Search results
- Oaxaca, Mexico, Has A Massive Radish-Carving Festival During The Holiday Season. The annual Noche de Los Rábanos, or Night of the Radishes, is a tradition that dates back more than 120 years.
- Every Year, The Czechs Have A Witch-Burning Festival To Ward Off The Evils Of Winter. On April 30 every year, people across the Czech Republic come together for Čarodějnice.
- If You’re Not Married On Your 25th Birthday, In Denmark You Might Be Doused In Cinnamon. This unusual tradition is said to have emerged hundreds of years ago when Danish spice merchants spent so much time travelling they didn’t have time to get married!
- Buñol, Spain, Hosts A Massive Food Fight Where Overripe Tomatoes Are Used. You might already know about this unusual tradition, but each August, thousands of people gather in Buñol for the Tomatina Festival.
- There’s An International Hair Freezing Contest In Yukon, Canada. While others despise the winter season and drive it away, people from Yukon, Canada, celebrate this season in a freezing way: dunking their heads into hot springs and waiting for their hair to freeze over, and icicles to form.
- In Gloucestershire, England, People Gather To Roll Cheese Down A Hill. With Spring being the season of rebirth, when nature begins to show itself once more, it’s normal for people to celebrate.
- Castrillo De Murcia In Spain Has A Baby Jumping Festival. Some cultures view a child's birth as a gift not only to the nation but also to the culture overall, a new member to celebrate.
- In Lopburi, Thailand, The Residents Prepare An Annual Feast For The Local Monkeys. Humans are part of nature so it is important to include a bit of the natural aspect into your tradition.
Around the world, people have some really surprising customs. Today, we’ll explore these unusual traditions that might leave you amazed and curious. Discover how different cultures celebrate and practice their unique rituals!
- Famadihana
- Coming of Age in Brazil
- Coal Walking in China
- Finger Amputation
- Eating The Ashes of The deceased
- Camel Wrestling
- Mourning of Muharram
- The Monkey Buffet Festival
- The Thaipusam Festival
- Baby Throwing in India
Famadihana is a funeral tradition followed by a tribe in Madagascar, called the Malagasy. This custom involves dancing with the bodies of the deceased, in a way to celebrate their life. The bodies are brought out from the grave, re-wrapped in fresh cloth, and then carried around while people dance with them. This ritual is performed once every seve...
The Sateré-Mawé are an indigenous tribe in Brazil. When boys in this tribe reach a certain age, they are subjected to a horrible coming of age ritual. This horrendous tradition involves filling up gloves with bullet ants and wearing those gloves. The young boys are forced to wear the gloves for 10 minutes, but do so 20 times, all the while they are...
The birth of a baby is a big deal all around the world but is considered especially important in China. Many rules and traditions surround the arrival of a newborn. People are expected not to gossip around the mother because it would negatively influence the baby, and they keep knives under the bed as a way of protecting the toddler from monsters. ...
Another “fun” tradition, this time it is from Indonesia. Performed by the Dani tribe, this one makes eating ashes does not seem so bad. The amputation is performed when a family member passes away, and it is a way of dealing with grief. The people in this tribe believe it is necessary to suffer physical pain, not just emotional when someone dies. S...
Yes, you read that right. It was a matter of time before this list turned extremely dark. The Yanomami tribe from Venezuela and Brazil does precisely what the title suggests. They are forbidden by tradition to keep any body parts of the deceased, so they burn them, divide the remains amongst family members who then proceed to consume them. This pra...
This tradition is most common in the Aegean region of Turkey but is practiced in other Asian countries as well. It features two camels who fight with each other while people watch. Pretty simple, right? This is almost considered a sport in Turkey; the camels are dressed in ceremonial garb, and whoever does not run is the winner. This event is held ...
This celebration is a set of rituals observed by Shia Muslims. It is supposed to commemorate the death of Hussain, the grandson of Muhammad, who died in the Battle of Karbala. He and his family members and companions were killed and subjected to humiliation. Hence, people gather yearly to mourn his death in a series of customs that feature one espe...
This festival supposedly brings good luck and is organized yearly in Thailand, the city of Lopburi, to be exact. On the last Sunday of November, enormous amounts of food are displayed all over the city and left for monkeys to feast upon. And it is not just any old food; buffets are prepared by chefs to keep the monkeys happy. Many other activities,...
This is a Hindu festival organized at the beginning of every year by the members of the Tamil community. It is dedicated to the god of war Lord Murugan and is celebrated on the nights of the full moon. The way the Tamil show their devotion to Murugan is a little bit drastic if you ask us. They pierce body parts with long silver pins and perform oth...
While this tradition has mostly died out, possibly because it was officially banned, there are still some parts of India that practice it. For example, the Karnataka region, where children are tossed off the Sri Santeswar temple, standing 500 feet tall. It is believed that this is supposed to bring them good luck, and the children should not be old...
- Golden showers. In Brazil, don't be offended if the first thing someone asks when you enter their home is, "Would you like to take a shower?" Brazil is a hot and humid country, so people there shower a lot more than North Americans would consider necessary.
- Thank you for farting. Similarly, the Inuit people of Arctic Canada consider it a high compliment if you fart after your meal, and for the same reason.
- Thank you for burping. You and I were likely chided for burping loudly as children, but in China, Taiwan, and some other East Asian countries, burping is not only tolerated but encouraged.
- Open doors. Shaking hands is perfectly acceptable (indeed, necessary) in Russia. But never do it in a doorway. Always make sure you're all the way inside before you offer a hand.
This document summarizes 7 strange customs and traditions from around the world. These include: throwing baby teeth on roofs in Greece; baby jumping in Spain where men dressed as devils jump over infants; avoiding using red ink in South Korea as it is associated with writing names of the dead; initiation rituals in Brazil where boys place their ...
People also ask
Why are cultural traditions so weird?
How many weird traditions are there around the world?
Why are weird customs important?
This document lists and briefly describes 25 strange customs and traditions from around the world. Some examples include throwing baby teeth on rooftops in Greece, jumping over infants to ward off evil in Spain, avoiding red ink in South Korea based on traditions, and ritual suicide through seppuku in Japan.
