From handshakes to parades, people ascribe the utmost importance to their rituals, but few can explain why they are so important. Although rituals exist in every culture and can persist nearly unchanged for centuries, their logic has remained a mystery. Taking an enlightening tour through this shadowy realm of human behavior, anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas presents a powerful new perspective on our place in the world. In birthday parties, coronations, silent prayer, fire-walks and terrifying rites of passage, Xygalatas reveals the deep and subtle mechanisms that bind us together.