“Theyyam”. Preparation for the Theyyam performance in the surroundings of Kasaragod city. Theyyam is a popular ritual dance form of North Kerala, particularly in Kannur and Kasargod districts. The Theyyam represents a mythological, divine or heroic character. Make up of Theyyams is done by specialist. There are different types of face painting for which primarily and secondary colours are used. Therefore it is essential that the makeup man should have perfect knowledge of primary and secondary colour combinations. Sometimes, it takes several hours to paint each face. Photo location: Kasaragod, India. (Photo and caption by Rafal Ziejewski/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Ethnic “Kam” (also known as Dong) women get ready for a traditional wedding ritual known as the “steal the chicken at the drum tower” in a minority Dong village in southwestern Chinese city of Congjiang, Guizhou province, China January 29, 2017. The ceremony held in the ethnic Kam minority village of Gantuan in Guizhou province is based on a tradition dating back some 500 years that was revived and modified in the 1990s for villagers and tourists. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Students participate in a wet t-shirt contest at the MTV Beach Bash party put on by Global Groove at the Bahia Mar Hotel during the annual ritual of Spring Break March 26, 2008 on South Padre Island, Texas. The South Texas island is one of the top Spring Break destinations and attracts students from all over the country. (Photo by Rick Gershon/Getty Images)

A leather worker with his frightening types of clothes prepares after painted themselves using chimney soot as they participate in a programme within the September 6 celebrations, in Balikesir, Turkey on September 06, 2019. According to the story, “Tulutabaklar” were painting themselves with ash and wearing goatskin or sheep skin to frighten the Greek soldiers occupying Balikesir during the National Struggle period. Every year on September 6, Tulutabaklar perform this ritual as part of the celebration of liberation of the city for 96 years. (Photo by Ali Atmaca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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)

A girl with a ritual garland headdress smiles during a traditional Midsummer Night celebration, in the capital Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, July 6, 2020. Ukrainian girls believe the ages-old ceremony would help them to find their true love partners, as the pagan Slav festival is still celebrated in Ukraine, as Kyiv has lifted the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. (Photo by Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

A man and a woman jump over a bonfire during Ivan Kupala Day celebrations held by the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Lifestyle in the village of Ozertso near Minsk, Belarus on July 4, 2020. Ivan Kupala Day, also known as Ivana-Kupala or Kupala Night, is a traditional pagan holiday celebrated in eastern Slavic cultures. Various rituals are traditionally performed on Kupala Night, including making flower wreaths, fortune-telling, jumping over bonfires, and burning a wheel-like effigy symbolizing the sun. (Photo by Natalia Fedosenko/TASS)

In this April 28, 2015 file photo, heads of tuna on a cart are carried by a fish dealer after the day's auction at Tsukiji Wholesale Market in Tokyo. In one of the biggest of Japan's many New Year holiday rituals, early on Tuesday, January 5, 2016, Tokyo's Tsukiji market will auction off with much fanfare a huge, glistening tuna, likely destined for one of the big sushi chains. If all goes as planned, it will be the last such auction at 80-year-old Tsukiji. (Photo by Shuji Kajiyama/AP Photo)