The Vanuatu men of the Pentecost Islands climb a rickety 98-ft. tower, tie vines to their ankles and dive to the ground at speeds exceeding 45 mph as both a harvest ritual and rite of passage to manhood.

FORBES: Investor Rites of Passage - Part 2: Retirement

Both a seasonal rite and a cultural festival, this ritual is a distinctive embodiment of Jeju identity and an expression of the villagers respect for the sea on which their livelihood depends.

UNESCO: Culture

The Nestinarstvo fire-dancing rite is the climax of the annual Panagyr ritual on the feast days of Saints Constantine and Helena (3 and 4 June) in the village of Bulgari, in the Mount Strandzha region of south-east Bulgaria.

UNESCO: Culture