One of the most peculiar traditions of all, boys of South Pacific Vanatu on reaching puberty have to pass an extremely reckless test of masculinity.
Under the Menses rituals of Uaupes, Brazil, girls are brought out naked on the streets and are beaten to death or unconsciousness.
While for some people it may mean a celebration of an age which legalizes them to certain activities, for others it is nothing less than a living nightmare.
In the Louiseno Indian Tribe, young boys lie on a bed of red ants.