Agrarian societies, historically reliant on favorable conditions in nature for their survival, created these rituals to ward off evil and misfortune, she said. Carnival revelry has for centuries ...

Christina Louka, 16, poses for a portrait, dressed in animal skins and heavy bronze bells, as part of carnival celebrations ...

The Koudounaraioi, or Bell People of Distomo, Greece, continue an ancient pre-Christian carnival tradition, mixing revelry with rituals meant to refresh societal spirit and honor Dionysus, the god of ...