Who s wearing such cute hats? Jan 11, 2020

Who s wearing such cute hats?

The stone figures lining the steps in today"s photo are among 500 rakan statues on the small island of Miyajima in Japan. The colorful knitted caps they"re wearing are offerings from people visiting the island, a tradition followed in other areas of Japan as well. Some believe this gift-giving is based on a children"s folk story of an elderly hatmaker who was unable to make it to market on a snowy day, so he placed his collection of hats on rakan statues to keep their bare heads dry. Later, the statues showed their appreciation by delivering gifts to the hatmaker and his wife so they could celebrate the new year properly. The statues in this photo were individually carved sometime between the 1780s to the 1820s, and no two are alike. They line the path at the base of Mount Misen that leads to the Daisho-in Temple, one of the many temples and shrines on the island.

© Malcolm Fairman/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Jan 11, 2018Bow Bridge in Central Park, New York City
Jan 11, 2019Life in a North African town
Jan 11, 2021At the gates of the ksar
Jan 11, 2022Porcupine
Jan 11, 2023Umschreibung by Olafur Eliasson in Munich
Jan 11, 2024Eurasian lynx
Jan 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 2, 2022Mount Rainier National Park
Apr 12, 2024Arches National Park, Utah
Apr 12, 2018Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia
Nov 12, 2018Honoring those who served
Feb 16, 2020When an ideal microclimate gives you lemons…
Jan 29, 2018Vacuum Chamber 5 at Glenn Research Center
Oct 22, 2022Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
Dec 17, 2023Bohemian waxwings in Canada
Jul 17, 2020Let s face it: It s World Emoji Day
Jan 3, 2025Happy Birthday, J.R.R. Tolkien!
Nov 18, 2024Porthcawl Lighthouse, Wales, UK
Jun 22, 2021Land of the midnight sun
Apr 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
Sep 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut
Sep 21, 2022International Day of Peace
Jun 9, 2021Ring of fire
Jul 22, 2019Let’s go mothing
Oct 18, 2021A Welsh wonder turns 70
Jul 25, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Oct 12, 2020Indigenous Peoples Day
Feb 11, 2019There’s a dog in there somewhere
Sep 14, 2022Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon
Nov 21, 2020Headed to the High Country
Oct 5, 2018Is that a smile?
Sep 18, 2020Homeward bound
Jan 20, 2019It’s Penguin Awareness Day
Dec 12, 2024Poinsettia Day
Apr 1, 2025National Frog Month
Aug 10, 2022Joshua Tree National Park
Jan 25, 2022Saint Dwynwen s Day