10 weird and downright wild traditions from around the world that will scare even seasoned travelers

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The cultures of different peoples have traditions and customs that have been practiced by these peoples for thousands of years, but at the same time seem completely wild for representatives of other peoples and religions. And what is most interesting, these customs, which, it would seem, have no place in the 21st century, are still alive today.

1. The Taipusam Piercing Celebration

India, Malaysia, SingaporeDuring the Taipusam religious festival, Hindus demonstrate their devotion to the god Murugan by piercing various parts of their bodies. This is mainly seen in countries where there is a significant Tamil diaspora, such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand and Myanmar.

In Tamil Nadu, Tamil believers celebrate the birth of the god Murugan and his killing of the demon Surapadman. They do this by painfully piercing various parts of the body, including the tongue. Over time, these rituals became more dramatic, colorful and bloody.

2. La Tomatina

SpainLa Tomatina, an annual tomato throwing festival, takes place in the Spanish city of Buñol. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, and during this festival, participants throw tomatoes at each other solely for pleasure. There are many theories regarding the origin of the Tomatina.

In 1945, during the parade of giants and cabesudos, young people who wanted to participate in this event organized a fight in the main square of the city - Plaza del Pueblo. There was a vegetable table nearby, so they grabbed tomatoes from it and started throwing them at the police. This is the most popular of many theories about how the Tomatina Festival originated.

3. Stinging gloves

BrazilThe most painful initiation ritual exists in the Satere Mave tribe, who live in the Amazon jungle. It is impossible to become a man here without taking part in this ritual. When a young boy becomes sexually mature, he, along with the shaman and other boys of his own age, collect bullet ants in the jungle. The bite of this insect is considered the most painful in the world and is often compared to the sensation of being hit by a bullet in the body.

The collected ants are fumigated with the smoke of special herbs, from which they fall asleep, and placed in a woven mesh glove. When ants wake up, they become very aggressive. Boys should wear gloves and keep them on for about ten minutes while dancing to distract themselves from the pain. In the Satere-Mave tribe, a boy needs to endure this 20 times to prove that he is already a man.

4. Yanomami funeral ritual

Venezuela, BrazilFuneral rituals performed with dead relatives are very important in the Yanomami tribe (Venezuela and Brazil), as the people of this tribe want to provide eternal peace and rest for the soul of a dead person.

When a member of the Yanomami tribe dies, his body is burned. Ashes and bones are added to the plantain soup, and then the relatives of the deceased drink this soup. They believe that if you swallow the remains of a loved one, then his spirit will always live inside them.

5. Filing teeth

India / BaliOne of the largest Hindu religious ceremonies is significant in Balinese culture and symbolizes the transition from adolescence to adulthood. This ritual is intended for both men and women and must be completed before marriage (and is sometimes included in the marriage ceremony).

This ceremony is performed by filing the teeth so that they follow an even line. In the Balinese Hindu belief system, this holiday helps people to free themselves from all invisible evil forces. They believe that teeth are a symbol of lust, greed, anger and jealousy, and the custom of cutting teeth strengthens a person physically and spiritually.

6. Ban on bathroom in Chidun

IndonesiaWeddings in the Indonesian Tidun community boast truly unique traditions. According to one of the local customs, the groom is not allowed to see the bride's face until he sings a few love songs for her. The curtain separating the couple rises only after the songs have been sung to the end.

But the strangest of the customs implies that the bride and groom are not allowed to use the bathroom for three days and nights after the wedding. The Chidun people believe that if this custom is not followed, then it is fraught with dire consequences for marriage: divorce, infidelity or death of children at an early age.

7. Famadikhana

MadagascarFamadihana is a traditional festival celebrated in both urban and rural areas of Madagascar, but it is most popular among tribal communities. This is a funerary tradition known as the "turning of the bones." People take the bodies of their ancestors out of the family crypts, wrap them in new robes, and then dance with the corpses around the tomb.

In Madagascar, this has become a common ritual, usually performed every seven years. The main motive of the festival arose from the belief of local residents that the dead return to God and are reborn.

8. Cutting off fingers in the Dani tribe

New GuineaThe Dani (or Ndani) tribe are indigenous peoples who inhabit the fertile lands of the Baliem Valley in West Papua New Guinea. Members of this tribe cut off their fingers to show their grief at funeral ceremonies. Along with amputation, they also smear their faces with ashes and clay as a sign of sadness.

Dani cut off their fingers to express feelings for someone they love very much. When a person from a tribe dies, his relative (most often a wife or husband) cuts off his finger and buries it along with the dead body of his husband or wife, as a symbol of love for him.

9. Throwing babies

IndiaThe bizarre ritual of throwing newborn babies from a 15-meter-high temple and catching them in cloth has been practiced in India for the past 500 years. This is done by couples who received the blessing of a child after taking a vow at the Sri Santsvara Temple in the vicinity of Indy (Karnataka State).

The ritual is observed by both Muslims and Hindus every year and takes place under tight security. The ritual is performed in the first week of December and is believed to bring health, prosperity and good fortune to the newborn. Every year, about 200 children are "dropped" from the temple to the songs and dances of the crowd. Most children are under two years old.

10. Mourning Muharram

Iran, India, IraqMourning Muharram is an important period of mourning in Shiite Islam, which is held in Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar). It is also called the Memory of Muharram. This event is held in honor of the death of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad, who was killed by the troops of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I.

The event reaches its climax on the tenth day, known as Ashura. Some groups of Shia Muslims lash their bodies with chains with razors and knives attached to them. This tradition is practiced by all age groups (in some regions even children are forced to take part). This custom is observed among the inhabitants of Iran, Bahrain, India, Lebanon, Iraq and Pakistan.

Tourists are also greatly interested in the parade of virgins, where you can see how the monarch chooses the queen from 70 thousand applicants once a year