1. Finger Cutting

The death of a family member in the Dani tribe of Indonesia heralds a vast amount of emotional – and physical – pain for women. Aside from the inevitable emotional grief, women of the Dani tribe physically express that by cutting off (by compulsion) a segment of one of their fingers when a relative passes away. The bizarre cultural practice is performed as a means to satisfy ancestral ghosts, and is rarely, but still sporadically, practiced in the tribe. Before being amputated, the fingers are tied with a string for thirty minutes to numb them. Once amputated, the new fingertips are burned to create new scar tissue.



http://all-that-is-interesting.com/7-bizarre-cultural-practices

Cc Ishilove lalasticlala

2. SELF FLAGGATION

Shi’ite Muslims are well known for their martyrdom, and ashura is no exception. Ashura is an Islamic event recognized by Muslims around the world, though for Shiites it’s done in commemoration of the death Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussein at the 7th century battle of Karbala. Hussein, along with his comrades, was repeatedly hit on the head with daggers, and blood was spilled onto Muslim streets. The ritual is performed as a means of absolving sin, and people spill their own blood and those of their relatives to mourn the fact that they were not being present to save Hussein.

http://all-that-is-interesting.com/7-bizarre-cultural-practices/2/#0IkvC7Bywg2B7Z63.99

3. ESKIMO FUNERARYLR RITUAL

A rather well-known fact about Eskimos is their ritual (albeit incredibly rare and seldom practiced—if at all—anymore) of setting the elderly adrift on a floating iceberg when facing death or old age. Eskimos believe in the afterlife for the dead, and this practice is a way of ensuring the elderly are not a burden on the family – sending them off in a dignified and graceful manner.

4. ENDOCANNIBALISM

The Yanomamö tribe lives in villages within the Amazon rainforest – between Venezuela and Brazil. They are known for their tradition of endocannibalism once a relative dies. The bizarre cultural ritual involves wrapping the corpse in leaves and allowing insects to pick at it. 30 to 45 days later, the bones are collected, pulverized, and mixed into a banana soup to be consumed by all. After a year, the villagers consume the ashes, which are mixed with plantain soup. According to tradition, the ritual helps ensure that the souls find their way to paradise.

5. AINU BEAR WORSHIP

The Ainu people are an indigenous tribe from parts of Japan and Russia with a penchant for sacrificing bears. The sacrifice is committed in the name of devotion—the religion worships nature, believes bears are gods walking among humans, and the sacrifice of the bear is said to bless the soul of mankind—but to outsiders the practice is particularly gruesome. It involves slaughtering a hibernating mother bear in her cave, raising her cubs in captivity for two years, then choking or spearing them as a sign of religious devotion.

This is followed by villagers drinking the bears’ blood, eating the flesh and placing the skull atop a spear wrapped with the bear skin, and worshiping it. Though the practice is no longer widespread, it does still occur in some areas.

6. CARRYING ONE'S WIFE OVER BURNING COAL

While not wholly specific to China, an interesting Chinese custom says that a husband may carry his bride over a pan of burning coals before crossing the threshold of their home as husband and wife. According to tradition, the ritual ensures that the wife will have an easy and successful labor. Firewalking is also done by the Chinese as a means to prevent natural disaster.

7. LIVING WITH THE DEAD

Certain ethnic groups in the Toraja district of Indonesia practice a ritual of living with the corpses of their loved ones for months before burying them. The corpse is draped in special garbs and kept safe in a separate room in the house until the body can be properly buried. This ritual, though, has less to do with tradition and more so with funds; burials and funerals are expensive and can take years to save up for.

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Jeeeeeeez!

culture is relative