A man rides a horse through a bonfire as part of a ritual in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals, in San Bartolome de Pinares, about 100 km west of Madrid, Spain on Thursday, January 16, 2014. On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, hundreds ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome during the “Luminarias”, a tradition that dates back 500 years and is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo)

Polish boys and girls throw water over each other on “Smigus-dyngus” (or Wet Monday) during the Easter Monday in Szczecin, northwestern Poland, 18 April 2022. Smigus-dyngus is a Roman Catholic celebration held on Easter Monday in Poland. Traditionally, boys throw water over girls, this is accompanied by a number of other rituals, such as making verse declarations and holding door-to-door processions. (Photo by Marcin Bielecki/EPA/EFE)

Working in graphite, gold leaf and mixed media assemblage, Yoann Lossel creates fantastic myth based worlds and scenarios. They have a beautiful graceful ambiance, full of spiritual timelessness and ancient rituals. He is a French painter and designer currently living in the Forest of Broceliande in Brittany, a landscape steeped in Celtic and Arthurian myth. Reflecting this environment – Yoann’s works take the viewer through mythic and imaginary lands, imbued with ancient tales and iconic mysteries.

A woman (C) shops for an offering at the witch doctor's street in La Paz, July 31, 2015. According to Andean culture, the all the month of August is a time to give offerings to “Pachamama” to give thanks for their farms and health. The Aymaras use coca leaves, candies, animal fat, llama fetuses, some dried fruits, powdered minerals and alcohol during these rituals. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

“The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and also the Riau Islands. In Thailand, this festival is called Tesagan Gin Je, the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed”. – Wikipedia. Photo: A devotee gest pierced at the Bang Neow shrine in Phuket. (Photo by Paula Bronstein)

In this Monday, March 10, 2014 photo, a 9,000 year-old mask is on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The exhibition called “Face To Face” shows eleven stone masks, said to have been discovered in the Judean desert and hills near Jerusalem, which date back 9,000 years and offer a rare glimpse at some of civilization's first communal rituals. (Photo by Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo)

A Nepalese mother applies make up to her daughter dressed as the living goddess Kumari as they wait for Kumari puja to start at Hanuman Dhoka temple, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, September 14, 2016. Girls under the age of nine gathered for the Kumari puja, a tradition of worshiping young prepubescent girls as manifestations of the divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community that seeks divine blessings to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A photograph made available on 02 October 2016 showing Indian people dressed in traditional attire performing the Garba dance, a ritual performed to appease Goddess Durga, in a religious event named, “Abhivyakti 2016” during the nine-day long Navratri festival in Bhopal, India, 01 October 2016 Celebrated twice a year during the spring and the fall season, the Navratri festival is dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Durga. (Photo by Sanjeev Gupta/EPA)