Extraordinary Rituals – BBC2

Extraordinary Rituals BBC2
(Image credit: BBC/ Claire Thompson)

The final edition of the documentary looks at rituals in India, Senegal, Greenland, Taiwan and Australia – and the meanings behind them

The last in the series demonstrates the importance of fire to the Aboriginal people.

We also see the bond between father and son through hunting in Greenland.

And there's the melding of rituals with wrestling in Senegal.

But it’s those rituals on the extreme end of the scale that are the most incredible.

We witness the aptly named Six Days’ Hell endured by Taiwanese marines.

And then there is a woman’s initiation to become a Jain nun in India.

Extraordinary Rituals BBC2

Novice nuns of the Jain faith must have every hair on their heads plucked as part of their initiation

She must have every hair on her head plucked out by hand.

Her reward? A lifetime wandering India without a home, relying on the charity of others, but revered by all.

TV Times rating: *****