We have many rituals and customs we practise around the world. Some have logical explanation while for the rest we follow it with deep faith. I have taken some time to make a list of some weird random rituals we practice. I hope this Blog does not hurt anybodies sentiments. Kindly take it in good spirit and read it with a smile. Happy reading people.
We have many rituals and customs we practise around the world. Some have logical explanation while for the rest we follow it with deep faith. I have taken some time to make a list of some weird random rituals we practice. I hope this Blog does not hurt anybodies sentiments. Kindly take it in good spirit and read it with a smile. Happy reading people.
Ritual 1: Masai
Spitting
Actor Satish
Shah character in the famous Bollywood movie “Main Hoon Nah” as the Professor
who talks less and spits more on his students is definitely inspired
from the Masai tribe of Africa (this is an ethnic African
group found in Kenya and Tanzania). We use are saliva mainly to digest the food we intake but the people
from the Masai tribe of Africa have a very different purpose for it. These people spit on one another while
greeting their friends. Before greeting elders Masai people spit on their hand
before offering it for a handshake. They also spit on their newborn baby, and
avoid praising as they believe praising will curse the
child to a bad life.
Ritual 2: Pre-planned Crying
Every girl feels sad and very bad to leave their near & dear
ones and get married. All girls do the emotional rona dhona during their good
bye moments with their family during their marriage ceremony. In case of the
brides of the Tujia people in China take matters to a whole new level. Starting
one whole month in advance the bride starts to cry for 1 hour every day. Ten
days into the ordeal the mom joins the picture, and then ten days after that,
her grandmother. By the end of the month every female in the family is crying
alongside the bride. This is thought to be an expression of joy as the women
cry in different tones. I am so sure the men will have a gala time watching their
wife’s crying daily :P
Ritual 3: Hanging Coffins
I have seen
hanging gardens but hanging coffins that is so creepy. In many locations of
China, Indonesia and Philippines you might find hanging coffins. The limestone
caves surrounding Sagada in Philippines are also known as home to the region’s
dead. Hanging coffins are an ancient tradition. It is believed that hanging the
coffin could prevent the dead’s body from being taken by beasts and will also
bless the soul.
Ritual 4: Feasting with the Departed
Fairly recent discoveries in the
Vatican of old Roman burial grounds have uncovered a fascinating tradition that
was previously forgotten the Romans would eat with their dead and even feed
them. Many of the graves found contained pipes that led from the outside of the
grave to the body within – this was used to pour honey, wine, and other foods
into the dead. Similar pipes in Roman Graves have also been found in England.
Ancient Romans would often picnic at the graves of the dead as they believed
they were feeding the soul of their departed loved ones. The inscription on the
grave above describes the location of a food shop nearby so mourners and
visitors can buy food for themselves or the dead.
Ritual 4: Feasting with the Departed
Fairly recent discoveries in the
Vatican of old Roman burial grounds have uncovered a fascinating tradition that
was previously forgotten the Romans would eat with their dead and even feed
them. Many of the graves found contained pipes that led from the outside of the
grave to the body within – this was used to pour honey, wine, and other foods
into the dead. Similar pipes in Roman Graves have also been found in England.
Ancient Romans would often picnic at the graves of the dead as they believed
they were feeding the soul of their departed loved ones. The inscription on the
grave above describes the location of a food shop nearby so mourners and
visitors can buy food for themselves or the dead.
Ritual 5: Eating the Dead’s Ash
Don’t get shocked! Death and
funerals are part of one’s Life, but the tradition of eating the ashes of your
dead is shocking and bizarre tradition that is being followed. In
the Yonamamo tribe from Brazil and Venezuela, the tradition forbids keeping any
part of the deceased body. The body of the dead is burned. Bones are crushed
and mixed with the ashes, is divided amongst the family and eaten by all.
