Sacred Wonders (2019): Season 1, Episode 3 - Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerusalem - full transcript
♪
MANY OF THE WORLD'S
BEST-KNOWN LANDMARKS
HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY FAITH,
AND TODAY
MORE WORSHIPPERS THAN EVER
ARE FLOCKING
TO THESE SACRED PLACES,
BUT WHY DO THEY CONTINUE
TO PROVOKE SUCH PASSION?
HUNDREDS OF YEARS
AFTER THEY WERE FIRST BUILT,
MANY OF THEM REMAIN PLACES
OF DEEP SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
AND CONTROVERSY.
FOR SOME PEOPLE,
THEY ARE SANCTUARIES
FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION.
FOR OTHERS, THEY ARE SITES
OF ASTONISHING ACTS OF WORSHIP,
DANGEROUS CHALLENGES, AND
EXTRAORDINARY DEEDS OF DEVOTION
RARELY SEEN BY OUTSIDERS.
THIS TIME, AT THE HOLY
SEPULCHRE IN JERUSALEM,
AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
MUST DELIVER A HOLY FLAME
INTO THE HANDS OF HIS BISHOP.
AT BUDHANATH IN NEPAL,
A BUDDHIST PAINTER
BATTLES THE ELEMENTS
IN ORDER TO HONOR
BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY,
AND AT LALISH IN IRAQ,
A YOUNG YAZIDI WOMAN
GOES IN SEARCH OF SALVATION
AFTER BEING TRAUMATIZED
BY RECENT CONFLICT.
IN THIS SERIES,
WE REVEAL THE AMAZING THINGS
THAT PEOPLE DO FOR THEIR FAITH
IN SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR
SACRED PLACES
ON THE PLANET.
♪
AT ONE SACRED WONDER
IN JERUSALEM,
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY IS
THOUGHT TO HAPPEN EVERY YEAR
IN THE SAME PLACE
AT THE SAME TIME...
A MIRACLE.
THE CHURCH
OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE...
ONE OF THE MOST SACRED SITES
IN CHRISTIANITY.
IT'S BUILT WHERE CHRIST
IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN
CRUCIFIED, BURIED,
AND RESURRECTED.
♪
HIS TOMB IS ENCLOSED
WITHIN A SHRINE,
AND SURROUNDING IT
ARE A NUMBER OF CHAPELS,
EACH ONE GOVERNED
BY A DIFFERENT BRANCH
OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
♪
FOR SYRIAC ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
HANNA KOSHO,
IT IS A DEEPLY
SPIRITUAL PLACE.
LIKE MANY ORTHODOX
CHRISTIANS, HANNA BELIEVES
THAT ON EASTER SATURDAY
FOR OVER 1,200 YEARS
A MIRACLE
HAS TAKEN PLACE HERE.
ON THIS DAY INSIDE THE SHRINE,
IT IS SAID THE HOLY SPIRIT
CREATES A SACRED FLAME.
THAT FLAME IS THEN CARRIED TO
THE CHAPELS A FEW METERS AWAY
BEFORE BEING TAKEN TO ORTHODOX
CHURCHES ALL OVER THE CITY.
♪
TOMORROW HANNA WILL
BE ONE OF THE FLAME BEARERS.
♪
HE TRAVELS FROM SWEDEN
EVERY YEAR
TO PERFORM THIS ROLE
FOR HIS CHURCH.
IT IS
A HUGELY PRESTIGIOUS ROLE
THAT IS PASSED
DOWN THE GENERATIONS.
♪
NOW HE'S STARTED
TEACHING HIS NEPHEW YOUSEF,
HERE FROM MICHIGAN,
HOW IT'S DONE.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: KNOWING
THAT IT HAS BEEN IN OUR FAMILY
FOR SO LONG AND HAVING PEOPLE
LIKE MY FATHER, MY UNCLE,
OUR GRANDPARENTS HAVING THE
CHANCE TO CARRY IT AND NOW THAT
ME AND MY COUSINS ARE HAVING
THE CHANCE TO CARRY IT,
IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT HONOR.
♪
IT'S 9 A.M.
ON EASTER SATURDAY.
CROWDS ARE STARTING TO GATHER
AT THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
PILGRIMS FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD HAVE COME,
HOPING TO WITNESS THE MIRACLE.
HANNA HAS BEEN DOING THIS
FOR 24 YEARS,
BUT THIS YEAR,
YOUSEF IS GOING TO HELP HIM
CARRY THE SACRED FLAME.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: IT'S
KIND OF OVERWHELMING AT FIRST,
BUT THEN WHEN YOU REALIZE
WHAT YOU'RE DOING THERE,
IT KIND OF MAKES EVERYTHING
SEEM PRETTY SMALL,
THAT YOU'RE THERE
FOR A BIGGER REASON.
INSIDE
THE HOLY SEPULCHRE,
ANTICIPATION IS BUILDING.
♪
WHEN THE HOLY FLAME APPEARS,
EVERYONE WILL BE DESPERATE
TO TOUCH IT.
♪
HANNA AND YOUSEF WILL
ONLY HAVE A MATTER OF SECONDS
TO GET IT FROM THE SHRINE
TO THEIR CHAPEL
BEFORE THE OVEREXCITED CROWD
CLOSES IN.
♪
EVERYONE IS JOSTLING
FOR THE BEST SPOT.
THE PRESSURE IS GETTING
TO HANNA AND YOUSEF, TOO.
YOUSEF...
♪
THE ONLY PERSON
WHO WILL ACTUALLY
WITNESS THE HOLY FLAME
IS THE PATRIARCH
OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH.
HE'S SEARCHED TO MAKE SURE
HE ISN'T CARRYING ANYTHING
THAT HE COULD USE
TO CREATE A FLAME.
THEN HE'S SHUT
INSIDE THE SHRINE.
WHEN THE HOLY FLAME APPEARS,
HE WILL PASS IT OUT
THROUGH A PORTHOLE
TO THE WAITING FLAME CARRIERS.
♪
HANNA IS POISED BY THE SHRINE,
YOUSEF 60 FEET BEHIND HIM,
AND IN ONE
OF THE SURROUNDING CHAPELS,
THE BISHOP FROM THEIR CHURCH
IS ALSO WAITING.
EVERYONE IS PRAYING
FOR A MIRACLE.
♪
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER:
YOUR HEART STARTS BEATING
FASTER AND FASTER.
YOU CAN'T HELP BUT TO GET
A LITTLE BIT ANXIOUS.
♪
THE HOLY FLAME
HAS APPEARED,
AND THE FIRST CANDLES
LIT WITH IT
ARE PASSED OUT OF THE SHRINE.
THE FASTER HANNA AND YOUSEF
CAN GET IT TO THEIR BISHOP,
THE GREATER THE HONOR.
♪
♪
IN LESS THAN
30 SECONDS, IT'S ALL OVER.
THE BISHOP HAS THE FLAME.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: ONCE I WAS
ABLE TO GIVE THE HOLY FIRE
TO THE BISHOP, THAT WAS
THE MOST AMAZING FEELING,
KNOWING THAT IN MY HEART,
I FEEL CLOSER TO GOD
AND TO JESUS.
ALL AROUND
THE SHRINE, THE FLAME IS PASSED
FROM PERSON TO PERSON.
♪
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS,
THIS HOLY FIRE WILL BE TAKEN
TO ORTHODOX CHURCHES
NOT JUST ACROSS JERUSALEM,
BUT AS FAR AFIELD AS RUSSIA
AND NORTH AMERICA.
♪
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: ALL I COULD
FEEL IS PEACE,
LOVE, AND HAPPINESS.
I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE HONOR
TO CARRY THE HOLY FIRE
AND TO CONTINUE ON THE LEGACY
OF THE KOSHO FAMILY.
♪
THERE HAS BEEN
A CHURCH ON THE SITE
OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
AND IT NEEDS CONSTANT CARE
AND ATTENTION,
AS DO MANY SACRED WONDERS.
THE CENTURIES-OLD CHURCHES
OF LALIBELA IN ETHIOPIA,
CARVED OUT OF THE BEDROCK,
ARE NOW IN NEED
OF A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR
RESTORATION,
AND AT THE BLUE MOSQUE
IN ISTANBUL,
HUNDREDS OF THE DOME'S
ICONIC CERAMIC TILES
HAVE BEEN BROKEN
OR STOLEN OVER THE YEARS
AND ARE CURRENTLY
BEING REPLACED,
BUT THERE'S
AN ANCIENT WONDER IN NEPAL
THAT ALWAYS LOOKS PRISTINE...
♪
BOUDHANATH.
THIS GRAND BUDDHIST STUPA IN
NEPAL'S CAPITAL CITY KATHMANDU
IS ONE OF THE LARGEST
IN THE WORLD.
DATING BACK TO THE 14th CENTURY,
IT HOUSES HOLY RELICS
SAID TO INCLUDE
THE BONES OF BUDDHA,
BUT DESPITE ITS AGE, IT'S
IN ALMOST-PERFECT CONDITION
BECAUSE IT'S CONSTANTLY
BEING REPAINTED.
38-YEAR-OLD BUDDHIST
MILAN SHRESTHA
IS ONE OF A TEAM RESPONSIBLE.
