#11 of the 25 crazy initiation rites?!

In the Nigerian delta region, there are waterways all over the place. So there many local legends and spiritual beliefs full of water spirits. In the Okrika tribe of this area believe that the water spirits form romantic relationships with the women of the tribe as children. Through the Iria ceremony this young woman must end this relationship with the water spirit in order to be married to a man of her tribe. Essentially the girl's body is painted from her breasts up and covered in ceremonial cloth from under the breasts down. Then they are put on display for a period of time until they must go to a river and sing and dance for days on end in an attempt to break the romantic bond between the young girl and the river spirit. It sounds pretty exhausting, but not nearly as bad as much of the other rites of passage on this list!!