These powerful images capture the spear-wielding tribes of Papua new Guinea who believe they are possessed with the spirit of the crocodile. They show how the Kangunaman clansmen scar their backs to resemble reptile scales while the Huli Wigmen wear elaborate headdresses to signal they are ready for battle. (Photo by Trevor Cole/Media Drum World)

Chieftain Japarupi Waiapi shows a roasted monkey -part of Waiapi's diet, also based in Manioc and fruits- at the reserve in Amapa state in Brazil on October 13, 2017. When Waiapis walks into the Amazon forest surrounding their village, they do not see trees, but a kind of shopping mall providing medicine, food, shelter, tools and weapons all under the eye of multiple spirits. (Photo by Apu Gomes/AFP Photo)

Handlers control the giant puppet MOCCO during a special training session in Takamori, Nagano prefecture, Friday, April 23, 2021. Tokyo 2020 organizers created about 10 meter-tall puppet to symbolize the spirit of the people from the regions affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The puppet will travel from Tohoku to Tokyo in May to be in place for the games scheduled to open in July. (Photo by Koji Ueda/AP Photo)

A pilgrim holds up the cross after it was thrown by an Orthodox priest into the water, during an epiphany ceremony to bless the sea, on the southeast resort of Ayia Napa, Cyprus, Friday, January 6, 2023. By tradition, a crucifix is cast into the waters of a lake or river, and it is believed that the person who retrieves it will be freed from evil spirits and will be healthy through the year. (Photo by Petros Karadjias/AP Photo)

God of Wealth arrives at the Lunar New Year celebration at Thean Hou Temple on February 10, 2024, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chinese New Year in Malaysia is marked by family gatherings, festive adornments and traditional rituals embodying a spirit of hope and renewal for the year ahead, and aims to bring joy and prosperity to all while fostering a sense of unity and hope for a successful Year of the Dragon. (Photo by Annice Lyn/Getty Images)

Balinese men hold cock fighters during the Tabuh Rah ceremony at a Temple in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia, 28 December 2014. Traditional cockfighting or locally named “Tajen”, was once performed as a sacred ritual in Bali but now has become a source of gambling for many local Balinese men. Cockfighting is staged during the anniversary of a temple. The rituals are mainly aimed at preventing the evil spirits from harming people. (Photo by Made Nagi/EPA)

A man walks with a giant rake during carnival celebrations in Zubieta January 27, 2015. Bell carrying dancers known as Joaldunak from Zubieta and neighbouring Ituren visit each other's villages performing a ritual dance to ward off evil spirits and awaken the coming spring. Alongside the dancers, villagers dress in bizarre and frightening costumes to harass and scare visitors. (Photo by Vincent West/Reuters)

People dressed as a dancing devils with giant mask dance on a street, during a traditional celebration in Naiguata, Venezuela, Thursday, May 31, 2018. Carrying in their hands striking masks mostly animals and sea monsters, hundreds of men, women and children went out to dance frantically as possessed by evil spirits in an ancient ritual known as Dancing Devils of Naiguata, the unorthodox way of the coastal towns of Venezuela to venerate God during the celebrations of Corpus Christi. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)