Ritual 6: Finger Cutting
The Danis tribe of Africa
follows a weird tradition. Women on the tribe must cut off a part of their
fingers when a member of the family dies. I wonder when and how the allotment
of finger space for a particular family member would be conducted. The women of
Danis tribe were forced to suffer physically with the emotional pain of losing
a family member. The tradition was performed to satisfy the ancestral ghosts.
Ritual 7: Baby Tossing
There is a shocking tradition
followed in India, mainly in the Maharashtra region. I think this tradition is definitely
inspired from people tossing rumali rotis in the aIr. Infants are tossed from
the top of a temple, from around 15 meters. According to this tradition, it is
believed that this will bring good luck to the child and strengthens the
intelligence.
Ritual 8: Wedding Cake on the
Baby’s Forehead
Some couples
save a bit of their wedding cake for an anniversary, but Irish couples
traditionally hold on to theirs for another occasion: the first child’s
christening. The parents serve the top tier of the cake to guests and sprinkle
a few crumbs on the child’s forehead to bless it with good luck. A proper Irish
wedding cake generally has a fair bit of whiskey. But since a few crumbs of
whiskey cake is hardly enough alcohol for an Irish child, couples often save
some champagne from the wedding along with the cake. I know after reading this
all of us would love to have Irish parents. They open it at the baptism and use it to wet
the happy baby’s head.
Ritual 9: Blackening the Bride
To celebrate
the happiest day in a woman’s life, friends and relatives of the bride will
show affection by putting every nasty things you can imagine like curdled milk,
dead fish, spoiled food, tar, sauces, mud, flour, sausages into a bucket and
throwing it over her. She is then tied to a tree and after taken for a night of
drinking. The belief is that if you can handle this you can handle anything,
including marriage. In short blackening the bride is to prepare her for any
humiliation or problems she’ll come across during her marriage. Now this kind
of training should be encouraged worldwide for all would be brides because marriage
is definitely not bed of roses.
Ritual 8: Wedding Cake on the
Baby’s Forehead
Some couples
save a bit of their wedding cake for an anniversary, but Irish couples
traditionally hold on to theirs for another occasion: the first child’s
christening. The parents serve the top tier of the cake to guests and sprinkle
a few crumbs on the child’s forehead to bless it with good luck. A proper Irish
wedding cake generally has a fair bit of whiskey. But since a few crumbs of
whiskey cake is hardly enough alcohol for an Irish child, couples often save
some champagne from the wedding along with the cake. I know after reading this
all of us would love to have Irish parents. They open it at the baptism and use it to wet
the happy baby’s head.
Ritual 9: Blackening the Bride
To celebrate
the happiest day in a woman’s life, friends and relatives of the bride will
show affection by putting every nasty things you can imagine like curdled milk,
dead fish, spoiled food, tar, sauces, mud, flour, sausages into a bucket and
throwing it over her. She is then tied to a tree and after taken for a night of
drinking. The belief is that if you can handle this you can handle anything,
including marriage. In short blackening the bride is to prepare her for any
humiliation or problems she’ll come across during her marriage. Now this kind
of training should be encouraged worldwide for all would be brides because marriage
is definitely not bed of roses.
Ritual 10: Bathroom Ban
Weddings in the Indonesian Tidong
community have traditions that are truly unique. Perhaps the most adorable of
their customs is the one where the groom isn’t allowed to see the bride’s face
until he sings her several love songs. I really pity the brides of the men who
have voices like crows. The curtain separating the couple is raised only after
the musical requirement is met, and then they can see each other on a dais. But
the weirdest of them all is this – the bride and the groom aren’t allowed to
use the bathroom for three days and nights after the wedding. Tidong people believe that not practicing the
three-day and night ritual would bring terrible luck to the couple – a broken
marriage, infidelity, or death of their children at a young age. So the couple
is watched over by several people, and allowed only minimal amounts of food and
drink. After the three days are up, they are bathed and then permitted to
return to normal life.