♪
WORKING AT BOUDHANATH
IS CONSIDERED AUSPICIOUS.
MILAN BELIEVES HE AND HIS
FAMILY WILL HAVE GOOD FORTUNE,
OR KARMA,
AS A RESULT OF HIS JOB,
AND SO DO THE PEOPLE WHO
PROVIDE THE PAINT THEY USE.
THERE'S A STEADY STREAM
OF DONATIONS FROM DEVOTEES
HOPING FOR BETTER KARMA
IN THE FUTURE.
♪
THE DONATIONS ARE MADE
ALL YEAR ROUND,
AND AS A RESULT, THE STUPA
IS CONSTANTLY REPAINTED,
SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES
A MONTH,
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PAINT
JOB OF THE YEAR IS TOMORROW
BECAUSE IT'S BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY
AND THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE
WILL BE REDONE FROM TOP
TO BOTTOM IN A SINGLE DAY.
♪
WITH 24 HOURS TO GO,
THE DECORATING TEAM
HAS GATHERED.
THEY ARE WAITING
TO FIND OUT WHO GETS
THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE...
PAINTING THE DECORATIVE ORANGE
ARCS ACROSS THE STRUCTURE.
THEY REPRESENT LOTUS PETALS,
A BUDDHIST SYMBOL
OF PURITY AND ENLIGHTENMENT.
MILAN HAS BEEN
CHOSEN TO PAINT 16
AROUND THE BOTTOM
OF THE STUPA.
IT'S HIS FIRST TIME DOING IT
ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY,
AND IT'S A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.
MAKING THEM TAKES
GREAT SKILL AND PRECISION.
♪
ALL ACROSS THE CITY, EVERYONE
PREPARES FOR THE BIG DAY.
THE STUPA'S DOME IS SO SACRED,
TO MINIMIZE CONTACT WITH IT,
RATHER THAN USE BRUSHES,
THE PAINT MUST BE THROWN.
MILAN'S FRIEND PURNA
HAS TAUGHT HIM A TECHNIQUE.
♪
EVERY PETAL MUST BE
THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE.
THE KNACK LIES IN FLICKING THE
PAINT AT JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE,
BUT THERE'S
AN ADDED COMPLICATION.
THE HIMALAYAN WIND OFTEN
STRENGTHENS IN THE AFTERNOON.
♪
♪
♪
IT'S THE DAY
OF BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY.
THOUSANDS HAVE ARRIVED,
AND MORE PAINT DONATIONS
ARE MADE TODAY
THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME OF YEAR.
THEY USE TWO TYPES OF PAINT...
THE LOTUS PETAL COLOR
MADE WITH SAFFRON
AND THE WHITEWASH
MADE FROM LIME,
A CORROSIVE MIX THAT MUST
BE HANDLED WITH CARE.
♪
FIRST, THE WHOLE DOME IS GIVEN
A NEW COAT OF WHITEWASH.
♪
♪
SO FAR, SO GOOD,
BUT THEY NEED TO WORK FAST.
THE WIND HAS STARTED
TO PICK UP.
SUDDENLY, MILAN IS TRIPPED UP.
A VIOLENT GUST
SPRAYS WHITEWASH
STRAIGHT INTO HIS FACE.
♪
THE LIME IN THE PAINT
COULD PERMANENTLY
DAMAGE HIS EYESIGHT...
♪
BUT THE WIND'S
GETTING WORSE.
AFTER WASHING HIS EYE,
THEY QUICKLY PUSH ON.
♪
♪
THE WHITEWASHING IS COMPLETE.
NOW IT'S TIME TO PAINT
THE LOTUS PETALS.
AS HIS TEAMMATES
GET TO WORK
ON THE UPPER PART OF THE STUPA,
MILAN STARTS ON THE FIRST
OF 16 PETALS AROUND THE BASE.
♪
UH!
HE MUST
THROW HIS PAINT AT EXACTLY
THE RIGHT ANGLE IN ORDER
TO CREATE THE PERFECT ARC.
♪
UH!
♪
UH!
♪
DESPITE THE WIND,
ONE BY ONE, THE PETALS
START TO TAKE SHAPE.
UH!
♪
♪
UH!
♪
UH!
♪
AT LAST,
HE'S FINISHED,
BUT IS IT UP TO PAR?
ONE, TWO...
♪
THERE'S ALWAYS
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT,
BUT ALL 16 ARE PRESENT
AND CORRECT.
♪
♪
♪
LIKE BOUDHANATH, MANY
WONDERS TAKE YEARS TO BUILD.
♪
THE CHURCH OF SAINT SAVA
IN SERBIA WAS BEGUN IN 1935,
BUT CONSTRUCTION
WAS HALTED TWICE BY WAR,
AND IT WASN'T FINALLY COMPLETED
UNTIL 2004...
♪
AND IN BARCELONA, THE CHURCH
OF THE SAGRADA FAMILIA...
DESIGNED BY SPANISH ARCHITECT
GAUDI, STARTED IN 1882...
IS STILL UNFINISHED
TO THIS DAY,
BUT IN NEW MEXICO, THERE ARE
SACRED WONDERS THAT ARE BUILT
IN A MATTER OF HOURS AND LAST
FOR JUST A MATTER OF DAYS.
♪
THIS GROUP
OF MESCALERO APACHES
ARE GATHERING WOOD
FOR A NEW SACRED STRUCTURE.
ONE MORE!
THEY BELIEVE THAT
AT THE CENTER OF ALL CREATION
IS A POWERFUL, FEMALE FIGURE
CALLED WHITE PAINTED WOMAN,
AND THESE TREES WILL BE USED
TO BUILD A SACRED TEPEE
THAT WILL CHANNEL HER ENERGY
TO TRANSFORM TWO GIRLS
INTO WOMEN.
NO MORE!
♪
IN JUST 24 HOURS,
14-YEAR-OLD JORDYN CHEE
AND HER 13-YEAR-OLD
SISTER JAELYNNE
WILL BEGIN THIS GRUELING
RITE OF PASSAGE.
THERE'S 4
STAGES OF CHILDHOOD.
THERE'S A BABY, A CHILD,
A TEENAGER, AND A WOMAN.
BECOMING A WOMAN, YOU NEED
TO BE A PERSON THAT IS STRONG,
A PERSON THAT'S
CARING FOR EVERYONE.
FOR THE MESCALERO APACHE,
THIS COMING-OF-AGE CEREMONY
IS HUGELY IMPORTANT,
AND THE GIRLS HAVE BEEN
PREPARING FOR IT
FOR OVER A YEAR.
ALWAYS TRY
TO MAKE AS MANY
MENTAL PICTURES
AS YOU CAN.
REALLY JUST LOOK AROUND
AND BE THANKFUL
TO ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE HERE.
THEIR DRESSES
WILL HAVE...
THEY ARE BEING
MENTORED BY THEIR GODMOTHER
ARDENA, WHO WENT
THROUGH THE CEREMONY HERSELF.
THE NEXT FEW DAYS
IS SHOWING YOU CHALLENGES
AND THAT YOU CAN GET
THROUGH ANY CHALLENGE
THAT COMES
INTO YOUR LIFE.
FOR THE NEXT
4 DAYS AND NIGHTS, THE GIRLS
MUST PERFORM A SERIES
OF TRADITIONAL MESCALERO DANCES.
♪
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S A LOT OF WORK.
HOW I'VE BEEN PREPARING MYSELF
IS JUST TRYING TO GET MYSELF
FIT FOR THIS BECAUSE
IT'S GONNA BE HARD, I KNOW.
THE WOOD THAT THE MEN
HAVE COLLECTED WILL BE USED
TO BUILD A SACRED STRUCTURE
APACHES CALL THE BIG TEPEE.
ONCE COMPLETED, IT WILL BE
A PORTAL INTO THE SPIRIT WORLD.
WHEN THE GIRLS
ARE DANCING INSIDE IT,
IT IS BELIEVED THAT
THEY WILL CHANNEL THE POWER
OF WHITE PAINTED WOMAN
AND BECOME WOMEN THEMSELVES,
BUT IT WILL BE AN EXHAUSTING
TEST OF MIND AND BODY.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S POWERFUL IN MANY WAYS.
WHEN WE'RE DANCING,
I THINK WE'RE GONNA
FEEL THE ENERGY
AS WE'RE IN THE TEPEE.
I DON'T KNOW THE JOURNEY
OF BEINGA WOMAN YET,
BUT I THINK ME AND
MY SISTER CAN TAKE IT.
THE 4-DAY TRIAL
IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.
OH, HEY, COME ON.
GET BACK HERE.
THE BIG TEPEE IS RAISED.
APACHES ARE ANIMISTS.
THEY BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING
IN THE NATURAL WORLD
HAS A SPIRITUAL ESSENCE.
THE BIG TEPEE IS A SYMBOL
OF THEIR BELIEFS.
IT'S SAID TO REPRESENT
THE MESCALERO APACHE VIEW
OF THE UNIVERSE.
THE FRAME IS SUPPORTED
BY 4 FOUNDATION POLES
KNOWN AS THE GRANDFATHERS.
THEY ARE BELIEVED TO HOLD UP
THE SKY, WHICH IS MALE.
