Rites Around the World

For 200 years the inhabitants of Ibi annually celebrate with a battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers, outside the city town hall.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth, is held every 12 years on the banks of Sangam, the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The festival lasts over 55 days and is expected to attract over 100 million people.

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival observed on the day of the full moon during the Tamil calendar month of Thai, and celebrated in honour of the Hindu god Lord Murugan. The kavadi is a physical burden carried by the devotee during their worship of Lord Murugan and it symbolises a call for help and also a show of gratitude for blessings received from the god.

Thaipusam, the festival of penance honouring Lord Murugan, originated from Southern India and introduced to Malaysia in the 19th century by Indian immigrants, is no longer celebrated in India. However in Malaysia the festival has gone beyond the ethnic Indian community which comprises of over eight percent of the 28 million population.

A provincial government is pressing Peru's Congress to protect the endangered Andean condor by passing a law that would outlaw a highland tradition that straps the giant vulture to the back of a raging bull, according to local media. The proposed bill aims to slow what communities, scientists and ecologists all describe as a worrisome drop-off in Peru's population of the Andean condor, one of the world's biggest flying birds.

Thousands of Muslims joined the Akheri Munajat, the final supplication as the first phase of the Muslims congregation concluded by seeking forgiveness and blessings for mankind on Sunday, according to local media.

Orthodox priests throughout the country bless the waters by throwing a cross into it as worshippers try to retrieve the cross. It is strongly believed that catching the cross brings health and prosperity to the person who catches it.

It is believed that the ritual of dancing in the river will bring good health throughout the new year.

The sledge race is an annual event to remember the traditional way of bringing hay, straw and wood down from the Alpine mountains to the valley.

The Up Helly Aa festival, introduced by men returning from the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century, takes place annually on the last Tuesday of January.

Feasting and fasting takes over normal life for millions of Hindus during Navratri, the festival of nine nights.

Hindu devotees worship the Sun god and fast all day for the betterment of their family and society during the festival.

A Hindu devotee stands in the waters of Sun Lake to offer prayers to the Sun god during the Hindu religious festival "Chhat Puja" in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh November 19, 2012.

Karthik Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu calendar month of Karthik and considered very auspicious by Hindus.