221 Curious Customs Practices and Traditions Around the World

The Tooth Throwing is a custom practised by little children in Japan, Greece and other parts of the world. Do you know: As a part of the tradition, the Japanese throw the lower tooth of a child on a roof, while they throw the upper tooth in the area below the floor. The Tooth Throwing […]

The Money Dance is a wedding tradition that takes place across various cultures around the world. Do you know: This widespread tradition may have actually originated in Poland in the early 1900s. The Money Dance has many names and many variations. But essentially, its essence is the same everywhere. After the newlyweds have had their

Kyz Ala Kachuu, which literally means to ‘take a young woman and run away’ is the practice of bride kidnapping that takes place in Kyrgyzstan. Do you know: Despite being banned, almost every third woman in Kyrgyzstan is taking against her will. The custom can range from consensual elopement to non-consensual kidnapping. A controversial custom,

Blackening is a wedding ritual that takes place in rural parts of Scotland. Do you know: While this ritual has humble origins, it has transformed into ‘capturing’ the bride/groom and covering them with everything possible. This custom is performed on either or both the bride and groom before their wedding. The couple is captured by

Beating the Groom’s Feet is a Korean wedding tradition that mostly takes place in South Korea. Do you know: The groom’s friends might use a Yellow Corvine fish or a cane to beat the soles of the groom’s feet. More entertaining than cruel, this custom tests the groom’s knowledge and strength and is meant to

The Crying Ritual is a pre-wedding ritual that takes place amongst the Tujia people in the Sichuan Province, China. Do you know: This wedding ritual is said to have originated as early as the Warring States Period, which lasted between 475 BC and 221 BC. This ritual, while practised differently in different parts, mostly requires

Thimithi or the Fire-walking Festival takes place in various partsof South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Do you know:Thimithi is a part of a two-and-a-half-month-long ceremony where the community re-enacts the parts of the Mahabharata. Thimithi is the devotion shown by the members of the community towards goddess Draupadi. Devotees follow a priest

The Up HellyAa Fire Festival is held in Shetland, Scotland. Do you know: The festival was a transformation of an old Yule tradition known as Tar barrelling, which was eventually banned. While the original tradition involved mischief-makers barrelling burning tar through the town on sledges, in 1881, a formal tradition originated from this tradition. People

The Scarlet Sails is a festival that began after World War-II at St. Petersburg, Russia. Do you know: This tradition started as a symbolic representation of the 1922 popular children’s book of the same name by Alexander Grin. After World War-II, Leningrad students united to celebrate the end of another school year. During that year,

The Tower of Silence is an actual tower built as a part of the funerary practices of the Zoroastrian community, predominantly in Mumbai, India. Do you know: As a part of this ritual, vultures must feast upon the dead. The Parsi community does not believe in burying or cremating its dead members. A deceased member

The Mass Scavenging ritual is a funerary ritual that is practised by the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Do you know: The members of this indigenous group let loose wild animals on their dead people. According to this custom, the bodies of all the dead members of the group are

The Hanging Coffins are a Chinese funerary custom that is most commonly attributed to the Bo people of Mantangba, China. Do you know: This traditional practice could be dated back to more than 3,000 years ago in China. The Hanging Coffins were the most widespread form of burial in Southwest China. It was believed that

Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, is considered the Atonement Day by the Sunni Muslims the world over, whereas the Shia Muslims deem it to be a day of great sorrow. Do you know: While suffering and flailing rituals were banned in many places including Lebanon, these practices still continue in India and Bangladesh. The

The Baby Throwing ritual takes place amongst the Hindu and Muslim Indians in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka in India. Do you know: The ritual requires a baby to be tossed through 30 feet of air. The Baby Throwing ritual is carried out at a religious shrine, where a man scales a wall 30

The Finger Cutting ritual of the Dani tribe is practised as a form of mourning in Papua, Indonesia. Do you know: While the ritual was to be carried out by any member of the family of the deceased, it was mostly women that were subject to this ritual. The people of the Dani tribe believed