Throughout the world, there are some cultural traditions that continue to amaze outsiders. Although most customs change over time, there are others deeply embedded in the past, and at times with controversial or disturbing undertones. The following are ten shocking traditions still practiced today.
1. Baby Tossing – India
In Karnataka and Maharashtra states, there is an ancient ritual in which babies are tossed from 30-foot temple balconies onto a cloth held by men on the ground. The bizarre ritual is believed to give the child good health, fortune, and prosperity. Despite safety considerations, the practice continues in some rural communities.
2. Widow Cleansing – Sub-Saharan Africa
In others, like Kenya and Malawi, widows are forced to have sexual intercourse—with a so-called "cleansing man"—in an attempt to cleanse themselves after the death of their husband. This risky practice exposes women to abuse and infection but continues where there is no protection in law.
3. El Colacho (Baby Jumping) – Spain
Since the 1600s, Castrillo de Murcia has a Spanish town that observes a annual baby-jumping carnival. They have men dressed as devils jumping over lines of infants laid out on mattresses. It's meant to eliminate original sin in babies. It is a risky practice, yet it is a desired one with folks coming each year.
4. Female Genital Mutilation – Various Countries
FGM is practiced today in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, although it has been universally rejected. FGM is a partial or total cutting away of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. The despicable practice causes permanent physical and psychological damage but continues due to deeply ingrained cultural beliefs.
5. Neck Stretching – Thailand & Myanmar
In the Kayan tribe, women wear brass neck rings since childhood, adding more to slowly elongate the neck. The ceremony, symbolizing beauty and heritage, deforms the collarbone and softening of the muscles in the neck but is still a tribal identity symbol.
6. Force-Feeding Girls – Mauritania
In Mauritania, in certain regions, five-year-old girls are force-fed as much as 16,000 calories per day to become fat quickly. Fatness is linked with wealth and beauty in marriage. Illegal, yes, but it still continues due to social pressures and old-fashioned ideas of beauty.
7. Tooth Filing – Indonesia (Bali)
Balinese adolescents undergo a tooth-filing ceremony to eliminate unwanted habits like greed and lust. It is not physically harmful but emotionally painful for the majority, and initiates seldom get a choice. The ritual continues as a part of the culture of growing up in Bali.
8. Bullet Ant Glove – Brazil (Satere-Mawe Tribe)
To become a warrior, Satere-Mawe boys wear gloves composed of bullet ants—the ant with the most agonizing sting on our planet. They must endure the painful agony for a number of minutes, repeated several times. This initiation rite is an endurance and bravery test.
9. Bride Kidnapping – Kyrgyzstan
Although illegal, bride kidnapping where a woman is abducted and married by force still occurs in rural Kyrgyzstan. The woman is typically pressured by shame or family duty. It's an abhorrent violation of universal human rights.
10. Sati (Widow Burning) – India/Nepal (Rare Cases)
Although prohibited, occasional reports of Sati—widows immolating themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband—can still be seen even in recent times. Glorified once as piety, it's now condemned as murder or coercion. But there remain some far-off places that mythologize or idealize the act.
Conclusion
While cultural practices are an important part of identity, some of them resist ethical, legal, and human rights standards. These ten disturbing practices remind us of the slenderness of the line between preserving culture and preserving human dignity.
You must be logged in to post a comment.