These are Real! 8 Most Bizarre Religious Traditions Practiced Around The World
Every religion in the world has a peculiar practice associated with its belief
Looking
at world religions which are estimated to be about 4,200 starting from
Christianity to Islam, Judaism and others, there are several practices
associated with these religions, some we are aware of and other we are
totally ignorant about.
According to Oddee.com among all the
practised religious traditions in the world, these 8 could be regarded
as the most bizarre of them.
1. Throwing Babies from a Tower for Good Luck (India)
For
500 years, worshippers at a Muslim shrine in western India have
continued the tradition of throwing babies from a 50-foot tower for good
luck.
The children are taken to the top of the building, thrown
down onto a bed-sheet held taut by men 50 feet below, and quickly passed
through the crowd to their mothers. The parents proudly throw down
their children due to a strong belief that the practice of this ritual
blesses their offspring with good health, luck, courage, and life-long
strength.
The annual celebration in observed by Muslims and Hindus
in the Indian state of Maharashtra, and it also takes place in smaller
villages throughout the country.
Well, if your baby gets thrown off a 50-foot tower and survives, one would assume he’s indeed quite lucky.
2. Piercing by Sharp Hooks (India)
“Garudan
Thookkam” is a ritual art form performed in Kali temples in southern
India. The people who dress up as Garuda (a Hindu divinity) perform a
dance, and after the performance the backs of devoted Hindus are pierced
by sharp hooks. The men are then lifted off the ground onto a scaffold
using ropes, sometimes with babies in their hands, and taken around the
temple as a mark of offering to the Goddess.
3. Dissecting The Deceased’s Body and Scattering the Pieces on a Mountaintop (China)
Sky
burial is a funerarypracticein Tibet wherein a human corpse is incised
in certain locations and placed on a mountaintop, exposing it to the
elements and animals, especially predatory birds.Most Tibetans follow
Buddhist traditions, which dictate that the human body is merely a
vessel and can be discarded. Thepracticewas eventually forbidden, but it
can still be performed with the family’s permission.
4. Being Possessed and Convulsing (Haiti)
Voodoo
worshipers believe that it is important to honor and care for all of
the spirits, as it is believed that they become weak over time and
depend onhumansfor nourishment. Rituals and sacrifices are used to
rejuvenate them; in other words, the life force of a sacrificed animal
will transfer to the spirit.These rituals are done to gratify the gods,
called “Loa.” An animal, such as a sanctified chicken, is sacrificed in
order to satisfy Loa, which are sustained by the life energy that is
released during the sacrifice.During the ceremony, worshippers can be
mounted, or possessed, by a Loa. The Loa will take complete control of
the individual and will offer advice, give cures, and deliver prophesies
to the assembly. This can be quite a violent occurrence, since the
participant can flail about or convulse before falling to the ground.
5. Baptizing a Person on Behalf of One Who is Dead
Baptism
for the dead is a Mormonpracticeof baptizing a person on behalf of one
who is dead. In other words, a living person receives the ordinance on
behalf of a deceased person.Mormons believe that their minster has
missionaries in the “spirit world” who are busy spreading the Mormon
gospel to dead people who have not received it yet. Should any of these
dead people want to convert to Mormonism, they are required to abide by
all of its rules, one of which is baptism.
6. Wearing No Clothes and Using a Peacock Feather Duster (India)
Outward
appearance is seen by the Digambaras as an index of properly
understanding the doctrine, so a “true” monk must be completely naked.
He must abandon all possessions and no longer subject himself to the
social considerations of pride and shame. He drinks water from a gourd
and begs for his food. Hecan eatonly once a day, as well.In accordance
with theirpracticeof nonviolence, the monks also use a peacock feather
duster to clear their path of insects to avoid trampling them.Because
women are not allowed to be naked ascetics, Digambaras believe that they
cannot reach the level of detachment needed to become liberated.
Therefore, a woman must be reborn in a male body to reach liberation.
7. Rolling Over Leftovers of Food Partaken by Brahmins (India)
Thepractice,
said to be400 yearsold, involves people rolling overplantainleaves
containing leftovers of meals consumed by Brahmins in the belief that
all troubles andailmentswill be cured.The Karnataka government informed
the High Court that it has decided to modify the controversialpracticeat
the Kukke Subramanya temple. From now on, food not tasted or eaten by
anybody will be placed onplantainleaves in the outer yard ofthe
sanctuary.
8. Practicing Group Sex and Masturbation
A
secret group in the Seattle areapracticesPagan rituals to appease the
spirits of fertility and fruitfulness through sex rites that were
practiced in the ancient Middle East over 1,500 years ago.The spirits
cannot enjoy orgasmic sensation within their own non-corporeal bodies,
but they can feel the ecstasy of human pleasure through these rites. The
practitioners have heterosexual and homosexual sexat the same timeand
in the same room, with the goal of achieving climax all together so that
society retains the spirit relationship and is blessed. The spirits can
also be appeased through masturbation with no intercourse.
No comments:
Post a Comment