Extraordinary Rituals
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- Episode
- Episode 2 - Great Gatherings
- Broadcast Info
- 2018 (58 mins)
- Description
- Great Gatherings looks at rituals that bring us together in huge numbers, keep communities alive and reinforce our identity - by joining the crowd. In Italy, Siena is a medieval city divided into 17 districts. For centuries the districts have settled their rivalries in a ritual horserace, the Palio. The agony of defeat meets the ecstasy of victory as this ritual binds the city together through proud tradition. In Peru, the Andean festival of Qoyllur Rit’i is hugely important, bringing together the eight scattered clans for the highest mass ritual on Earth. Many mass rituals require co-operation for success. In Indonesia the ancestors are said to ensure a good harvest for those prepared to shed human blood. So neighbouring villages have a ritual battle on horseback called Pasola, with the aim of injuring their opponents - but also being hurt themselves. Rituals allow us to let off steam. In Japan, Oto Matsuri is a Shinto fire ritual to reconnect to the kami spirits. For the bravest, it’s also a mad dash down 538 steps and a chance to unleash everything. The world’s major religions have billions of believers and their mass pilgrimages are the greatest human rituals on Earth. In Malaysia, during Thaipusam, devotees take it to extremes, being pierced through the cheeks and carrying heavy burdens to honour Lord Murugan, the Hindu God of War. As society changes we are creating new mass rituals. In America, Burning Man draws 70,000 people together to build a community in the desert that revolves around rituals of fire. Since 2000, one crew builds a temple, which has become the centre of a mass healing ritual. For billions of people, shared ritual experiences still help us to find where we belong and connect us to something greater than ourselves.
- Genre
- Culture; Religion; Philosophy
How to cite this record
The Open University, "Extraordinary Rituals". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/230136 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)