♪
THEY, IN TURN, ENCIRCLE
THAT PART OF THE FEMALE EARTH,
WHICH IS
THE APACHE'S HOMELAND.
♪
AS THE TEPEE NEARS COMPLETION,
THE GIRLS ARE DRESSED
IN CEREMONIAL CLOTHES.
EACH TASSEL REPRESENTS
A MESCALERO ANCESTOR
WHILE THE FEATHERS
IN THEIR HAIR
LINK THEM
TO THE NATURAL WORLD.
ONCE DRESSED, THE
GIRLS ARE BLESSED WITH POLLEN,
A SYMBOL OF
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN.
FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS,
THEY MUST SHOW NO EMOTION
UNTIL THE CEREMONY
IS COMPLETE.
THEY ARE READY.
NOW SPIRITUAL GUIDES
CALLED CROWN DANCERS
MUST UNLOCK THE DOOR
TO THE SPIRIT WORLD
BY DANCING AND CHANTING.
ONCE THE POWER OF
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN IS BELIEVED
TO BE FLOWING, THE GIRLS
GO INSIDE THE BIG TEPEE
AND BEGIN TO DANCE.
OVER THE NEXT
3 DAYS AND NIGHTS,
THEY WILL INCREASE THE LENGTH
OF TIME THEY DANCE FOR
AS THEY RE-ENACT
THE APACHE STORY OF CREATION.
IT'S SAID WHITE PAINTED WOMAN
WAS IMPREGNATED
BY THE SUN AND THE RAIN,
GIVING BIRTH TO TWO CHILDREN.
THEY HELPED SAVE THE WORLD
FROM DESTRUCTION,
MAKING IT A SAFE PLACE
FOR THE APACHE PEOPLE TO LIVE.
LIKE MANY
NATIVE AMERICAN CEREMONIES,
IT WAS OUTLAWED BY THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT IN THE 1890s
AND COULD ONLY BE
PRACTICED IN SECRET.
THE BAN WAS ONLY LIFTED
IN 1978,
BUT EVEN TODAY THE CEREMONY
REMAINS A CLOSELY GUARDED EVENT
ONLY WITNESSED
BY IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER: THERE ARE
STORIES THAT ARE TOLD IN THERE.
JUST THE POWER OF EVERYONE
PRAYING FOR THE GIRL
TO BE STRONG IS GIVING HER HELP
DURING THE WHOLE PROCESS.
♪
ON THE THIRD NIGHT,
THE GIRLS DANCE FOR 7 HOURS
IN A SINGLE SESSION...
BUT NOW,
ON THE FOURTH AND FINAL NIGHT,
THEY FACE THEIR BIGGEST TEST.
JORDYN AND JAELYNNE
LEAVE THE BIG TEPEE.
THEY ARE NOW READY TO JOIN
THE CROWN DANCERS
FOR THE LAST STEP IN TAKING ON
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN'S POWER,
AND TONIGHT THEY MUST DANCE
NONSTOP FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
EVERYONE GATHERS AROUND,
AND JUST THE POWER
OF MY LATE ANCESTORS,
THAT POWER LIFTS ME
TO BE STRONGER.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
WE'RE JUST GONNA GET STRONGER
AND STRONGER.
♪
AS DAWN BREAKS
ON THE FINAL DAY,
THE GIRLS HAVE
ONE LAST FINAL TASK
BEFORE THEIR TRANSFORMATION
IS COMPLETE.
TO SHOW THEY HAVE TAKEN ON THE
POWER OF WHITE PAINTED WOMAN,
THEY ARE MARKED
WITH WHITE CLAY.
♪
THE BIG TEPEE
HAS NOW DONE ITS JOB,
AND THE MEN BEGIN
TO DISMANTLE IT.
JORDYN AND JAELYNNE
MUST NOW DEMONSTRATE
THEIR NEWFOUND STRENGTH.
AFTER DANCING
ALL NIGHT WITH NO SLEEP,
THEY'RE UTTERLY EXHAUSTED,
BUT NOW THEY MUST RUN
AS FAR FROM THE TEPEE
AS THEY FEEL THEY ARE ABLE TO
BEFORE TURNING AROUND
AND COVERING
THE SAME DISTANCE BACK.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S TESTING OUR STRENGTH.
WE JUST GOT TO KEEP ON TRYING.
♪
THE GIRLS
HAVE COVERED NEARLY A MILE
AND ARE NOW ON THE RETURN LEG.
THEY'RE CLOSE TO COLLAPSE...
♪
BUT THEIR JOURNEY
IS COMPLETE.
IN THE EYES OF THEIR PEOPLE,
THEY ARE NOW CONSIDERED WOMEN,
AND THE SACRED WONDER CRUCIAL
TO THAT TRANSFORMATION IS GONE.
♪
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT
I WANT TO CHERISH
WITH ME
FOR A LONG TIME.
♪
LIKE THE APACHE'S
SACRED TEPEE,
MANY WONDERS ARE PLACES
WHERE SPIRITUAL ENERGY
IS THOUGHT TO BE FOCUSED.
AT ALMOST 22,000 FEET HIGH,
MOUNT KAILASH IN TIBET
IS CONSIDERED A HUB
OF SACRED POWER
IN 4 DIFFERENT FAITHS.
TO THE SHAMANIC BON RELIGION,
IT IS THE CENTRAL PILLAR
OF THE WORLD
WHILE IN JERUSALEM,
JEWISH TRADITION HAS IT
THAT A DIVINE PRESENCE CENTERS
ON THE WESTERN WALL.
MANY BELIEVE THAT PRAYERS
PLACED IN ITS CRACKS
WILL BE HEARD BY GOD,
AND ON THE INDONESIAN
ISLAND OF BALI,
THE FOCUS OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
IS A TEMPLE
BUILT ON THE SLOPES
OF A SACRED VOLCANO.
♪
BESAKIH TEMPLE.
DATING BACK TO THE 14th CENTURY,
THIS HINDU SITE IS A COMPLEX
OF PAGODAS AND SHRINES
ON THE SLOPES
OF BALI'S HIGHEST
AND MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO...
MOUNT AGUNG.
♪
THE BALINESE PRACTICE
A UNIQUE FORM OF HINDUISM.
MANY BELIEVE THAT
THEIR ANCESTRAL SPIRITS
AS WELL AS THE HINDU GODS
LIVE ON THIS SACRED VOLCANO,
AND AS THE CLOSEST PLACE
OF WORSHIP TO THIS GATEWAY,
BESAKIH IS
THE MOST HOLY SITE IN BALI.
♪
24-YEAR-OLD HINDU
DEWA ADI OFTEN PRAYS HERE.
♪
♪
TODAY DEWA HAS COME
TO COLLECT HOLY WATER
FROM THE SACRED SPRINGS HERE.
IT'S AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT
IN WHAT HE BELIEVES
IS AN ANNUAL,
TWO-DAY BATTLE AGAINST EVIL.
♪
WHILE BALINESE HINDUS
BELIEVE MOUNT AGUNG
IS HOME TO THE GODS,
THEY ALSO BELIEVE
THE ENTIRE ISLAND IS STALKED
BY DEMONIC SPIRITS
SEARCHING FOR HUMAN SOULS
TO TORMENT.
♪
TOMORROW DEWA
WILL USE THE WATER FROM BESAKIH
TO HELP HIM DRIVE
THESE SPIRITS AWAY.
♪
♪
THE FIRST STEP
IS TO CATCH THESE SPIRITS,
AND FOR THAT,
DEWA NEEDS A TRAP.
♪
LIKE OTHER GROUPS IN
HIS VILLAGE, HE AND HIS FRIENDS
ARE MAKING A GIANT SPIRIT
CATCHER CALLED AN OGOH OGOH.
♪
IN JUST 12 HOURS,
IT WILL BE USED
TO ROUND UP
THE DEMONIC SPIRITS.
♪
THE BIGGER AND
FIERCER THE OGOH OGOH LOOKS,
THE MORE SPIRITS
WILL BE DRAWN INTO IT.
THIS YEAR'S CEREMONY
IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
THAN USUAL FOR DEWA.
AS WELL
AS BEING RESPONSIBLE
FOR HIS OWN OGOH OGOH,
HE'S IN CHARGE
OF THE ENTIRE SPIRIT HUNT
IN HIS VILLAGE.
♪
IT'S THE DAY
OF THE CEREMONY.
LIKE EVERY DAY,
THE PRIESTS AT BESAKIH PRAY
AND MAKE OFFERINGS TO APPEASE
THE GODS ON MOUNT AGUNG...
♪
BUT AS NIGHT FALLS,
DEWA AND THE REST OF HIS
VILLAGE ARE AT THE FRONT LINE
IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST EVIL.
BEFORE THEY START,
PRIESTS SPRAY
ALL THE SPIRIT CATCHERS
WITH THE HOLY WATER
THAT DEWA BROUGHT
FROM BESAKIH.
♪
TIME TO GO SPIRIT HUNTING.
EVERYONE MAKES AS MUCH NOISE
AS THEY CAN TO FLUSH THEM OUT.
NOW THEY MUST CATCH THEM.
DEWA AND THE TEAM
SPIN THE OGOH OGOH ROUND...
