Rituals are performed in the surrounding environment that we consider sacred in a particular faith, thought, and religious state. Rituals passed down from generation to generation that began at a particular time and have been declared sacred over time.
In this article, some of the world's most painful and violent rituals are performed as religious rituals in the form of gatherings. Especially in those where there are many people, its intensity also increases. These rituals are related to the superstitions and beliefs of the ancient wild tribes, the effects of which are still prevalent in modern and backward societies.
Here are the Top 9 taboo rituals around the world still performed today
9. Cannibalism and Necrophagy
Rituals of the savage periods of life still survive.
Imitation of "Aghori Baba" from Varanasi, India, which is famous for eating male meat. They believe that the greatest fear for man is the fear of his death. This fear is the only obstacle to attaining spiritual enlightenment. So we can only gain access to the spiritual light of thought by facing it and confronting it.
In some sects of Hindu Dharma, holy men, pregnant women, children, and virgins are not cremated or any person who has died of leprosy or snake bite.
These people live in groups. The corpses that flow into the river Ganges are pulled out of the water, and the corpses are eaten together in a group.
8. The Sun Dance
Native Americans perform many rituals to pay homage to the "spirit of the earth." The purpose of performing these rituals is to worship an individual's great soul and offer sacrifices to maintain direct contact with the tree of life.
Before the dance, all the participants put a nail on the skin of the chest. The nail is tied to the pool with a rope. This rope represents the tree of life.
Then all the participants moved back and forth in a dance style and tried to break the nail stuck in their skin. This dance continues for a few hours before the end, in which the process is repeated.
7. Vine Jumping
A strange ritual called Gol (Bislama Nanggol), or land diving, is performed in a village called "Bunlap" in the Pacific Islands. In this ritual, jumping is done like a bungee jump. The villagers sing and dance. Some people encourage the jumpers to play drums in front of them. The jumpers tie ropes around their heels and climb a very high wooden tower (which is specially made for this ritual).
The participants' bones are broken in when the head first hits the ground. They only fall when the rope breaks from the tower. They believe that the higher the leap, the more God will be merciful to them.
6. The ritual of making young men, Scarification
A bloody ritual is performed in the Kaningara tribe of Papua New Guinea to strengthen the spiritual connection with nature.
These ceremonies are held inside a unique "spiritual house," which they call the "Haus Tambaran." The teenage boys live alone in the house for two months. After a period of solitary confinement, the tribesmen hold a ceremony in which the teenage boys are transformed into young men.
An expert piercer cuts its body with a sharp-pointed piece of bamboo and creates a distinctive design that resembles a crocodile's skin. The design is linked to the belief that crocodiles created humans. The marks on the skin indicate that the crocodile's soul has eaten the young boy's body, and out of this body, a young man is taken out.
5. Sky Burials
In Tibet, Buddhists perform a strange, sacred ritual called the heavenly burial, or "Gya Gtor." These Buddhists believe in the resurrection of the dead, which means there is no need to protect the body after death because the soul is transferred from one body to another.
The corpse is taken to a field at a relatively high altitude, where it is allowed to become food for vultures and eagles. An expert divides the corpse into smaller pieces so that the corpse can be removed quickly.
4. Fire Walking
In the Penang region of Malaysia, the nine emperor gods festival is held. In which the ritual of walking barefoot on embers is performed. They believe that walking on fire cleanses a person from evil influences, sin, and impurity, and walking on fire is a sign of one's greatness and liberation from Satan.
Hundreds of devotees walk on burning coals to please their gods.
3. Dancing With the Dead
A traditional festival in Madagascar is called "Famadihana," which means "return of the bones." Participants in this festival believe that the sooner the body decomposes, the sooner the soul reaches the hereafter. For this, they dig out the bodies of their loved ones. Dance with music is arranged around the corpses and graves, after which they are re-buried.
This strange ritual is repeated every two to seven years.
2. Impaling
Vegetarians celebrate the festival in Phuket, Thailand. It is a very extreme event in which participants pierce their cheeks with sticks, knives, swords, axes, and sometimes even their guns. They believe that during this ritual, God dissolves in their bodies to protect them from the devil and bring prosperity and good fortune to the tribe.
1. Death Rites
The Yanomami tribes in the Amazon jungle are considered one of the oldest tribes in the world. Death is not a natural phenomenon for them. First, they burn the corpse and mix the ashes of the corpse with banana yeast. This mixture is distributed among the people of the tribe. Eating it means that the deceased's soul will be present among the tribes forever and will start living among them!
