One aspect that sets human beings apart from different units of the animal kingdom is our tendency to cultivate customs and conventions around everything from charm customs to sex patterns. In fact, humans cherish performing this so much that the world has been augmented with thousands of diverse cultures since the beginning of civilization. No doubt, one important aspect of just about any given culture is its code of etiquette.
In a world with myriad nations, beliefs, cultures, and traditions, it is absurd for everyone to like everything.
Here are some of the strangest traditions from across the world:
Dancing with the dead
A funeral ritual pursued by the Malagasy tribe in Madagascar, people actually dance with dead bodies as an aspect of the Famadihana tradition. After carrying the bodies of ancestors from their burial location, they re-wrap them in new fabric and dance around the tomb to live music. The tradition is pursued once in seven years, however, has been in the decline of late.
Finger cutting
This ritual in the Dani tribe in Indonesia takes strange to an entirely new tier. When a family member expires, women from this tribe have to undergo physical pain besides enduring emotional misery. And to commend so, they cut off a piece of their fingers. This is apparently performed to 'appease the ancestral spirit.' For sanity's sake, this tradition is scarcely exercised presently.
Carrying pregnant wife over burning coal
As if walking over hot coals wasn't a striking enough triumph, in China, they perform it with an individual on their back. In China, it is expected that if the spouse holds his pregnant wife over burning coal with exposed feet, the wife begets an easy delivery and some assume that walking over burning coals prevents natural catastrophes.
Wearing rings to have a giraffe's neck
Thailand's Karen tribe is captivated with long necks and looks like they can push a long way to acquire them. Women from the tribe wear rings around their necks to reap a long neck, which they believe to be a symbol of beauty and charm. Girls commence wearing rings around their necks when they are all of 5 and additional rings are put in as they grow up.
Throw the baby for good luck
This tradition is primarily pursued in Karnataka where newborn babies are tossed off the 50-feet high Sri Santeswar temple. the babies are caught by the family in a cloth. Couples who are blessed with a baby after taking an oath at the temple pursue this many-year-old ritual. It is believed to fetch good luck to the babies.
Wearing Bullet Ant gloves
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When boys of this Amazonian tribe achieve adolescents, they must demonstrate their manhood in a ritual that's brutal and terrifying. The young men trap bullet ants which are then numbed by a medicine man, who puts the deadly creatures in woven mitts. It is said the sting of a bullet ant can measure up to a bullet hitting the flesh. The young men then have to wear the mitts on their hands and dance for ten minutes to take their senses of the pain. Satere-Mawe men have to go through this tradition at least 20 times in their lifetime.
Thaipusam
Celebrated by Hindus in Southern India and South East Asia, the celebration of Thaipusam identifies the triumph of Lord Murugan over an evil spirit. Devotees pierce themselves with pointed items through varied parts of their bodies while taking off into a complete trance. Some even go as far as dragging vehicles with hooks pierced into their backs.
Eating the dead's ash
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Certainly, everyone misses their loved one's when they expire, however, consuming their ash to remember them forever? That is precisely what the Yonamamo tribe from Brazil and Venezuela performs. Since ritual forbids them from holding any body part, it is burned and crushed, and the remains are distributed amongst the family members and eaten by all.
Break the dishes
In this unusual pre-wedding German ritual, friends and family of the bride and groom come together and break dishes! And then the bride and groom have to clean up the mess. This way they learn to practice 'working together in tough times.'
Monkey buffet festival
As the title implies, this is a buffet for monkeys. Monkeys banquet at this annual happening in Thailand where over 3,000 kgs of fruits and vegetables are on exhibit for the monkeys to gulp on in Lopburi, Bangkok. Fruits, flowers, cake, and candy are prepared buffet-style on slabs in Lopburi's downtown region. The monkeys are captivated by the food and come in packs to celebrate their annual feast.
Muharram mourning
Muharram is the annual festival that honors the demise of Muhammad's grandson Hussain. He was assassinated along with 72 fighters at the Battle of Karbala. In a quite strange tradition, people go on cremation ceremonies to remember their sacrifice and whip themselves wielding chains to honor the sacrifice.
Feed the dead with wine
Romans believe in nourishing the dead. So much so that graves contain pipes through which the family of the deceased can drop honey, wine, and additional food items into their grave in the Roman funeral grounds.
Blackening the bride
Having some joy before the wedding is wonderful, however, this pre-wedding tradition in Scotland doesn't look like a lot of joy for the bride. The tradition comprises tossing eggs, spoilt milk, and, practically, all things disgusting at her. The 'blackened bride' is then taken around the town. The tradition is a metaphor for the difficult life that the bride might have to experience after the wedding. The ritual prepares her for the fresh chapter as after going through this, all marital difficulties will look small!
Eating the baby's placenta
In few nations, mothers consume their own placenta after giving birth to receive supplementary nutrients that the placenta is recognized to retain. This ritual is pursued in China, Jamaica, and some portions of India.
These traditions are some of the strange and shocking exercises in some of the great incredible spots in the world. They may appear absurd but the locals acknowledge or acknowledged that their pursuits allowed them to learn crucial moralities and lessons in life. These customs are instances of diverse cultures around the world. Each custom is part of a different culture that has developed over multiple generations.
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