♪
TO SCOOP UP
AS MANY SPIRITS AS THEY CAN.
♪
♪
♪
THEY MUST COVER EVERY
SINGLE STREET IN THE VILLAGE.
♪
♪
BALINESE HINDUS
BELIEVE THAT DEMONIC SPIRITS
CANNOT TURN CORNERS
AND TEND TO GATHER
AT CROSSROADS AND JUNCTIONS,
SO DEWA AND THE TEAM
MUST PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION
TO THESE PARTS
OF THE VILLAGE...
♪
♪
BUT THEY MUST BE CAREFUL.
IF THE OGOH OGOH GETS BROKEN,
THEY BELIEVE,
ALL THE DEMONIC SPIRITS
WILL ESCAPE.
♪
AFTER 5 HOURS,
THEIR TRAPS ARE FULL.
THE NEXT STEP
IS TO DESTROY THE SPIRITS
THEY'VE CAUGHT WITH FIRE.
♪
THEIR SPIRITUAL
CLEANSE IS ALMOST COMPLETE,
BUT THERE IS ONE FINAL STEP
IN THE BATTLE AGAINST EVIL...
THE DAY OF SILENCE.
FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS,
DEWA AND EVERYONE ON BALI,
FROM RESIDENTS TO TOURISTS,
IS REQUIRED BY LAW
TO HIDE INDOORS AND KEEP QUIET.
THE AIM IS TO FOOL
ANY REMAINING SPIRITS
THEY MIGHT HAVE MISSED
IN THE HUNT
INTO THINKING THE ISLAND
HAS BEEN ABANDONED.
WITH NO HUMANS LEFT
TO TORMENT,
THE SPIRITS WILL MOVE ON.
THE DAY OF SILENCE IS TAKEN
EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.
RELIGIOUS WARDENS ARE
ON PATROL TO ENFORCE THE RULES.
♪
WORKING OR
TRAVELLING IS FORBIDDEN.
THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
IS SHUT DOWN.
THE INTERNET
IS SWITCHED OFF...
AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES
ARE CUT.
BY 6 A.M. THE FOLLOWING DAY,
IT'S ALL OVER.
HELPED BY THE POWER
OF BESAKIH,
BALI'S SPIRITUAL ORDER HAS BEEN
RESTORED FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
♪
FOR THE BALINESE,
THE HOLY WATERS OF BESAKIH
ARE A VITAL WEAPON IN
THE ANNUAL BATTLE AGAINST EVIL,
AND IN MANY SACRED WONDERS,
WATER LIES AT THE HEART
OF ACTS OF FAITH.
♪
IN INDIA, THE RIVER GANGES
IS CONSIDERED SACRED BY HINDUS.
IT IS PERSONIFIED
BY THE GODDESS GANGA,
AND BATHING IN ITS WATERS
IS BELIEVED
TO ABSOLVE PEOPLE
OF THEIR SINS
WHILE AT LOURDES IN FRANCE,
THE WATERS OF ITS HOLY SPRING
ARE BELIEVED BY MANY
OF THE MILLIONS OF PILGRIMS
WHO VISIT EVERY YEAR TO HAVE
MIRACULOUS HEALING POWERS,
AND IN A WAR-TORN CORNER
OF IRAQ,
THERE IS ANOTHER WONDER
WHERE THE WATERS
OF A SACRED SPRING
ARE HELPING TO HEAL WOMEN
TRAUMATIZED
BY A RECENT CONFLICT.
♪
THE VALLEY OF LALISH.
THERE HAS BEEN
A COMPLEX OF SHRINES HERE
SINCE THE 12th CENTURY.
IT IS THE HEART
OF THE YAZIDI RELIGION,
AN ANCIENT FAITH FOLLOWED
BY UNDER A MILLION PEOPLE.
♪
YAZIDIS BELIEVE IN ONE GOD,
REPRESENTED
BY THE PEACOCK ANGEL.
♪
THEIR HOLIEST FIGURE ON EARTH,
BURIED BENEATH
THESE CONICAL SHRINES,
IS SHEIKH ADI IBN MUSAFIR.
FOR YAZIDIS, LALISH IS THE MOST
SACRED PLACE ON EARTH,
AND FOR 21-YEAR-OLD YAZIDI
IVANA WALEED,
IT HAS BECOME
A PLACE OF HEALING.
♪
IVANA DOESN'T LIVE
IN IRAQ ANYMORE.
SINCE 2015, SHE'S BEEN LIVING
IN GERMANY WITH HER FAMILY...
BUT LALISH IS NEVER
FAR FROM HER THOUGHTS
ALONG WITH THE REASONS
WHY SHE FLED.
IN 2014, SO-CALLED ISLAMIC
STATE INVADED IVANA'S HOMELAND
IN THE SINJAR REGION OF IRAQ,
AND IN AN EVENT THAT HAS NOW
BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A GENOCIDE
BY THE U.N., THEIR VILLAGES
WERE RAZED TO THE GROUND.
THOUSANDS OF MEN
AND BOYS WERE KILLED,
AND OVER 6,000 THOUSAND
WOMEN AND GIRLS WERE TAKEN,
MANY OF THEM AS SEX SLAVES,
INCLUDING IVANA.
♪
♪
SINCE HER ORDEAL,
LALISH HAS BECOME
MORE SIGNIFICANT
THAN EVER FOR IVANA.
♪
♪
WHILE SHE WAS HELD,
IVANA WAS FORCED
TO CONVERT TO ISLAM AND WAS
FREQUENTLY RAPED AND BEATEN
DURING HER 11-MONTH CAPTIVITY.
SHE WAS JUST 17 AT THE TIME.
♪
♪
IVANA EVENTUALLY
MANAGED TO ESCAPE.
SHE MADE IT TO A REFUGEE CAMP
BEFORE FINALLY BEING GRANTED
A SAFE HAVEN IN GERMANY,
BUT OVER A THOUSAND WOMEN
AND GIRLS ARE STILL MISSING.
NOW IVANA
IS RETURNING TO LALISH
TO ATTEND ONE OF THE HOLIEST
EVENTS IN THE YAZIDI CALENDAR...
THE AUTUMN GATHERING.
IT WILL BE
THE FIRST TIME IVANA
HAS BEEN BACK FOR THIS FESTIVAL
SINCE SHE MOVED TO GERMANY.
♪
IRAQ, 4 DAYS LATER.
THIS AUTUMN GATHERING
IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL ONE
SINCE THE YAZIDIS' HOMELAND
WAS INVADED,
BUT IVANA'S RETURN ISN'T
JUST TO MARK THIS FESTIVAL.
SHE'S ALSO HERE
IN SEARCH OF SALVATION.
TRADITIONALLY, SEXUAL
RELATIONS WITH ANYONE
WHO ISN'T YAZIDI,
EVEN IF IT'S NONCONSENSUAL,
MEANS EXPULSION FROM THE FAITH
AND THE COMMUNITY,
BUT ONE MONTH
AFTER THE INVASION,
THE YAZIDI RELIGIOUS LEADER
ANNOUNCED A CHANGE IN THE RULES
FOR VICTIMS LIKE IVANA.
WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN HELD
AS SEX SLAVES
COULD RE-ENTER THE FAITH
IF THEY RETURNED
TO LALISH FOR A BLESSING.
♪
FOR IVANA,
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
IS A HUGELY POIGNANT MOMENT.
LALISH IS CONSIDERED SO SACRED
THAT NO SHOES ARE WORN
ANYWHERE INSIDE.
♪
♪
IVANA LOOKS OUT
FOR OLD FRIENDS...
♪
AND MEETS
YAZIDI SPIRITUAL LEADERS...
♪
BUT AMONG THE CROWD,
SHE IS SEARCHING
FOR TWO FACES IN PARTICULAR...
HER GRANDPARENTS.
♪
THEY NOW LIVE
IN A REFUGEE CAMP,
AND IVANA HASN'T SEEN THEM
SINCE SHE FLED 4 YEARS AGO.
♪
♪
EVERY VISIT TO LALISH
MUST INCLUDE A PILGRIMAGE
TO THE BURIAL TOMB
OF SHEIKH ADI...
♪
AND PRAYERS
WITH A YAZIDI PRIEST.
♪
NOW IT'S TIME
FOR IVANA'S BLESSING
AT THE SACRED SPRING.
FOR MANY YAZIDI WOMEN
WHO SUFFERED AT THE HANDS
OF ISLAMIC STATE,
THIS CEREMONY BRINGS
SO MUCH COMFORT, THEY RETURN
TO REPEAT IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
♪
THIS WILL BE IVANA'S SECOND
BLESSING SINCE HER ORDEAL.
♪
♪
IVANA'S BLESSING
TODAY CAN'T UNDO WHAT HAPPENED
TO HER AND THOUSANDS
OF OTHER YAZIDI WOMEN,
BUT IT'S A STEP
ON THE ROAD TO HEALING.
FOR YAZIDIS, LALISH
IS THE CENTER OF THEIR IDENTITY
AND A PLACE THAT CELEBRATES
THE UNIFYING POWER
OF SACRED WONDERS.
