Let’s have a look at some of the weirdest customs around world.
Bouncing babies – India
In Sholapur, India, an unbelievable non-religious ceremony takes place every year. Babies are dropped from a 15 m tower without any safety string tied to their bodies. They free fall straight into the hands of the people who wait below with a bed sheet. The people of Sholapur are clueless about the purpose behind this fearful act. Some say, it’s for good health while others say it is for good luck for the future of the child.
Spit to ward off the evil – Greece
In Greek tradition, it is customary for the Greeks to spit three times on the face of a person who give a compliment. The custom of spitting is an attempt to ward off the evil of the eye and bad luck.
Respect to the elders – Bhutan
In Bhutan, when a senior person enters a room, everyone in the room is expected to stand up and sit only when the person is seated. When it is time to leave, until and unless the guest of honor or the elderly person stands, no one should stand or leave.
Foot binding – China
Foot binding was a strange and painful century old custom followed in China. The feet of girls as young as three years were fractured and then tied up tightly with linen strips to restrict and alter their growth. It was a fashionable practice among the wealthy women and it took many years to die out. It is considered barbaric now, but the sufferers as old as 70 years are still seen across China.
Wedding custom – Sweden
The mother of the bride presents her daughter a gold coin and places it in her right shoe while the father gives her a silver coin and places it in the left shoe, to ensure that their daughter will never be poor. The groom presents the bride with three gold rings – the engagement ring, the wedding ring and the motherhood ring.
New Year custom – Spain
When the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one at every toll. This is done to bring good charm for the 12 months ahead.
Blackening the bride – Scotland
Blackening the bride is a weird Scottish wedding custom where the bride is drenched with a foul smelling mixture of eggs, sauces, flour and feathers. The unfortunate bride is then paraded around the town. Her friends and family make much noise by beating the sticks and banging drums. The custom still exists in the Scottish islands where the inhabitants follow this tradition.
Baby shower – Iran
In some parts of rural Iran, the family members visit on the 10th day after the birth of the child and have lunch with the mother. After the lunch is over, they put the child in the cradle with some money and then crack some sweets above the cradle making a clattering noise. The principle behind the noise is to accustom the baby with the high pitch quarrellings of his/her parents.
Christmas decoration – Ukraine
In Ukraine, it is customary to decorate the Christmas tree with artificial spiders and webs. Seeing a spider or a web on Christmas morning is considered as a good charm.
Hanging coffins – China
In southwest China’s Sichuan province, the ancient ethnic minority group, the Bo people hung coffins of their dead on the sides of the cliffs, a practice that has been in place for nearly 3000 years.
A similar culture was practiced in Indonesia and Philippines.
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