Rituals of the World
In this documentary series, anthropologist Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke introduces us to the amazing rituals of the world in the company of those who practice them.
- 2018-2020
- 1 season
- Questar Entertainment
- Documentary, Action & Adventure
- TV-PG
In this documentary series, anthropologist Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke introduces us to the amazing rituals of the world in the company of those who practice them.
Season 1 Episode Guide
15 Episodes 2020
Episode 1
Papua New Guinea: The Fire Dance
27 mins
For important affairs, the Baining tribesmen create masks representing the Spirit of the Forest. A great fire is then lit in the village, and villagers adorning masks dance on the burning embers to prove they are stronger than the flames.
Episode 2
Peru: Masters of Chaos
27 mins
Follow Jenny, a young woman who has crossed Peru to ask the sacred lakes to heal her medical issue. For seven centuries, shamans have drawn their power to heal from the Huaringas, sacred lagoons located on the border of Peru and Ecuador.
Episode 3
Amazonia: Becoming a Man
27 mins
In the heart of the Amazon rainforest of Brazil, the Sateré-Mawé people have a rite of passage to adulthood where a show of bravery turns boys into men. According to tribe members, this painful initiation prepares the young men for life and proves they are capable of fulfilling their reproduction obligations.
Episode 4
Samoa: Tattoo Heritage
26 mins
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. The more painful it is, the more Stivi approaches the state of a real, accomplished man.
Episode 5
Haiti: The Carnival of Specters
26 mins
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. This is a way for them to deal with the difficulties of the past, and also those of the present.
Episode 6
India: Festival of Colors
27 mins
Simple colored powder can break down the barriers between people. Since the dawn of antiquity, to mark the spring equinox, the whole of India celebrates Holi, the festival of colors. During this celebration, Indians of all castes throw colored powder in the faces of people they meet.
Episode 7
Seville: Holy Week
26 mins
Holy Week is among the most important rituals in Christianity. The week before Easter, Holy Week celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Seville, Spain, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, dozens of processions take place, each one led by one of the 60 brotherhoods in the city.
Episode 8
Ethiopia: Jumping into Adult Life
26 mins
Simply put, "Ukuli Bula" is a bull jumping ceremony. The idea for those who participate is to perform three consecutive jumps over three large bulls, without falling over. If the young man, or "Ukuli," fails in his endeavor, he will be mocked by the village, and will not be allowed to marry.
Episode 9
Bolivia: Fighting for the Pachamama
26 mins
Each May, the Quechuas of the high plateau converge on Macha a spectacular and violent ritual called Tinku, a fertility ritual in the form of fighting. The blood that is shed feeds Pachamama, the Earth Mother, who is responsible for good harvests, fertility in women, and a large herd of llamas.
Episode 10
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer: Traveler Pride
26 mins
On May 24 each year, travelers from Europe flock to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France for a festive ritual in honor of Patron Saint Sara with whom travelers greatly identify. For one week, between 8,000 and 10,000 travelers travel to Camargue, filling the streets, squares, and seafront with energy.
Episode 11
Ethiopia: A Baptism in the Sky
27 mins
Journey to the Tigray region of Ethiopia, Africa where Orthodox Christians confront their fears and baptize their children in churches perched 800 meters in the sky in the troglodyte church of Abuna Yemata Guh. The climb is excruciatingly difficult, and extremely dangerous.
Episode 12
India: From Girl to Woman
26 mins
"First marriage and then love." This Indian proverb describes Indian society quite accurately in terms of how the tradition of marriage is perceived and experienced in the country. In India, people do not just marry whoever they wish. It is the family that decides in an arrangement called Shaadi.
Episode 13
Myanmar: The Cult of the Nats
26 mins
Each year in Tangbyon an important ritual takes place where thousands of Burmans ask their mediums to dance so they may contact the Nats, spirits that can offer them a better future. Since homosexuality is illegal here, the ritual provides a space where L.G.B.T.Q. people can exist without hiding.
Episode 14
Madagascar: Partying with the Dead
26 mins
From July to September each year, the people of Madagascar organize a traditional rite: the Famadihana, or the "return of the dead." During the ceremony, bodies are removed from their vaults and their descendants happily carry the exhumed body of the deceased on their shoulders, and dance.
Episode 15
Guatemala: Kites for the Dead
27 mins
On 1 November each year, in the cemeteries of the Sacatépequez region of Guatemala, Guatemalans communicate with the deceased in a unique and poetic way, using kites. Guatemalans believe with all their heart that the kites spiritually link them to communicate with their beloved ancestors.