MANY OF THE WORLD'S
BEST-KNOWN LANDMARKS
HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY FAITH,
AND TODAY
MORE WORSHIPPERS THAN EVER
ARE FLOCKING
TO THESE SACRED PLACES,
BUT WHY DO THEY CONTINUE
TO PROVOKE SUCH PASSION?
HUNDREDS OF YEARS
AFTER THEY WERE FIRST BUILT,
MANY OF THEM REMAIN PLACES
OF DEEP SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE
AND CONTROVERSY.
FOR SOME PEOPLE,
THEY ARE SANCTUARIES
FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION.
FOR OTHERS, THEY ARE SITES
OF ASTONISHING ACTS OF WORSHIP,
DANGEROUS CHALLENGES, AND
EXTRAORDINARY DEEDS OF DEVOTION
RARELY SEEN BY OUTSIDERS.
THIS TIME, AT THE HOLY
SEPULCHRE IN JERUSALEM,
AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
MUST DELIVER A HOLY FLAME
INTO THE HANDS OF HIS BISHOP.
AT BUDHANATH IN NEPAL,
A BUDDHIST PAINTER
BATTLES THE ELEMENTS
IN ORDER TO HONOR
BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY,
AND AT LALISH IN IRAQ,
A YOUNG YAZIDI WOMAN
GOES IN SEARCH OF SALVATION
AFTER BEING TRAUMATIZED
BY RECENT CONFLICT.
IN THIS SERIES,
WE REVEAL THE AMAZING THINGS
THAT PEOPLE DO FOR THEIR FAITH
IN SOME OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR
SACRED PLACES
ON THE PLANET.
♪
AT ONE SACRED WONDER
IN JERUSALEM,
SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY IS
THOUGHT TO HAPPEN EVERY YEAR
IN THE SAME PLACE
AT THE SAME TIME...
A MIRACLE.
THE CHURCH
OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE...
ONE OF THE MOST SACRED SITES
IN CHRISTIANITY.
IT'S BUILT WHERE CHRIST
IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN
CRUCIFIED, BURIED,
AND RESURRECTED.
♪
HIS TOMB IS ENCLOSED
WITHIN A SHRINE,
AND SURROUNDING IT
ARE A NUMBER OF CHAPELS,
EACH ONE GOVERNED
BY A DIFFERENT BRANCH
OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
♪
FOR SYRIAC ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
HANNA KOSHO,
IT IS A DEEPLY
SPIRITUAL PLACE.
LIKE MANY ORTHODOX
CHRISTIANS, HANNA BELIEVES
THAT ON EASTER SATURDAY
FOR OVER 1,200 YEARS
A MIRACLE
HAS TAKEN PLACE HERE.
ON THIS DAY INSIDE THE SHRINE,
IT IS SAID THE HOLY SPIRIT
CREATES A SACRED FLAME.
THAT FLAME IS THEN CARRIED TO
THE CHAPELS A FEW METERS AWAY
BEFORE BEING TAKEN TO ORTHODOX
CHURCHES ALL OVER THE CITY.
♪
TOMORROW HANNA WILL
BE ONE OF THE FLAME BEARERS.
♪
HE TRAVELS FROM SWEDEN
EVERY YEAR
TO PERFORM THIS ROLE
FOR HIS CHURCH.
IT IS
A HUGELY PRESTIGIOUS ROLE
THAT IS PASSED
DOWN THE GENERATIONS.
♪
NOW HE'S STARTED
TEACHING HIS NEPHEW YOUSEF,
HERE FROM MICHIGAN,
HOW IT'S DONE.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: KNOWING
THAT IT HAS BEEN IN OUR FAMILY
FOR SO LONG AND HAVING PEOPLE
LIKE MY FATHER, MY UNCLE,
OUR GRANDPARENTS HAVING THE
CHANCE TO CARRY IT AND NOW THAT
ME AND MY COUSINS ARE HAVING
THE CHANCE TO CARRY IT,
IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT HONOR.
♪
IT'S 9 A.M.
ON EASTER SATURDAY.
CROWDS ARE STARTING TO GATHER
AT THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
PILGRIMS FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD HAVE COME,
HOPING TO WITNESS THE MIRACLE.
HANNA HAS BEEN DOING THIS
FOR 24 YEARS,
BUT THIS YEAR,
YOUSEF IS GOING TO HELP HIM
CARRY THE SACRED FLAME.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: IT'S
KIND OF OVERWHELMING AT FIRST,
BUT THEN WHEN YOU REALIZE
WHAT YOU'RE DOING THERE,
IT KIND OF MAKES EVERYTHING
SEEM PRETTY SMALL,
THAT YOU'RE THERE
FOR A BIGGER REASON.
INSIDE
THE HOLY SEPULCHRE,
ANTICIPATION IS BUILDING.
♪
WHEN THE HOLY FLAME APPEARS,
EVERYONE WILL BE DESPERATE
TO TOUCH IT.
♪
HANNA AND YOUSEF WILL
ONLY HAVE A MATTER OF SECONDS
TO GET IT FROM THE SHRINE
TO THEIR CHAPEL
BEFORE THE OVEREXCITED CROWD
CLOSES IN.
♪
EVERYONE IS JOSTLING
FOR THE BEST SPOT.
THE PRESSURE IS GETTING
TO HANNA AND YOUSEF, TOO.
YOUSEF...
♪
THE ONLY PERSON
WHO WILL ACTUALLY
WITNESS THE HOLY FLAME
IS THE PATRIARCH
OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH.
HE'S SEARCHED TO MAKE SURE
HE ISN'T CARRYING ANYTHING
THAT HE COULD USE
TO CREATE A FLAME.
THEN HE'S SHUT
INSIDE THE SHRINE.
WHEN THE HOLY FLAME APPEARS,
HE WILL PASS IT OUT
THROUGH A PORTHOLE
TO THE WAITING FLAME CARRIERS.
♪
HANNA IS POISED BY THE SHRINE,
YOUSEF 60 FEET BEHIND HIM,
AND IN ONE
OF THE SURROUNDING CHAPELS,
THE BISHOP FROM THEIR CHURCH
IS ALSO WAITING.
EVERYONE IS PRAYING
FOR A MIRACLE.
♪
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER:
YOUR HEART STARTS BEATING
FASTER AND FASTER.
YOU CAN'T HELP BUT TO GET
A LITTLE BIT ANXIOUS.
♪
THE HOLY FLAME
HAS APPEARED,
AND THE FIRST CANDLES
LIT WITH IT
ARE PASSED OUT OF THE SHRINE.
THE FASTER HANNA AND YOUSEF
CAN GET IT TO THEIR BISHOP,
THE GREATER THE HONOR.
♪
♪
IN LESS THAN
30 SECONDS, IT'S ALL OVER.
THE BISHOP HAS THE FLAME.
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: ONCE I WAS
ABLE TO GIVE THE HOLY FIRE
TO THE BISHOP, THAT WAS
THE MOST AMAZING FEELING,
KNOWING THAT IN MY HEART,
I FEEL CLOSER TO GOD
AND TO JESUS.
ALL AROUND
THE SHRINE, THE FLAME IS PASSED
FROM PERSON TO PERSON.
♪
OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS,
THIS HOLY FIRE WILL BE TAKEN
TO ORTHODOX CHURCHES
NOT JUST ACROSS JERUSALEM,
BUT AS FAR AFIELD AS RUSSIA
AND NORTH AMERICA.
♪
YOUSEF, VOICE-OVER: ALL I COULD
FEEL IS PEACE,
LOVE, AND HAPPINESS.
I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE HONOR
TO CARRY THE HOLY FIRE
AND TO CONTINUE ON THE LEGACY
OF THE KOSHO FAMILY.
♪
THERE HAS BEEN
A CHURCH ON THE SITE
OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,
AND IT NEEDS CONSTANT CARE
AND ATTENTION,
AS DO MANY SACRED WONDERS.
THE CENTURIES-OLD CHURCHES
OF LALIBELA IN ETHIOPIA,
CARVED OUT OF THE BEDROCK,
ARE NOW IN NEED
OF A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR
RESTORATION,
AND AT THE BLUE MOSQUE
IN ISTANBUL,
HUNDREDS OF THE DOME'S
ICONIC CERAMIC TILES
HAVE BEEN BROKEN
OR STOLEN OVER THE YEARS
AND ARE CURRENTLY
BEING REPLACED,
BUT THERE'S
AN ANCIENT WONDER IN NEPAL
THAT ALWAYS LOOKS PRISTINE...
♪
BOUDHANATH.
THIS GRAND BUDDHIST STUPA IN
NEPAL'S CAPITAL CITY KATHMANDU
IS ONE OF THE LARGEST
IN THE WORLD.
DATING BACK TO THE 14th CENTURY,
IT HOUSES HOLY RELICS
SAID TO INCLUDE
THE BONES OF BUDDHA,
BUT DESPITE ITS AGE, IT'S
IN ALMOST-PERFECT CONDITION
BECAUSE IT'S CONSTANTLY
BEING REPAINTED.
38-YEAR-OLD BUDDHIST
MILAN SHRESTHA
IS ONE OF A TEAM RESPONSIBLE.
♪
WORKING AT BOUDHANATH
IS CONSIDERED AUSPICIOUS.
