The following series of pictures shows hundreds of Christian Ethiopians who have paid a month's salary to be hit by a priest and sprinkled with blessed water, a ritual known as exorcism.

About 150 people gathered at an outpost of the Ethiopian capital, Addia Adaba, to meet with a famous healer who is believed to purify man from devils.

Photos show people of all ages crying the cross crossed or held by relatives as they kick and scream.

Other prominent pictures show a woman screaming with all the strength as she approaches the priest, tearful men and dozens of people who bathe in blessed water.

Images were photographed by Czech photographer Davi Tesinky, who traveled to Ethiopia especially to photograph the exorcism like this.

After trying two weeks to convince the residents of the area to allow them to photograph the religious event, he found church Yerer Selassie, not far from the capital, where people were lining up to meet Ethiopian Orthodox priest Memehir Girma.

"People were crying, screaming and Memehir was knocking them," Tesinsky says. "Memehir, I learned, was rejected by all the other churches because he earned more money than the church itself."

"He continued to look for money. I noticed that an old woman gave $ 100 to cleanse the devils and he wanted more, though that woman could be paid $ 100 for the whole month. "

"These rituals of exorcism are usually kept when one does not do modern medicine or if they do not behave as usual."

"Their families think and have been invaded by a 'diabolical ghost' or 'buda' - the power of the evil eye. Exorcisms should be performed by a priest in the area. "

A significant part of Ethiopia's population belongs to the Christian faith and the Ethiopian Church is the largest pre-colonial church in Africa.

Ethiopians strongly believe in devils and demons, especially in rural areas. According to a 2010 poll, nearly three-quarters of Christians in Ethiopia had witnessed or experienced an exorcism.

Source: Daily Mail