Rites and Rituals

This risky summer festival honors a historic volcanic eruption.

Every New Year's Day, locals don gaudy costumes and dive into the frigid Firth of Forth.

Setting this massive marionette aflame rids Santa Fe of doom and gloom for another year.

Many Hindus make the long pilgrimage to this holy city to have their remains burned on the banks of the Ganges River.

The famed amusement district marks the beginning of summer with a wild procession of nautical creatures.

On the eve of a condemned prisoner's death, this bell rang 12 times outside their cell.

These planks were originally installed to hold the dead.

A 200-year-old tavern challenges guests to finish a glass of wine while hanging from a ceiling beam.

Once a year, local students "clean" this statue with a champagne shower.

Twice a year, this Orkney town hosts a rowdy game of medieval mob football.

Hundreds of huge, centuries-old horseshoes adorn the walls of this nontraditional 12th-century castle.

The train that took the prime minister on his final journey now rests in a British museum.

This unique competition celebrates an American Indian and Canadian First Nation cultural tradition.

Legend says those who drink from this trickle of water are destined to return to Montserrat.