MILAN BELIEVES HE AND HIS
FAMILY WILL HAVE GOOD FORTUNE,
OR KARMA,
AS A RESULT OF HIS JOB,
AND SO DO THE PEOPLE WHO
PROVIDE THE PAINT THEY USE.
THERE'S A STEADY STREAM
OF DONATIONS FROM DEVOTEES
HOPING FOR BETTER KARMA
IN THE FUTURE.
♪
THE DONATIONS ARE MADE
ALL YEAR ROUND,
AND AS A RESULT, THE STUPA
IS CONSTANTLY REPAINTED,
SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES
A MONTH,
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PAINT
JOB OF THE YEAR IS TOMORROW
BECAUSE IT'S BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY
AND THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE
WILL BE REDONE FROM TOP
TO BOTTOM IN A SINGLE DAY.
♪
WITH 24 HOURS TO GO,
THE DECORATING TEAM
HAS GATHERED.
THEY ARE WAITING
TO FIND OUT WHO GETS
THE MOST IMPORTANT ROLE...
PAINTING THE DECORATIVE ORANGE
ARCS ACROSS THE STRUCTURE.
THEY REPRESENT LOTUS PETALS,
A BUDDHIST SYMBOL
OF PURITY AND ENLIGHTENMENT.
MILAN HAS BEEN
CHOSEN TO PAINT 16
AROUND THE BOTTOM
OF THE STUPA.
IT'S HIS FIRST TIME DOING IT
ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY,
AND IT'S A HUGE RESPONSIBILITY.
MAKING THEM TAKES
GREAT SKILL AND PRECISION.
♪
ALL ACROSS THE CITY, EVERYONE
PREPARES FOR THE BIG DAY.
THE STUPA'S DOME IS SO SACRED,
TO MINIMIZE CONTACT WITH IT,
RATHER THAN USE BRUSHES,
THE PAINT MUST BE THROWN.
MILAN'S FRIEND PURNA
HAS TAUGHT HIM A TECHNIQUE.
♪
EVERY PETAL MUST BE
THE SAME SIZE AND SHAPE.
THE KNACK LIES IN FLICKING THE
PAINT AT JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE,
BUT THERE'S
AN ADDED COMPLICATION.
THE HIMALAYAN WIND OFTEN
STRENGTHENS IN THE AFTERNOON.
♪
♪
♪
IT'S THE DAY
OF BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY.
THOUSANDS HAVE ARRIVED,
AND MORE PAINT DONATIONS
ARE MADE TODAY
THAN AT ANY OTHER TIME OF YEAR.
THEY USE TWO TYPES OF PAINT...
THE LOTUS PETAL COLOR
MADE WITH SAFFRON
AND THE WHITEWASH
MADE FROM LIME,
A CORROSIVE MIX THAT MUST
BE HANDLED WITH CARE.
♪
FIRST, THE WHOLE DOME IS GIVEN
A NEW COAT OF WHITEWASH.
♪
♪
SO FAR, SO GOOD,
BUT THEY NEED TO WORK FAST.
THE WIND HAS STARTED
TO PICK UP.
SUDDENLY, MILAN IS TRIPPED UP.
A VIOLENT GUST
SPRAYS WHITEWASH
STRAIGHT INTO HIS FACE.
♪
THE LIME IN THE PAINT
COULD PERMANENTLY
DAMAGE HIS EYESIGHT...
♪
BUT THE WIND'S
GETTING WORSE.
AFTER WASHING HIS EYE,
THEY QUICKLY PUSH ON.
♪
♪
THE WHITEWASHING IS COMPLETE.
NOW IT'S TIME TO PAINT
THE LOTUS PETALS.
AS HIS TEAMMATES
GET TO WORK
ON THE UPPER PART OF THE STUPA,
MILAN STARTS ON THE FIRST
OF 16 PETALS AROUND THE BASE.
♪
UH!
HE MUST
THROW HIS PAINT AT EXACTLY
THE RIGHT ANGLE IN ORDER
TO CREATE THE PERFECT ARC.
♪
UH!
♪
UH!
♪
DESPITE THE WIND,
ONE BY ONE, THE PETALS
START TO TAKE SHAPE.
UH!
♪
♪
UH!
♪
UH!
♪
AT LAST,
HE'S FINISHED,
BUT IS IT UP TO PAR?
ONE, TWO...
♪
THERE'S ALWAYS
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT,
BUT ALL 16 ARE PRESENT
AND CORRECT.
♪
♪
♪
LIKE BOUDHANATH, MANY
WONDERS TAKE YEARS TO BUILD.
♪
THE CHURCH OF SAINT SAVA
IN SERBIA WAS BEGUN IN 1935,
BUT CONSTRUCTION
WAS HALTED TWICE BY WAR,
AND IT WASN'T FINALLY COMPLETED
UNTIL 2004...
♪
AND IN BARCELONA, THE CHURCH
OF THE SAGRADA FAMILIA...
DESIGNED BY SPANISH ARCHITECT
GAUDI, STARTED IN 1882...
IS STILL UNFINISHED
TO THIS DAY,
BUT IN NEW MEXICO, THERE ARE
SACRED WONDERS THAT ARE BUILT
IN A MATTER OF HOURS AND LAST
FOR JUST A MATTER OF DAYS.
♪
THIS GROUP
OF MESCALERO APACHES
ARE GATHERING WOOD
FOR A NEW SACRED STRUCTURE.
ONE MORE!
THEY BELIEVE THAT
AT THE CENTER OF ALL CREATION
IS A POWERFUL, FEMALE FIGURE
CALLED WHITE PAINTED WOMAN,
AND THESE TREES WILL BE USED
TO BUILD A SACRED TEPEE
THAT WILL CHANNEL HER ENERGY
TO TRANSFORM TWO GIRLS
INTO WOMEN.
NO MORE!
♪
IN JUST 24 HOURS,
14-YEAR-OLD JORDYN CHEE
AND HER 13-YEAR-OLD
SISTER JAELYNNE
WILL BEGIN THIS GRUELING
RITE OF PASSAGE.
THERE'S 4
STAGES OF CHILDHOOD.
THERE'S A BABY, A CHILD,
A TEENAGER, AND A WOMAN.
BECOMING A WOMAN, YOU NEED
TO BE A PERSON THAT IS STRONG,
A PERSON THAT'S
CARING FOR EVERYONE.
FOR THE MESCALERO APACHE,
THIS COMING-OF-AGE CEREMONY
IS HUGELY IMPORTANT,
AND THE GIRLS HAVE BEEN
PREPARING FOR IT
FOR OVER A YEAR.
ALWAYS TRY
TO MAKE AS MANY
MENTAL PICTURES
AS YOU CAN.
REALLY JUST LOOK AROUND
AND BE THANKFUL
TO ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE HERE.
THEIR DRESSES
WILL HAVE...
THEY ARE BEING
MENTORED BY THEIR GODMOTHER
ARDENA, WHO WENT
THROUGH THE CEREMONY HERSELF.
THE NEXT FEW DAYS
IS SHOWING YOU CHALLENGES
AND THAT YOU CAN GET
THROUGH ANY CHALLENGE
THAT COMES
INTO YOUR LIFE.
FOR THE NEXT
4 DAYS AND NIGHTS, THE GIRLS
MUST PERFORM A SERIES
OF TRADITIONAL MESCALERO DANCES.
♪
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S A LOT OF WORK.
HOW I'VE BEEN PREPARING MYSELF
IS JUST TRYING TO GET MYSELF
FIT FOR THIS BECAUSE
IT'S GONNA BE HARD, I KNOW.
THE WOOD THAT THE MEN
HAVE COLLECTED WILL BE USED
TO BUILD A SACRED STRUCTURE
APACHES CALL THE BIG TEPEE.
ONCE COMPLETED, IT WILL BE
A PORTAL INTO THE SPIRIT WORLD.
WHEN THE GIRLS
ARE DANCING INSIDE IT,
IT IS BELIEVED THAT
THEY WILL CHANNEL THE POWER
OF WHITE PAINTED WOMAN
AND BECOME WOMEN THEMSELVES,
BUT IT WILL BE AN EXHAUSTING
TEST OF MIND AND BODY.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S POWERFUL IN MANY WAYS.
WHEN WE'RE DANCING,
I THINK WE'RE GONNA
FEEL THE ENERGY
AS WE'RE IN THE TEPEE.
I DON'T KNOW THE JOURNEY
OF BEINGA WOMAN YET,
BUT I THINK ME AND
MY SISTER CAN TAKE IT.
THE 4-DAY TRIAL
IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.
OH, HEY, COME ON.
GET BACK HERE.
THE BIG TEPEE IS RAISED.
APACHES ARE ANIMISTS.
THEY BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING
IN THE NATURAL WORLD
HAS A SPIRITUAL ESSENCE.
THE BIG TEPEE IS A SYMBOL
OF THEIR BELIEFS.
IT'S SAID TO REPRESENT
THE MESCALERO APACHE VIEW
OF THE UNIVERSE.
THE FRAME IS SUPPORTED
BY 4 FOUNDATION POLES
KNOWN AS THE GRANDFATHERS.
THEY ARE BELIEVED TO HOLD UP
THE SKY, WHICH IS MALE.
