Sacred Rites and Rituals

They mark the joys and sorrows of life. They honor the cycles and mysteries of the natural world and preserve a connection to our past. From the Catholic Sacraments to the tattooing and scarring of some African tribes, rites and rituals have always helped define human experience. As they diminish in the world today are we losing touch with an essential part of humanity? Join a worldwide trek to investigate age-old rites and discover how they enrich the cultures that created them. See incredible footage of a rite of passage ceremony in Papau, New Guinea, where a boy's skin is carved with patterns symbolizing the scales of a crocodile. Visit the Hindu festival of Thaipusam, where devotees pierce themselves with dozens of long aluminum rods. Amazingly, no blood is spilled, and the participants claim to feel no pain. Experts explore the power that these and other rituals seem to have for the participant and the community as a whole, and the possible consequences of their loss in everyday life.

• documentary