21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
Jrai Mud Ghost Child in Vietnam

As part of the Po Thi funeral tradition of the Jrai people in Vietnam, children are covered in mud and become mud ghosts. They change their persona to appear as frightening as possible and establish the bond that binds them to the dead and the living.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2023
Date Uploaded: 10.2023
Photo Location: Pleiku, Vietnam
Camera: NIKON D750
Copyright: © Cecile ZEHNACKER