♪
THEY, IN TURN, ENCIRCLE
THAT PART OF THE FEMALE EARTH,
WHICH IS
THE APACHE'S HOMELAND.
♪
AS THE TEPEE NEARS COMPLETION,
THE GIRLS ARE DRESSED
IN CEREMONIAL CLOTHES.
EACH TASSEL REPRESENTS
A MESCALERO ANCESTOR
WHILE THE FEATHERS
IN THEIR HAIR
LINK THEM
TO THE NATURAL WORLD.
ONCE DRESSED, THE
GIRLS ARE BLESSED WITH POLLEN,
A SYMBOL OF
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN.
FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS,
THEY MUST SHOW NO EMOTION
UNTIL THE CEREMONY
IS COMPLETE.
THEY ARE READY.
NOW SPIRITUAL GUIDES
CALLED CROWN DANCERS
MUST UNLOCK THE DOOR
TO THE SPIRIT WORLD
BY DANCING AND CHANTING.
ONCE THE POWER OF
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN IS BELIEVED
TO BE FLOWING, THE GIRLS
GO INSIDE THE BIG TEPEE
AND BEGIN TO DANCE.
OVER THE NEXT
3 DAYS AND NIGHTS,
THEY WILL INCREASE THE LENGTH
OF TIME THEY DANCE FOR
AS THEY RE-ENACT
THE APACHE STORY OF CREATION.
IT'S SAID WHITE PAINTED WOMAN
WAS IMPREGNATED
BY THE SUN AND THE RAIN,
GIVING BIRTH TO TWO CHILDREN.
THEY HELPED SAVE THE WORLD
FROM DESTRUCTION,
MAKING IT A SAFE PLACE
FOR THE APACHE PEOPLE TO LIVE.
LIKE MANY
NATIVE AMERICAN CEREMONIES,
IT WAS OUTLAWED BY THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT IN THE 1890s
AND COULD ONLY BE
PRACTICED IN SECRET.
THE BAN WAS ONLY LIFTED
IN 1978,
BUT EVEN TODAY THE CEREMONY
REMAINS A CLOSELY GUARDED EVENT
ONLY WITNESSED
BY IMMEDIATE FAMILY.
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER: THERE ARE
STORIES THAT ARE TOLD IN THERE.
JUST THE POWER OF EVERYONE
PRAYING FOR THE GIRL
TO BE STRONG IS GIVING HER HELP
DURING THE WHOLE PROCESS.
♪
ON THE THIRD NIGHT,
THE GIRLS DANCE FOR 7 HOURS
IN A SINGLE SESSION...
BUT NOW,
ON THE FOURTH AND FINAL NIGHT,
THEY FACE THEIR BIGGEST TEST.
JORDYN AND JAELYNNE
LEAVE THE BIG TEPEE.
THEY ARE NOW READY TO JOIN
THE CROWN DANCERS
FOR THE LAST STEP IN TAKING ON
WHITE PAINTED WOMAN'S POWER,
AND TONIGHT THEY MUST DANCE
NONSTOP FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
EVERYONE GATHERS AROUND,
AND JUST THE POWER
OF MY LATE ANCESTORS,
THAT POWER LIFTS ME
TO BE STRONGER.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
WE'RE JUST GONNA GET STRONGER
AND STRONGER.
♪
AS DAWN BREAKS
ON THE FINAL DAY,
THE GIRLS HAVE
ONE LAST FINAL TASK
BEFORE THEIR TRANSFORMATION
IS COMPLETE.
TO SHOW THEY HAVE TAKEN ON THE
POWER OF WHITE PAINTED WOMAN,
THEY ARE MARKED
WITH WHITE CLAY.
♪
THE BIG TEPEE
HAS NOW DONE ITS JOB,
AND THE MEN BEGIN
TO DISMANTLE IT.
JORDYN AND JAELYNNE
MUST NOW DEMONSTRATE
THEIR NEWFOUND STRENGTH.
AFTER DANCING
ALL NIGHT WITH NO SLEEP,
THEY'RE UTTERLY EXHAUSTED,
BUT NOW THEY MUST RUN
AS FAR FROM THE TEPEE
AS THEY FEEL THEY ARE ABLE TO
BEFORE TURNING AROUND
AND COVERING
THE SAME DISTANCE BACK.
JAELYNNE, VOICE-OVER:
IT'S TESTING OUR STRENGTH.
WE JUST GOT TO KEEP ON TRYING.
♪
THE GIRLS
HAVE COVERED NEARLY A MILE
AND ARE NOW ON THE RETURN LEG.
THEY'RE CLOSE TO COLLAPSE...
♪
BUT THEIR JOURNEY
IS COMPLETE.
IN THE EYES OF THEIR PEOPLE,
THEY ARE NOW CONSIDERED WOMEN,
AND THE SACRED WONDER CRUCIAL
TO THAT TRANSFORMATION IS GONE.
♪
JORDYN, VOICE-OVER:
IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT
I WANT TO CHERISH
WITH ME
FOR A LONG TIME.
♪
LIKE THE APACHE'S
SACRED TEPEE,
MANY WONDERS ARE PLACES
WHERE SPIRITUAL ENERGY
IS THOUGHT TO BE FOCUSED.
AT ALMOST 22,000 FEET HIGH,
MOUNT KAILASH IN TIBET
IS CONSIDERED A HUB
OF SACRED POWER
IN 4 DIFFERENT FAITHS.
TO THE SHAMANIC BON RELIGION,
IT IS THE CENTRAL PILLAR
OF THE WORLD
WHILE IN JERUSALEM,
JEWISH TRADITION HAS IT
THAT A DIVINE PRESENCE CENTERS
ON THE WESTERN WALL.
MANY BELIEVE THAT PRAYERS
PLACED IN ITS CRACKS
WILL BE HEARD BY GOD,
AND ON THE INDONESIAN
ISLAND OF BALI,
THE FOCUS OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
IS A TEMPLE
BUILT ON THE SLOPES
OF A SACRED VOLCANO.
♪
BESAKIH TEMPLE.
DATING BACK TO THE 14th CENTURY,
THIS HINDU SITE IS A COMPLEX
OF PAGODAS AND SHRINES
ON THE SLOPES
OF BALI'S HIGHEST
AND MOST ACTIVE VOLCANO...
MOUNT AGUNG.
♪
THE BALINESE PRACTICE
A UNIQUE FORM OF HINDUISM.
MANY BELIEVE THAT
THEIR ANCESTRAL SPIRITS
AS WELL AS THE HINDU GODS
LIVE ON THIS SACRED VOLCANO,
AND AS THE CLOSEST PLACE
OF WORSHIP TO THIS GATEWAY,
BESAKIH IS
THE MOST HOLY SITE IN BALI.
♪
24-YEAR-OLD HINDU
DEWA ADI OFTEN PRAYS HERE.
♪
♪
TODAY DEWA HAS COME
TO COLLECT HOLY WATER
FROM THE SACRED SPRINGS HERE.
IT'S AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT
IN WHAT HE BELIEVES
IS AN ANNUAL,
TWO-DAY BATTLE AGAINST EVIL.
♪
WHILE BALINESE HINDUS
BELIEVE MOUNT AGUNG
IS HOME TO THE GODS,
THEY ALSO BELIEVE
THE ENTIRE ISLAND IS STALKED
BY DEMONIC SPIRITS
SEARCHING FOR HUMAN SOULS
TO TORMENT.
♪
TOMORROW DEWA
WILL USE THE WATER FROM BESAKIH
TO HELP HIM DRIVE
THESE SPIRITS AWAY.
♪
♪
THE FIRST STEP
IS TO CATCH THESE SPIRITS,
AND FOR THAT,
DEWA NEEDS A TRAP.
♪
LIKE OTHER GROUPS IN
HIS VILLAGE, HE AND HIS FRIENDS
ARE MAKING A GIANT SPIRIT
CATCHER CALLED AN OGOH OGOH.
♪
IN JUST 12 HOURS,
IT WILL BE USED
TO ROUND UP
THE DEMONIC SPIRITS.
♪
THE BIGGER AND
FIERCER THE OGOH OGOH LOOKS,
THE MORE SPIRITS
WILL BE DRAWN INTO IT.
THIS YEAR'S CEREMONY
IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
THAN USUAL FOR DEWA.
AS WELL
AS BEING RESPONSIBLE
FOR HIS OWN OGOH OGOH,
HE'S IN CHARGE
OF THE ENTIRE SPIRIT HUNT
IN HIS VILLAGE.
♪
IT'S THE DAY
OF THE CEREMONY.
LIKE EVERY DAY,
THE PRIESTS AT BESAKIH PRAY
AND MAKE OFFERINGS TO APPEASE
THE GODS ON MOUNT AGUNG...
♪
BUT AS NIGHT FALLS,
DEWA AND THE REST OF HIS
VILLAGE ARE AT THE FRONT LINE
IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST EVIL.
BEFORE THEY START,
PRIESTS SPRAY
ALL THE SPIRIT CATCHERS
WITH THE HOLY WATER
THAT DEWA BROUGHT
FROM BESAKIH.
♪
TIME TO GO SPIRIT HUNTING.
EVERYONE MAKES AS MUCH NOISE
AS THEY CAN TO FLUSH THEM OUT.
