In San Severo, fujenti run under exploding batteries strung across the street while the Black Madonna moves through town. People who left come back that weekend, shirts already full of last year's holes.

In a 'mock' fight that leaves hundreds injured every year, thousands of devotees clash with long bamboo sticks to secure the idol of their god. It's a midnight battlefield where bloodshed is considered a sacred offering.

Daredevils defy gravity riding motorcycles and cars on vertical wooden walls. In the 'Well of Death', the roar of engines and the smell of exhaust fill the air as riders perform death-defying stunts held only by centrifugal force.

Every year, 200 man made bulls loaded with fireworks are thrown into crowds. The streets become a battlefield with fire and explosion, it's a tradition that tests the limits of human courage and the power of fire.

Spititual leaders pierce their skin with swords as they enter a trance. The festival is a nine-day celebration where participants believe they become vessels for the gods.

In San Juan de la Vega, six families uphold a centuries-old vow after a silver merchant's prayer saved him from bandits on the Camino Real. They honor San Juanito with explosives, but when the state banned the rite for the first time, the town had other plans.

Day 1: Dance. Day 2: Fight. Day 3: Mourn. At 4,000m, participants fight until they draw blood, believing that the spilled blood ensures a good harvest.