Survivorman, Beyond Survival, Season 1, Episode 1, Devil Dancers of Sri Lanka, Les Stroud
From Sri Lankas beginnings 2500yearsago, the island was populated by tens of thousands of demons, some spreading disease and chronic afflictions through possession. These range the whole gamutfrom headaches to infectious diseases to madness to barrenness. To be cured, the patient undergoes a devil dancethe most complex, dramatic exorcism in the world, in what is also the worlds largest mask culture. Its an allnight healing ceremony involving masked dancers imitating disease causing demons. Anyone involved swears by its effectiveness. Although devil dances are rapidly fading in the face of globalization, and now are a staple at 5star hotels, there are still traditional devil dance priestsSri Lankas original doctorswho practice the ritual on a regular basis for the inflicted. It is nearly impossible to become a patient if you are not part of the subculture but Stroud has secured a place to be exactly thatthe patient to be exorcized. No Westerner has ever before been filmed participating in this
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