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations, indicating that it is not unique to India. It is also observed in nations such as Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, and others as part of their respective cultures and customs.

Google Analytics indicates that interest in crochet has surpassed interest in knitting, and the numbers are still rising. Since 2011, crochet-related searches have consistently outpaced knitting-related searches, and it appears that this trend will continue. Find out more about it here!

The Netherlands has one of the highest home birth rates in the developed world. Around 30% of Dutch women deliver their babies at home, and this figure has changed little since 1990. 

So why are home births still cherished in the Netherlands? It’s partly because Dutch health insurance fully covers home births, but doesn’t always cover hospital births without medical necessity. 

The Dutch medical system also has a good screening system and provides midwives (verloskundige) who help mothers have a safe delivery at home.

Brazil's people, culture, and cuisine are really global melting pots, since it is mostly made up of immigrants from nations as different as Japan, Italy, Syria, Germany, Korea, Lebanon, and China. Sao Paulo is believed to have the largest Japanese population outside of Japan. Brazilians nowadays are said to be descended from three ethnic groups: Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians. All of this comes together nicely to give Brazil's culture a distinct liveliness.

Harold Holt served as Prime Minister for 22 months before going missing while swimming at Cheviot Beach. Police, Royal Australian Navy divers, Royal Australian Air Force helicopters, Army officers, and many local volunteers launched a large manhunt.

For years, I had heard about the Canadian cuisine Poutine but had never eaten it. Despite having seen it on menus in the United States, I wanted to sample this Canadian cuisine for the first time in Canada. Poutine originates in the province of Quebec. It's made out of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds. I realize that doesn't sound very tasty (or perhaps it does). We were able to taste it at the first eatery that offered it in the area-Chez Ashton-during my Saint-Roch walking food tour in Quebec City. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it!

Thyme can reach a height of up to 40 cm, and its stems are typically wiry or narrow in shape. The leaves alternate in pairs along these short, treelike frames (although some may be more complex). The blooms of thyme feature oval petals and corollas that resemble green-white tubes with little tubular lobes at the tips.

Coffee beans are produced on a bush. They are a fruit because they are the pit of a berry. Beans are classified into two types: green and red. Red beans have a more pleasant aroma and are less acidic. They are used in the production of lighter coffees. Coffee beans are healthier when they have been roasted for a longer period of time. Decaffeinated coffee is produced through a chemical process that removes the caffeine from the beans. Caffeine is frequently sold to Coca-Cola, a large buyer.

This may sound fantastical, but practically every element found on Earth was generated in the blazing core of a star, including all of the elements that make up life on Earth, therefore our bodies are comprised of stardust. NASA has conducted significant studies on stardust, and you can learn more about their findings on their official website. The image above shows a NASA stardust container. "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were produced in the guts of falling stars," Carl Sagan writes. "We're formed of stardust."

This well-known oil painting by Johannes Vermeer was completed in 1665. It shows a European girl in an exotic dress, an oriental turban, and what appears to be a large pearl earring. The beautiful girl in the painting is thought to be his eldest child Maria, who was also said to be his muse. She appears in other paintings by Johannes and bears an uncanny resemblance to the painting, though this theory has never been proven.

A category of beetle known as fireflies has more than 2,000 different species. Despite their name, only a few species give birth to glowing adults. For instance, fireflies in the western United States are unable to emit light.

Small amounts of sun exposure — 10 to 20 minutes is ideal — can be beneficial for acne. Excessive sun exposure, on the other hand, can aggravate existing acne scars and cause new breakouts. Wearing sunscreen or an oil-free moisturiser with SPF is also essential no matter how long you're out in the sun.

Nalanda, one of the world's oldest ancient colleges, is being restored in rural Bihar. It was founded as a study center in the 5th century CE, when a major Buddhist monastery flourished on the site. The new Nalanda International University is scheduled to open in 2021/22 and will provide post-graduate courses in a wide range of topics.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was a furious rock anthem that exploded out of the speakers, making everything else on MTV seem puny and insignificant in comparison. The author of the song heard it differently. "It's such a perfect combination of cleanliness and nice, candy-ass production," Cobain said in an interview with biographer Michael Azerrad. "It may seem extreme to those who aren't used to it, but I think it's kind of lame."

Building pyramids kept the Ancient Egyptians occupied! Over 130 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt so far, and archaeologists are continually searching for more!

Have you ever wondered where the superstition that breaking a mirror would bring seven years of bad luck originated? This ancient superstition dates all the way back to Roman times, according to our fun fact about mirror number 8.

The Romans believe that breaking a mirror would harm both your soul and your life, which are renewed every seven years. As a result, seven years of bad luck followed.

It turns out that many of us are mistaken on even the most fundamental panther facts. We have a tendency to believe that a panther is a whole other species of the huge animal. However, depending on where you live, when we talk about panther information, we typically mean jaguar or leopard facts. This is due to the fact that a panther is characterised as a melanistic colour variety of other Panthera genus species, which includes tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards. Melanism is the formation of melanin, a dark-colored pigment in the skin, and this colour variety typically indicates that the cat is black or dark brown.

Tulsi contains a lot of Vitamin C and zinc. As a result, it functions as a natural immune booster and prevents infections. It possesses powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal qualities that protect humans from a wide range of ailments. Tulsi leaf extract boosts the immune system by increasing the activity of T helper cells and natural killer cells.

Have you ever thought about why you get hiccups? The spasms in your diaphragm compel you to suck in a breath, producing a gulping sound in your voicebox. Hiccups aren't beneficial in today's society, yet they were 370 million years ago. Scientists think that our ancestors had both gills and lungs and that when they pulled water in via their gills, it might aspirate into their lungs. A well-timed hiccup would clear the airway and prevent choking. Even though we no longer have gills, we still love the occasional hiccup!

That's enough pencils to circle the globe 62 times, believe it or not.

More volume for those in the rear! So, no, anime is not a cartoon for children. It is a highly polished art style presented in an animated format. Anyone who has seen a decent anime movie or anime will never compare it to a cartoon. So put your prejudices aside and join us on this emotional roller coaster known as "anime."

If you notice yourself becoming more upbeat during the warmer months, you are not alone. For a 2011 study published in the journal Science, researchers examined the tweets of 2.4 million people from around the world over a two-year period. They discovered that when the change in daylight was positive (i.e., as the summer solstice approached), users tweeted considerably happier tweets than when the change in daylight was negative (i.e., as the winter solstice approached).