Sword & Pole Festival, China

The Sword and Pole Festival is a show of strength for the men from Yunnan’s Lisu and Yi ethnic groups. Known as “a-tang-de” in the Lisu language, meaning “a festival of climbing knife-ladders”, the festival takes place on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year. Two spectacular rituals take center stage: running through a “sea of fire” made of hot glowing coals; and climbing the “knife-ladder”, which is exactly what it says it is: Men climb 20-meter-high ladders with rungs made from 72 sharp knives. (Kunming Information Hub)