Nepal’s Worshiped Child Goddesses Whose Feet Cannot Touch the Ground until Puberty
Nepal is a land of mysticism, where a select few pre-pubescent girls from the Newar clan are worshiped as ‘Kumari Devi’ or ‘Virgin Goddess’. According to tradition, Durga (the Hindu goddess of destruction) herself is incarnate in young girls belonging to the silver and goldsmith community. Until they attain puberty, Kumaris are worshipped as deities […]
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 […]
Taiwan’s Notoriously Dangerous Beehive Rocket Festival
When I light a firecracker, I make sure to run at least 10 yards away before it pops. That’s how terrified I am of the noise and sparks. So when I watched a video of Taiwan’s Beehive Rockets festival, I was quite shocked. These crazy people deliberately run into bursting firecrackers. They dance in clusters […]
Goanna Pulling – Playing Tug of War with Your Neck
If you’re as ignorant as I am, you’re probably scratching your head and asking yourself “what the heck is a goanna?” It’s a lizard species, but don’t worry, no animals are hurt in the unusual sport known as goanna pulling. Goanna Pulling is basically tug of war with a bizarre twist – instead of their […]
You Think Tractors Can’t Dance? Check Out Tractor Square Dancing
It’s strange, but true – tractor square dancing is a real thing. It involves daisy chains and do-si-dos too. But instead of people dancing on their feet, four seated couples maneuver vintage tractors to complete the moves. Laurie Mason-Schmidt, the caller for Farmall Promenade (the most popular tractor square dancing group), said: “We are all […]
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 […]
Chinese Undergo Plastic Surgery to Change Their Destiny
In the Western world, most people undergo cosmetic procedures like rhinoplasty, eye lifts and chin implants in their quest for a youthful and attractive appearance, but in China they are considered sure ways of improving one’s fortune and changing fate. According to Mian Xiang, the ancient Chinese Art of Face Reading, a person’s facial features compared to […]
The Amazing Stone Jumpers of Nias Island
Hombo Batu or Stone Jumping is an ancient ritual of Nias Island, North Sumatra, with young men leaping over stone walls over two-meters tall. The tradition was born out of inter-tribal conflicts and was once potentially deadly as the walls were covered with spikes and sharpened bamboo sticks. Centuries ago, Nias Island was divided into several […]
Japan’s Hand Canon Fireworks Look Insanely Dangerous
Out of all the impressive fireworks celebrations held annually all around Japan, Tezutsu Hanabi is by far the most eye-catching. Experienced masters hold large bamboo tubes filled with black powder in their arms as flames gush out towards the sky. Did I mention they explode at the end? Tezutsu hand cannons are believed to have originated […]
The Ancient Art of Tibetan Butter Sculpting Is Melting Away
For the last 400 years, Tibetan monks have been using butter from yak milk to create large and intricate sculptures inspired by stories of Buddha, animals or plants and putting them on display during the annual Butter Lantern Festival. Unfortunately, the long and difficult process of making these exquisite works of art has led to a […]
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 […]
Eyeball Scraping – The Vanishing Trade Practiced by Sichuan Barbers
Barbers in China’s Sichuan Province have practiced the art of eye-cleaning with a sharp blade for centuries. Like many other ancient traditions, this dangerous trade is slowly vanishing, but you can still find a few barbers willing to scrape your eyeballs with a knife for as little as RMB5 ($0.80). According to an old Sichuan […]
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 […]