Rituals of the World
Fire dancing in Papua New Guinea or climbing to the top of the Ethiopian cliffs to introduce one’s child to God: this series reveals how some people today still practice rituals that structure their lives.
Papua New Guinea: The Fire Dance
When a person dies, or to celebrate a harvest or important visit, The Baining tribesmen go to make masks that represent the spirit of the forest which their ancestors have seen in caves in the jungle.
Peru: Masters of Chaos
Anthropologist Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke goes to meet Jenny, a young Peruvian who has crossed the whole country to ask the sacred lakes to heal her health problem.
Amazonia: Becoming a Man
In the heart of the Amazon rainforests of Brazil, the Sateré-Mawé people have a rite of passage to adulthood where a show of bravery turns boys into men.
Samoa: Tattoo Heritage
The tattooing practiced in Samoa is not comparable to the fashionable trend in Europe. In Samoa, tattooing is above all a rite signifying that the individual belongs to a group, and it is extremely painful.
Haiti: The Carnival of Specters
Every year in Jacmel, on the south coast of Haiti, festivities take on an intensity that is not found elsewhere. The Haitians do not depict dream-like characters in their parades, but instead monsters or specters.
India: Festival of Colors
Colored powder breaks down the barriers between people. Since Antiquity, to mark the spring equinox, the whole of India celebrates Holi, the festival of colors.
Seville: Holy Week
Holy Week is one of the most important rituals in Christianity. During the week before Easter, it celebrates the death and then resurrection of Christ.
Ethiopia: Jumping into Adult Life
“Ukuli Bula” is a bull jumping ceremony. The idea is to jump three times over a series of bulls lined up in a row, without falling over. If the young man, or Ukuli fails, he will be mocked by the village and will not be able to marry.
Bolivia: Fighting for the Pachamama
Every May, thousands of Quechuas, farming people of the high plateaus, converge on Macha for what is no doubt one of the most spectacular and violent rituals in America, Tinku: a fertility ritual in the form of a fight.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer: Traveler Pride
Every year on 24 May, traveling folk from all around Europe come to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in southern France for a great festive ritual to honor Saint Sara, their patron, who was a persecuted servant.
Ethiopia: A Baptism in the Sky
In the Tigray region of Ethiopia, Orthodox Christians confront their fears and baptize their children in churches perched high in the sky at 800 meters in the troglodyte church of Abuna Yemata Guh.
India: From Girl to Woman
“First marriage and then love.” This Indian proverb describes Indian society fairly accurately, and how the tradition of marriage is experienced in the country. In India, people don’t just marry whoever they want.
Myanmar: The Cult of the Nats
Every year in Tangbyon, an important ritual sees thousands of Burmans come to ask their mediums to dance, so they may contact the Nats, spirits that are able to offer them a better future.
Madagascar: Partying with the Dead
In Madagascar, from July to September, the inhabitants of the island profit from the dry season to organize a traditional rite: the Famadihana, or the “return of the dead”.
Guatemala: Kites for the Dead
On 1 November in the cemeteries of the Sacatépequez region of Guatemala, the people are not sad for the dead. They communicate with the deceased in a unique and poetic way, using kites.
