From throwing infants off roofs to dancing over bodies, our world has some bizarre traditions that will leave your mouth hanging open. All cultures have bizarre traditions, but some of them will leave you scratching your head. Let's take a look at 15 of the most shocking and weird traditions around the world - Unusual customs worldwide that are oddly funny to repulsive.
In some areas of India, most notably in Maharashtra and Karnataka, parents participate in a terrifying practice of dropping babies off a 30-foot temple roof onto a sheet spread out below. The 700-year-old practice, called "baby dropping," is reputed to impart good health, prosperity, and strength to the child.
Though outsiders might perceive it as risking children, the locals are adamant in their belief that the ceremony is absolutely safe. Indeed, they affirm that no child has ever been harmed under the ceremony. The ceremony attracts a lot of people, with parents lining up to have their newborns undergo this strange blessing ceremony.
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The Dani people of Papua New Guinea observe one of the most radical funeral rituals in the world. Female members of the deceased relative voluntarily have part of their fingers cut off. The cutting is typically done by wrapping a tight string around the finger to cut off the blood supply before cutting it with a knife.
This agonizing tradition has several functions in that it shows sorrow, keeps evil spirits at bay, and acts as a tangible reminder of deceased loved ones. Although the tradition has been outlawed by the government, most elderly women continue to show these scars of the violent tradition.
Every December 23rd in Oaxaca, Mexico, the streets are lined with "La Noche de los Rábanos" (Night of the Radishes). It takes local artisans months to grow enormous radishes, which they then carve into ornate sculptures depicting religious scenes, folkloric tales, and historical events.
What was once a marketing ploy of 19th century radish farmers has become one of the largest festivals with thousands of visitors. The sculptures are competitively judged and rewarded in cash. It also marks the official start of Oaxaca's celebration of Christmas.
Forget the Tooth Fairy! Kids in a few Middle Eastern nations dispose of their lost teeth in the sun and request healthy new teeth. A few versions of the custom include spitting teeth at a mouse or even burying them in specific locations.
This festival is based on ancient beliefs that the energy of the sun can make replacement teeth stronger. In others, kids yell out for demands such as "Give me a donkey's tooth!" - demanding as tough as donkey's teeth and not mouse's weak teeth.
The Thai town of Lopburi is home to an annual banquet in which thousands of wild macaque monkeys are special guests. Residents invite gigantic trays of fruits and vegetables and even soda to their neighboring primates for the colorful festival.
The monkeys are said to bring good fortune to the city, or so the locals claim. The festival now draws tourists in the hundreds of thousands, although visitors are advised to be careful - the monkeys become very aggressive when food is around!
At Madagascar's Famadihana ritual ("turning of the bones"), families exhume the dead every 5-7 years to honor their memory. Wrapped corpses are danced around as kin dances with them, update them on family news, and ask for blessings.
Obviously, it seems an odd one, but for them this is a joyous occasion involving music, food, and merriment. Malagasy believe that holding onto this link to ancestors guarantees they will remain in their care and protection.
Every spring in Gloucestershire, England, adventure-seekers pursue a 9-pound Double Gloucester cheese wheel down a perilously steep hill. The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling event is as deadly as it sounds - with participants having a greater chance of rolling head over heels at breakneck speeds.
The person who crosses the finish line first (ordinarily by blundering their way across it) is awarded the cheese. In spite of seeing scores of injuries each year, the race continues to attract fans worldwide.
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Some traditional German wedding customs include Polterabend, a noisy pre-wedding party where friends smash porcelain plates. The bride and groom must then pick up the pieces together as a sign that they will work together to overcome all the tribulations of life.
There is one rule that is strictly necessary: no glass may be broken, as this is considered bad luck. The greater the plate-smashing, the better - it's said to bring good luck to the bride and groom in their union.
Scottish pre-wedding rituals include "The Blackening,” where the bride and/or groom are kidnapped by friends and covered in vile substances such as tar, feathers, rotten food, or even fish guts. The dirty pair are then taken on a public procession through town.
This humiliating ritual is intended to harden the couple for the ordeals of wedded bliss. If they can survive this experience together, they can survive anything that married life has to offer!
The Spanish town of Buñol hosts the world's biggest food fight in August. La Tomatina invites 20,000 participants to throw more than 150,000 tomatoes at one another in a wild, saucy free-for-all that stains the streets red.
The origins are in dispute - some attribute it to a furious mob hurling vegetables, others as a playful food battle between friends. Whatever, now it's Spain's filthiest festival, governed by strict rules (tomatoes have to be flattened before they're hurled) and a massive cleanup operation afterwards.
On Beqa Island, Fijian warriors are involved in a spectacular fire-walking ceremony, walking barefoot over scorching white stones without scorching their feet. The old tradition is claimed to have been the bestowal of the Sawau tribe by a spirit god.
The ritual starts with fasting and meditation for days. Science describes it using physics (the Leidenfrost effect), but the locals think it's simply good spiritual power that does not let the walkers get burned.
Wife Carrying World Championships in Finland is named exactly what it is: men carrying female partners running over an obstacle course. The prize is his wife's weight in beer!
This weird sport purportedly began with 19th-century robbers who abducted women from villages. These days, it's all for fun, with differing carrying techniques utilized (most prominently, the "Estonian carry," where the woman hangs upside-down on the man's back).
In a Spanish town called Castrillo de Murcia, men dress up as the devil and jump over babies placed on mattresses in the street. The 400-year-old tradition, called El Colacho, is meant to rid babies of original sin and keep them safe from evil spirits.
The "devils" wear festive attire and carry whips as they leap over lines of infants born in the past year. Miraculously, there has never been an injury reported at this bizarre baptismal ritual.
The Toraja of Indonesia have an unusual funeral ceremony known as Ma'Nene, where they dig up dead relatives every few years and wash, dress, and march them through the village. There are even families that keep the bodies for years before burying them.
This "walking with the dead" ceremony strengthens family ties and shows respect for ancestors. The Toraja consider death to be a drawn-out process, and the dead are still considered members of the community until sent off in the proper manner to the afterlife.
From Russia to Canada, fearless (or insane) people take part in winter swims, sometimes breaking through frozen lakes to swim into icy waters. Some do it for charity, some for health reasons, and some for sheer thrill.
In Siberia, they get their dips along with sauna sessions. Some claim that it boosts immunity, but doctors warn against the risk of cold water shock. Whatever, it's certainly one of the planet's chilliest traditions!
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Every ritual has its own story and reason. These customs remind us of the richness of human culture. What's astonishing to strangers is likely of profound significance to natives. Even though we can't always understand all these bizarre rituals globally, they serve as a reminder that life may be lived, that the dead are respected and that momentous events on planet Earth are marked in a very great number of different ways.
So, are you surprised by these weird cultures and traditions around the world? One thing is for sure: our world is filled with these unique cultural practices!
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