Keyword: Ritual
On the island of Malakula, part of the nation of Vanuatu, when the time is deemed right by their elders, the youth of the community partake in a coming-of-age ceremony to become manples: literally “men-place.” Anthropologist Jacopo Baron reflects on his personal involvement in these rituals and on the profound… Read more »
Every February in Southern Italy, the LGBTQ+ community gathers for a religious event at the Sanctuary of Montevergine in Mercogliano, a small village nestled in the hills of Irpinia. The group collectively enters trance-like states which celebrate “Mama”, a local medieval black Madonna who is believed to protect the marginalised…. Read more »