10 Bizarre Practices Around the World You Probably Don’t Know About

Every country has different cultures, traditions, and customs. The traditional practices followed in places can be fascinating and weird. If you are going to study abroad, knowing about these practices will help you understand the culture outside India. Each of these practises have a deep meaning attached to them, and is generally done for the good of the public.This blog covers some of the weirdest practices around the world that you can come across. Our list consists of interesting practises to practises you wish you hadn’t heard about.

Throwing Tomatoes for Fun

The La Tomatina festival needs no introduction for the ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobra’ fans. La Tomatina is a festival organised in Buñol town near Valencia in Spain.

Named ‘World’s Biggest Food Fight’, thousands of people visit Spain for the occasion and throw ripe tomatoes at each other. This festival originated in the 1940s due to a food fight between friends. People view this festival as an unforgettable fun experience. Therefore, it is one most popular festivals in the world.

Cleansing Sins of Babies by Jumping Over Them 

Jumping over babies is a weird practice followed in Spain. Traditionally, men dress as yellow devils and run around the stress jumping over babies.

 The practice exists due to the belief that the men are removing evil spirits from the babies. Once this is done, the Catholic church leaders in the Burgos Region use the holy water to cleanse them. The El Colacho festival has been around since the 1620s. The good news is that there has never been a single accident with the babies.

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You Will Never Be Fired in Japan

Yes. You heard it right. The employers are not allowed to fire anyone in Japan. If an organisation wants to fire an employee, they will pay huge compensation.

 For this reason, the employers came up with a solution. Now if a company wants to fire you, they will simply lock you in a room and ask you to do awful tasks. The idea is to trouble the employees so much that they will quit. On the bright side, the employees have job security. They know that once they get a job they will not be fired. Moreover, the practice is uncommon.

Hanging Out in a Graveyard

Are you looking for a good place to hang out in Denmark? Why go anywhere else apart from the graveyard? 

The graveyards are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Denmark. While several countries associate ghosts and vampires with graveyards, the Danish do not. They have transformed the graveyards into beautiful bird sanctuaries. Therefore, people view these graveyards as more parks and enjoy hanging out there,

Breaking Dishes Before a Wedding 

If you are invited for a wedding in Polterabend, know that your job is to break things! In Polterabend, an informal gathering is held for family and friends. 

At this gathering, relatives of the bride and groom break things like a dining set and vases. Once everything is broken, except the glass, the groom and bride are asked to clean up the mess. The idea behind this is that marriage is messy, and it’s their job to pick up the broken pieces and make it work.

Making Soup Out of Your Dead Relatives

The Yanomami tribe in Brazil and Venezuela make soup out of their dead relatives. Quite literally!

The belief is that the loved ones can get peace after the ritual is complete. Therefore, a banana soup is made out of their bones and ashes, and they consume it.  The tribe has been traditionally practising Endocannibalism. They also paint their faces with grime, and dirt on the skin from the burnt body. However, this practise is very normal for them, and they do this to express their grief. 

Spitting for Blessing 

Spitting on a Bride is considered as a blessing in Greece. It is believed that by spitting on a bride you are casting out evil spirits.

Thankfully, with time the process has become figurative only. Guests now only make spitting sounds and don’t spit on the bride. However, this practice is still followed by the Maasai tribes of Kenya. The maasai tribes will only spit on the palm of the person they respect deeply. Hence, it is a blessing in disguise. 

Brushing Your Teeth at Work 

In Brazil, you are allowed to brush your teeth at work! People carry toothbrushes in their bags to brush after having lunch.

 The practice is so common that even restaurants have introduced mouthwashes for their customers!  For Brazilians, oral hygiene is of utmost importance. That is why, they are obsessed with brushing. So, next time when you visit Brazil, don’t view it as a weird practise. Instead, be glad that everyone in this country have excellent oral hygiene.

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The Missing Red Inks

You will never find a South Korean student using red ink in their notebooks. 

Similarly, you will never find the teachers using the red inks to mark the answer sheets. Wondering where did the red ink go? Well, the red inks are only used to write the names of dead people. The belief is that if you write a person’s name with red ink they may die. 

Celebrating Christmas with Krampus 

The Czech Republic has the weirdest Christmas tradition. Along with Santa Claus, you will find the hideous beast Krampus. The beast will go and scare children on the streets. 

However, only the naughty children are troubled. Krampus is a mythical figure ‘half-goat, half-demon’ who carries a basket to capture children to drown, eat, or transport them to hell. The person who dresses up as Krampus does not harm children. Children are just told about Krampus so that they behave well.

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Now you have read it! The most bizarre practices around the world. If you find any interesting practice, you can share it with your friends. Just one word of advice. Don’t practise them. Unless it’s the La Tomatina festival. To read more such interesting blogs, you can follow the Infotainment page and to read more about studying abroad follow Leverage Edu.

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