The Artistic Water Tanks of Punjab
The state of Punjab, in northern India, is well known for its rich, vibrant culture, including great food, music, and dance. But what most people don’t know is that the Indian state is also home to some of the most extravagant water tanks in the world. The concrete structures that the people of Punjab use to […]
Taiwan’s Betel Nut Beauties – Scantily-Clad Girls Peddling Nuts on the Side of the Road
If you ever happen to visit Taiwan, you might be greeted to the sight of scantily-clad women in neon-lit glass kiosks by roadsides, waiting for men to pull over. Well, they’re not what you think! These women are ‘Betel nut girls’ who peddle small snacks of tasty, stimulative betel nuts wrapped in betel leaves. They […]
In Some Parts of the World Ant Heads Were Once Used as Stitches
Remember the gut wrenching scene from Apocalypto, where Jaguar Paw’s wife uses ants’ pincers as sutures on her young son? Turns out it was inspired by a real medical treatment used in part of Asia, Africa and South America. According to survival expert Cody Lundin, who starred on the Discovery reality show Dual Survival, army ants – soldiers that […]
Men Shower Themselves with Molten Iron During Fiery Chinese Celebration
Every year, during the Lantern Festival, the Chinese village of Nuanquan hosts one of the most spectacular pyrotechnics show in the world. Called Da Shuhua (Chinese for “tree flower) the tradition involves experienced blacksmiths showering themselves with molten iron. Da Shuhua is believed to have originated over 300 years ago, when local blacksmiths came up […]
Shocking Mexican Drinking Game Has People Electrocuting Themselves for Fun
‘Toques’, an increasingly popular Mexican drinking game, is both literally and figuratively shocking! Played among friends who want to affirm their macho status, the bizarre game involves participants electrocuting themselves while drinking to see how much they can handle. “The drunker people get, the more voltage they can generally handle,” said Javier Rodriguez, who conducts the […]
Indian Village Plants 111 Trees Every Time a Girl Child is Born
While a vast majority of Indians continue to prefer sons, a small village in the Indian state of Rajasthan has its own unique tradition of celebrating their daughters. Since 2006, the residents of Piplantri village, in southern Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district, have been planting a whopping 111 trees to celebrate the birth of a girl! Given […]
Buying Love at Bulgaria’s Roma Bridal Market
The Romani people, who constitute one of Bulgaria’s largest ethnic minorities, have a unique marriage tradition – a ‘bride market’. Held four times a year on various religious holidays, the market is a chance for poor families in the community to arrange financially beneficial marriages for their children. The families that gather in the city […]
Indian Priests Smash Coconuts on Devotees’ Heads in Bizarre Good Luck Ritual
Every year, thousands of devotees travel to a remote village in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu to put themselves through a gruesome ritual that they hope will bring them good health and success. Believe it or not, men, women and even children willingly permit priests to smash hard coconuts on their skulls! Breaking […]
The Eerie Smoked Corpses of Papua New Guinea
For centuries, the Anga tribe of Papua New Guinea’s Morobe Highlands have practiced a unique mummification technique – smoke curing. Once smoked, the mummies aren’t buried in tombs or graves; instead, they are placed on steep cliffs, so that they overlook the village below. The very sight of a string of charred, red bodies hanging […]
Fishing with Otters in Bangladesh – A Dying Tradition
Otter Fishing has been a long-standing tradition in Bangladesh. For centuries, fishermen have been using trained otters to lure fish into their nets – a unique technique passed on from father to son that has long died out in other parts of Asia. Bangladeshi fishermen have managed to keep it alive so far, but the […]
Caga Tio – Catalonia’s Wacky Present-Pooping Christmas Log
Caga Tio is a Christmas tradition in the Catalonian region of Spain. Caga is pronounced caca, and it means ‘poop’. Tio means ‘tree trunk’ or ‘uncle’. So it is basically a tradition of the pooping tree trunk. What does the trunk poop? Why gifts, of course! The Caga Tio is a small log of wood […]
Bambu Gila – The Crazy Bamboo Dance of Maluku
Bambu Gila is a mystical ritual performed in Indonesia’s Maluku Islands, where a group of strong men struggle to control a piece of bamboo from moving around like crazy as if it were possessed by an unseen power. The origins of Bambu Gila, or Crazy Bamboo, are unknown, but it is believed the ancient ritual […]
The Game of Gostra – Running Up a Greasy Wooden Pole in Malta
Every year, on the afternoon of the last Sunday in August, brave young men from all over Malta compete in the traditional game of “gostra”, trying to run all the way to the top of a long greasy pole and snatch one of the three prizes. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the game of […]
The Huli Warriors of Papua New Guinea and Their Elaborate Wigs
The Huli Wigmen are a tribe that inhabit several villages in Papua New Guinea. They are known both as some of the most fierce warriors in the region and as masterful “hairstylists”who craft flamboyant wigs out of their own hair. Not much is known about the origins of the Huli men’s tradition of crafting wigs […]
Hari Kuyo – Japan’s Unique Memorial Service for Broken Needles
Hari Kuyo is a Japanese festival dedicated to old and broken needles. Celebrated every year on the 8th of February, this festival sees hundreds of women dressed in colorful kimonos, gathering at various Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples in and around Tokyo. This 400-year-old ritual involves sticking old and broken needles into soft chunks of […]