Neck rings tradition

Wanna see the latest trend in jewelry fashion? If yes, then you must be surprised to check out this amazing neck jewelry trend followed in Thailand and African tribes. Coils of brass are circled around the neck of these women since 2 years of age. Gradually pressure on shoulder bone increases, which  deform the neck creating an impression of "Long Neck". In these tribes, long neck is considered as a symbol of beauty for women. I don't know about you but for me, a simple necklace would be enough instead of this painful trend !

        

Crocodile men

What if you have to become a crocodile to show your strength? Sounds funny? But believe me or not, a tribe in Papua New Guinea called Kaningara are pretty much serious about this odd ritual. According to this custom, for a young male to become a mature man, he must scarify his body like a crocodile. By doing this, they show their bravery, courage and strong relationship to the environment because crocodile is symbol of strength. They also believe that human race has developed from crocodile and by this scarification of crocodile teeth, they will become close to the ancestral crocodile. It sounds crazy to do all this crocodile thing !

             

Killing of elderly people

The Eskimos have always been known about their bizarre cultures. Let me tell you one of their most odd cultures, according to which , when a family member becomes old, they take him to the sea and make him sit on a floating ice berg. The elderly people freeze and starve to death along with which they have to face horror of coming death. Eskimos believe that it is a graceful way to exit the world without becoming burden on others.

        

Impaling of vegetarian

What if you have to pierce a knife into your cheek being a vegetarian? Don't be shocked because people of Phuket town in Thailand do this each year in their Vegetarian festival. According to this mysterious tradition, the believers insert knives, needles,swords and different weapons into their cheeks, arms and other body parts. Then they parade through the town with a blank stare on their faces. It is believed that god is present in their bodies at that time and protect them from evil and bad luck. According to my view, the best time to visit Thailand is during this vegetarian festival.

             

Living with the dead

Can you even think about living with the dead ones? Doesn't it seem so scary and smelly ? But, let me tell you that some ethnic groups in Indonesia doesn't think the same. They wrap up the dead body and keep it in the house in which they live, until a traditional funeral ceremony can be arranged. I don't know how Indonesian do this because it even sounds so much horrible!

        

Carrying wife over coal

What if you have to walk over coal to enter the house ? Seems painful !! So let me tell you a very unusual custom practiced in China. According to this ritual,   husband has to walk over burning coal carrying his wife, when entering the house for the very first time. The reason behind this is to ensure safety and ease of her wife during labor. Well! it must be very terrifying in China to be married for men.

       

Death rite ritual

Do you want to keep the spirit of some dead family member with you ? Let me tell you a way. The Amazonian tribe of Yanomami perform a very weird death ritual. They organize a ceremony in which dead ones are burned and the remaining ashes and bones are mixed with banana in a pot. Then they eat this mixture and recall memories of their dead relatives. According to them, it is the only way to keep spirit of dead one among them.

   

Thanksgiving

This is an annual ceremony organized in UK and Canada, which is full of joy but the bizarre thing about this festival is the act of pardon by president, to a live "Turkey" presented in front of them by National Turkey Federation (NTF). The reason behind this is to thank for the blessing of harvest.

      

      

Older bite

In South Korea, elder people are given respect by a ritual , according to which nobody at the table eats, until the most senior person takes a bite. This is followed at all places either sitting at restaurant or at home.

      

Pulling a tooth during adulthood

In this odd custom practiced in Australia, as a person reaches adulthood, one of his teeth is forcefully extracted. The person lays down on his back and rests his head on lap of a sitting man who uses a piece of wood with a hole and spear to pull out the tooth.Well! it must be frightening to be adult in Australia.

         

Masai spitting

Have you ever heard about "Spitting" as a greeting sign ?? Well! you must be amazed to hear that The Masai tribe, located in Kenya and Tanzania , greet their guests by spitting at them. They also show respect to elders by spitting in their hand before handshake. Masai men even spit on new borns and tell them how bad they are so that they will not be cursed by praising.

      

Tossing the baby

There is a very terrifying custom practiced in Southern India in which toddlers are tossed from balcony 30 feet high by men dressed in robes and then people standing on ground catches them. This is meant to bring health,luck and prosperity to infants. Well! now it has been banned by the efforts of Children's rights group.

       

     

Foot binding

This was one of the most cruel customs practiced in China that i have ever heard about. In this ritual, feet of young girls are wrapped with tight bandages by breaking their bones to prevent their over growth. Bound feet , also known as  "Lotus Feet" were a Sign of Beauty in China. Apart from severe pain , foot binding can also cause paralysis and infection. Thank God, this insane custom has been prohibited now.

   

Blackening the bride

This is a very funny pre-wedding tradition practiced in Scotland in which bride is taken captive by her friends, who then cover her with as many disgusting things as possible like eggs,flour,soot,feathers etc. After all this fun, the bride is paraded around town to embarrass her more. The reason behind this is to prepare her for marital problems. It seems really joyful unless you are not that unlucky bride.

   

Sati

Sati is a strange tradition practiced in some Asian countries in which a recent widow is burned to death on her husband's funeral pyre. According to the followers of this ritual, this act shows devotion ,sacrifice and loyalty of woman for her husband. Well! in this age of feminism and human rights, it seems seriously against humanity to force women to commit suicide to prove their "loyalty".

      

Polterabend

There is a really awkward tradition in Germany where friends and families of bride and groom gather a day before marriage and do a really odd thing...They break dishes,tiles,pots ,almost everything except glasses and mirrors. After all this fun ,now it will be the duty of bride and groom to clean everything. The reason behind this is to train them for future difficulties they will have to face together.

  

Gurning

Gurn means to deform your facial expressions.You will be surprised to know that an actual World Gurning Contest is held each year in England in which people twist their faces to win. In this competition, people protrude their lower jaw as far as possible and then join their lips to distort their facial expressions. It is also compulsory to wear a "horse collar" in which they look even more funny. Though it seems very silly to us but some people take it very seriously, like England's best gurner "Peter Jackman" who had removed his teeth in 2000 to disfigure his face easily.

  

Finger Cutting Tradition

What can be more frightening than cutting your own fingers, but believe it or not, some people amputate their fingers as a sign of sorrow and grief. It is specially true about Dani people of Papua New Guinea.According to this tradition,all relatives of a dead man ,specially women and children,cut their fingers to show condolence for the dead one. Before cutting off the fingers,they tie them with a string for about 30 minutes. After amputation,fingers are dried and burned to ashes. Thank God they do not eat them at least !

  

Baby Jumping Festival

Well!!! its interesting.. villagers of Castrillo de Murcia in northern Spain have adopted a unique way to remove sins from their infants.They lay down their newborns in the street and a man dressed like devil jump over them.This man is known as COLACHO.By following this tradition,they cleanse their newborn babies from sins.

                                    

Endocannibalism

You might have known that people either burn the dead bodies or bury them, however your knowledge is going to be updated, as the Melanesian people of Papua New Guinea treat the dead bodies like food. YES, they eat them ! This strange cultural activity is also known as "Cannibal Ritual".