Temple of the Golden Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand, Asia

Women at the Lakshmi Puja Festival celebrating Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth and Beauty, India

Carnival, Grenada, Caribbean, West Indies

Maasai (Masai) Warriors, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

Maasai (Masai) warriors perform jumping dance, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, East Africa, Africa

Tuareg serving tea, Erg Murzuq, Sahara Desert, Fezzan, Libya, North Africa, Africa

Six different groups of native warriors, drummers, and dancers perform on Kwato Island, Papua New Guinea, Pacific

Traditional masked man, Tshikapa, Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Traditional masked man, Tshikapa, Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Traditional masked man, Tshikapa, Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Namba Yasaka Shrine, Osaka, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Performers during Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun, Plaza de Armas square, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cusco (Cuzco),Cusco Province, Cusco Region, Peru, South America

Traditional Japanese Marriage Ritual at Itsukushima Shinto Shrine on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine, UNESCO World Heritage Site, on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Peruvian men in with traditional headwear on celebration, Chinchero, Peru, South America

Back view of Peruvian man in traditional dress on celebration, Chinchero, Peru, South America

Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Sake barrels with traditional paintings, at Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Sake barrels with traditional paintings, at Itsukushima Shrine, Shinto temple, on Miyajima Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Japanese Jizo statue on Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Daishoin Temple (Suisho-ji) with hundreds of Buddhist statues wearing red hats, Miyajima Island, Hiroshima Prefecture, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Guide for a visit of the Jami Lasem Mosque, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Feet fulling of cloth in the dyeing process, Kidang Mas Batik House, Lasem, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Sweeper in front of Sewu Temple Compound, 8th century Buddhist temple located at the north of Prambanan Temple Compounds, region of Yogyakarta, Java island, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Wandjina art form of Kaiara, a mouthless spirit in the cloud, quartzite sandstone, Bigge Island, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia, Pacific

Soldiers of the Spiritual Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Performers during Inti Raymi Festival of the Sun, Plaza de Armas square, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cusco (Cuzco), Cusco Province, Cusco Region, Peru, South America

Hundreds of Jizo, Buddha statues, Zen Buddhism, Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Buddha statues in a Zen Buddhist temple in Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Hundreds of Jizo, Buddha statues, Zen Buddhism, Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Cathedral of Kananga, Central Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Spiritual leader dressed in leopard skin in the Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Spiritual leader dressed in leopard skin in the Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Spiritual leader dressed in leopard skin in the Church of Black People in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Traditional masked man dancing on a roof of a hut, Tshikapa, Kasai, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Hundreds of Jizo in rows, Buddha statues, Zen Buddhism, Yoshino, Nara, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Buddhist monks in yellow robes at the temple, Yoshino autumn celebrations, festival to pray for a good harvest at the Tenmangu of Kinpusen-ji temple, Yoshino, Honshu, Japan, Asia

Khan Al-Khalili market, Cairo, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

Cathedral of Bunia, Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa

Traditional ceremony at a temple in Bali, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession entering Cathedral, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday Procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Confraternity of penitents gathering outside San Leonardo church, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Good Friday procession, Enna, Sicily, Italy, Mediterranean, Europe

Villagers gather for a funeral in the desert in Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta)

Shrine of El Maximon in Santiago De Atitlan, Guatemala. Maximon saint/devil is one of the strongest remnants of the Mayan faith

Bishop blessing the palms,mass,Palm Sunday.Interior of Basilica Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Followers of the Christian sect of Fifohazana, sunday mass, Soatanana village, Madagascar

Followers of the Christian sect of Fifohazana, sunday mass, Soatanana village, Madagascar

Followers of the Christian sect of Fifohazana, sunday mass, Soatanana village, Madagascar

Followers of the Christian sect of Fifohazana, sunday mass, Soatanana village, Madagascar

Yamabushi follower, mountain ascetics, Buddhist sect, priest invoking the deity at the fire, Iwakura, Japan, East Asia, Asia

Yamabushi followers, mountain ascetics, Buddhist sect, pushing cedar branches off the fire with bamboo poles, Iwakura, Japan, East Asia, Asia

Ronda bullring, Malaga, Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain

Ronda bullring, Malaga, Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain

Every Friday dervishes gather an hour before sunset in front of Sheikh Hamed al-Nil tomb in Omdurman, Sudan to perform a ritual called Zikr (Dhikr). The ceremony starts chanting words of gratitude to the Prophet Mohammed. The audience interacts with the chanters, dancing to the rhythms of the percussion instruments. The dervishes start whirling around. The music, the fragrance of burning incense, the endless repetition of religious chants creates a state of ecstasy, a kind of trance in which human soul is believed to communicate directly with God.

The Bull Jumping Ceremony is conducted by several tribes in the Lower Omo Valley and is the most important ceremony in a tribal man's life.The ceremony is about hierarchy and membership in the tribe and typically involves a young man who undergoes a number of rituals before he leaps onto and runs rapidly over a series of cattle held by other men who have recently bull-jumped. Once the jumping is completed, the bull-jumper is a man in the eyes of the tribe. An important part of the ceremony is a ritualistic whipping, which women actively seek out from certain men known as Mazha. Dimeka, Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2010

Young people pulling the strings to hoist the mast at the traditional Bisket Jatra Festival in Napalese New Year, Bhaktapur, Nepal