From the death rites of animals to gang initiations, rituals are found everywhere. This new book explores why
Humans
1 June 2022
This fire ritual in Bulgaria involves a barefoot dance on smouldering embers
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Ritual
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“I always feel my stomach churn when I look at someone being impaled by a spear through the cheeks,” writes Dimitris Xygalatas, an anthropologist at the University of Connecticut specialising in the study of extreme rituals. The version of the Thaipusam Kavadi ritual found in Mauritius is his favourite – if that is quite the word. Devotees endure many piercings, from a few needles through their cheeks to several hundred spikes perforating their entire …
Source: Humans - newscientist.com