NOW THEY MUST CATCH THEM.
DEWA AND THE TEAM
SPIN THE OGOH OGOH ROUND...
♪
TO SCOOP UP
AS MANY SPIRITS AS THEY CAN.
♪
♪
♪
THEY MUST COVER EVERY
SINGLE STREET IN THE VILLAGE.
♪
♪
BALINESE HINDUS
BELIEVE THAT DEMONIC SPIRITS
CANNOT TURN CORNERS
AND TEND TO GATHER
AT CROSSROADS AND JUNCTIONS,
SO DEWA AND THE TEAM
MUST PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION
TO THESE PARTS
OF THE VILLAGE...
♪
♪
BUT THEY MUST BE CAREFUL.
IF THE OGOH OGOH GETS BROKEN,
THEY BELIEVE,
ALL THE DEMONIC SPIRITS
WILL ESCAPE.
♪
AFTER 5 HOURS,
THEIR TRAPS ARE FULL.
THE NEXT STEP
IS TO DESTROY THE SPIRITS
THEY'VE CAUGHT WITH FIRE.
♪
THEIR SPIRITUAL
CLEANSE IS ALMOST COMPLETE,
BUT THERE IS ONE FINAL STEP
IN THE BATTLE AGAINST EVIL...
THE DAY OF SILENCE.
FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS,
DEWA AND EVERYONE ON BALI,
FROM RESIDENTS TO TOURISTS,
IS REQUIRED BY LAW
TO HIDE INDOORS AND KEEP QUIET.
THE AIM IS TO FOOL
ANY REMAINING SPIRITS
THEY MIGHT HAVE MISSED
IN THE HUNT
INTO THINKING THE ISLAND
HAS BEEN ABANDONED.
WITH NO HUMANS LEFT
TO TORMENT,
THE SPIRITS WILL MOVE ON.
THE DAY OF SILENCE IS TAKEN
EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY.
RELIGIOUS WARDENS ARE
ON PATROL TO ENFORCE THE RULES.
♪
WORKING OR
TRAVELLING IS FORBIDDEN.
THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
IS SHUT DOWN.
THE INTERNET
IS SWITCHED OFF...
AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES
ARE CUT.
BY 6 A.M. THE FOLLOWING DAY,
IT'S ALL OVER.
HELPED BY THE POWER
OF BESAKIH,
BALI'S SPIRITUAL ORDER HAS BEEN
RESTORED FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
♪
FOR THE BALINESE,
THE HOLY WATERS OF BESAKIH
ARE A VITAL WEAPON IN
THE ANNUAL BATTLE AGAINST EVIL,
AND IN MANY SACRED WONDERS,
WATER LIES AT THE HEART
OF ACTS OF FAITH.
♪
IN INDIA, THE RIVER GANGES
IS CONSIDERED SACRED BY HINDUS.
IT IS PERSONIFIED
BY THE GODDESS GANGA,
AND BATHING IN ITS WATERS
IS BELIEVED
TO ABSOLVE PEOPLE
OF THEIR SINS
WHILE AT LOURDES IN FRANCE,
THE WATERS OF ITS HOLY SPRING
ARE BELIEVED BY MANY
OF THE MILLIONS OF PILGRIMS
WHO VISIT EVERY YEAR TO HAVE
MIRACULOUS HEALING POWERS,
AND IN A WAR-TORN CORNER
OF IRAQ,
THERE IS ANOTHER WONDER
WHERE THE WATERS
OF A SACRED SPRING
ARE HELPING TO HEAL WOMEN
TRAUMATIZED
BY A RECENT CONFLICT.
♪
THE VALLEY OF LALISH.
THERE HAS BEEN
A COMPLEX OF SHRINES HERE
SINCE THE 12th CENTURY.
IT IS THE HEART
OF THE YAZIDI RELIGION,
AN ANCIENT FAITH FOLLOWED
BY UNDER A MILLION PEOPLE.
♪
YAZIDIS BELIEVE IN ONE GOD,
REPRESENTED
BY THE PEACOCK ANGEL.
♪
THEIR HOLIEST FIGURE ON EARTH,
BURIED BENEATH
THESE CONICAL SHRINES,
IS SHEIKH ADI IBN MUSAFIR.
FOR YAZIDIS, LALISH IS THE MOST
SACRED PLACE ON EARTH,
AND FOR 21-YEAR-OLD YAZIDI
IVANA WALEED,
IT HAS BECOME
A PLACE OF HEALING.
♪
IVANA DOESN'T LIVE
IN IRAQ ANYMORE.
SINCE 2015, SHE'S BEEN LIVING
IN GERMANY WITH HER FAMILY...
BUT LALISH IS NEVER
FAR FROM HER THOUGHTS
ALONG WITH THE REASONS
WHY SHE FLED.
IN 2014, SO-CALLED ISLAMIC
STATE INVADED IVANA'S HOMELAND
IN THE SINJAR REGION OF IRAQ,
AND IN AN EVENT THAT HAS NOW
BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A GENOCIDE
BY THE U.N., THEIR VILLAGES
WERE RAZED TO THE GROUND.
THOUSANDS OF MEN
AND BOYS WERE KILLED,
AND OVER 6,000 THOUSAND
WOMEN AND GIRLS WERE TAKEN,
MANY OF THEM AS SEX SLAVES,
INCLUDING IVANA.
♪
♪
SINCE HER ORDEAL,
LALISH HAS BECOME
MORE SIGNIFICANT
THAN EVER FOR IVANA.
♪
♪
WHILE SHE WAS HELD,
IVANA WAS FORCED
TO CONVERT TO ISLAM AND WAS
FREQUENTLY RAPED AND BEATEN
DURING HER 11-MONTH CAPTIVITY.
SHE WAS JUST 17 AT THE TIME.
♪
♪
IVANA EVENTUALLY
MANAGED TO ESCAPE.
SHE MADE IT TO A REFUGEE CAMP
BEFORE FINALLY BEING GRANTED
A SAFE HAVEN IN GERMANY,
BUT OVER A THOUSAND WOMEN
AND GIRLS ARE STILL MISSING.
NOW IVANA
IS RETURNING TO LALISH
TO ATTEND ONE OF THE HOLIEST
EVENTS IN THE YAZIDI CALENDAR...
THE AUTUMN GATHERING.
IT WILL BE
THE FIRST TIME IVANA
HAS BEEN BACK FOR THIS FESTIVAL
SINCE SHE MOVED TO GERMANY.
♪
IRAQ, 4 DAYS LATER.
THIS AUTUMN GATHERING
IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL ONE
SINCE THE YAZIDIS' HOMELAND
WAS INVADED,
BUT IVANA'S RETURN ISN'T
JUST TO MARK THIS FESTIVAL.
SHE'S ALSO HERE
IN SEARCH OF SALVATION.
TRADITIONALLY, SEXUAL
RELATIONS WITH ANYONE
WHO ISN'T YAZIDI,
EVEN IF IT'S NONCONSENSUAL,
MEANS EXPULSION FROM THE FAITH
AND THE COMMUNITY,
BUT ONE MONTH
AFTER THE INVASION,
THE YAZIDI RELIGIOUS LEADER
ANNOUNCED A CHANGE IN THE RULES
FOR VICTIMS LIKE IVANA.
WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN HELD
AS SEX SLAVES
COULD RE-ENTER THE FAITH
IF THEY RETURNED
TO LALISH FOR A BLESSING.
♪
FOR IVANA,
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
IS A HUGELY POIGNANT MOMENT.
LALISH IS CONSIDERED SO SACRED
THAT NO SHOES ARE WORN
ANYWHERE INSIDE.
♪
♪
IVANA LOOKS OUT
FOR OLD FRIENDS...
♪
AND MEETS
YAZIDI SPIRITUAL LEADERS...
♪
BUT AMONG THE CROWD,
SHE IS SEARCHING
FOR TWO FACES IN PARTICULAR...
HER GRANDPARENTS.
♪
THEY NOW LIVE
IN A REFUGEE CAMP,
AND IVANA HASN'T SEEN THEM
SINCE SHE FLED 4 YEARS AGO.
♪
♪
EVERY VISIT TO LALISH
MUST INCLUDE A PILGRIMAGE
TO THE BURIAL TOMB
OF SHEIKH ADI...
♪
AND PRAYERS
WITH A YAZIDI PRIEST.
♪
NOW IT'S TIME
FOR IVANA'S BLESSING
AT THE SACRED SPRING.
FOR MANY YAZIDI WOMEN
WHO SUFFERED AT THE HANDS
OF ISLAMIC STATE,
THIS CEREMONY BRINGS
SO MUCH COMFORT, THEY RETURN
TO REPEAT IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
♪
THIS WILL BE IVANA'S SECOND
BLESSING SINCE HER ORDEAL.
♪
♪
IVANA'S BLESSING
TODAY CAN'T UNDO WHAT HAPPENED
TO HER AND THOUSANDS
OF OTHER YAZIDI WOMEN,
BUT IT'S A STEP
ON THE ROAD TO HEALING.
FOR YAZIDIS, LALISH
IS THE CENTER OF THEIR IDENTITY
AND A PLACE THAT CELEBRATES
THE UNIFYING POWER
OF SACRED WONDERS.