10 Weird Old Traditions That Still Practice

The world is full of traditions shared by different cultures: celebration of Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day, Mother’s Day… However, there are some cultures that maintain traditions and customs that can be “strange” in the eyes of most people. .

For this reason, the awesome.club brings a list of some of the strangest traditions you will find around the world. Do you dare to discover them?

What would you think if you were walking and, for no apparent reason, one of your friends spit on you? his face🇧🇷 Would you mind? What if he told you that this is his way of greeting? Welcome to Masai culture!

The Masai tribe is located between Kenya and Tanzania in Africa. For this group, saliva is a symbol of blessing and wisdom, but it is also a greeting sign🇧🇷

This custom can be strange, even disrespectful, to any of us. But for this group of warriors, its meaning will depend on the recipient of the spit. Friends can spit in each other’s faces, but to greet an elder of the tribe, a warrior must spit into his hand before extending it, as symbol of respect🇧🇷

In much of the United States and Canada, annually on February 2nd, a multitude of farmers gather to wait for a marmot come out of your hole. What is the reason for this? Know the forecast about the length of winter. This date is known as Groundhog Day and is officially celebrated in several states.

Belief dictates that if the animal comes out of its den and its shadow cannot be seen, winter will end immediately🇧🇷 If the groundhog can see its shadow because it’s a sunny day, it means that, unfortunately for farmers, winter will last another six weeks.

It’s even customary name to marmots that more accurately predict the length of winter, especially Wiarton Willie, in Canada, and Phil, in the United States.

On the first Saturday of July, Finland celebrates a very special championship: the loading of wives, or Eukonkanto. This tournament takes place every year in the municipality of Sonkajärvi, and the objective is for each participating couple to pass through a series of obstacles. The particularity is that the man must carry his partner throughout the competition.

You obstacles are varied: in a circuit of 253 meters, each pair must pass between stones, cross the sand, jump over piled logs and overcome an area of ​​water 120 meters deep. But despite these complex stages, the prizes are succulent: trophies, championship souvenirs, watches and even the equivalent of a woman’s weight in beer.

This competition has its origins in the legend of Rosvo Ronkainen, which tells about a group of thieves who robbed houses in Finland. This group was very select and if any potential thief wanted to belong to the gang, they had to go through many obstacles, similar to the current competition. Furthermore, it is said that they used to kidnap women and that they should carry them on their shoulders because they resisted going with them “for good”. It is because of this that the championship nowadays has as its main requirement carry a woman on the back (of course, with her consent!).

La Tomatina is a spanish celebration which takes place on the last Wednesday of August in the city of Buñol, in Valencia. The party aims, in the midst of a crowd, to throw tomatoes at each other without control or reason.

In 2002, the General Secretariat of Tourism declared that this was a International Public Interest Festival🇧🇷 La Tomatina’s success is such that the event currently has a website where you can find all the details.

THE origin of La Tomatina goes back to the last Wednesday of August 1945, when a group of young people waited in the town square for the parade of giants and big heads. During the wait, they started to move and dance, but one of them fell. Annoyed, he started hitting and throwing anything in his path, including vegetables. The crowd responded to the young man and they all started a “vegetable battle”, which was interrupted by police officers. The next day, the boys repeated the practice, but only with tomatoes they had brought from home. Year after year, they continued to perform the ritual until the police stopped them. This was until 1957, when La Tomatina was considered an official regional festival.

The jackdaw (also known as the magpie) is considered a bird of ill omen in many parts of the UK. And, according to belief, this bird is directly related to witchcraft. That’s why people there tend to be very careful when encountering these animals, especially if the pets are alone.

The custom is that if one sees a solitary magpie perched on a tree branch or flying, he has to greet herreciting the following words: Good morning, Mr. Magpie. How is your lady wife today? (freely translated into Portuguese, it means: Good morning Mr. Jackdaw, how is your wife today?🇧🇷

In some cases, whoever comes across a jackdaw, in addition to greeting them, makes the sign of the cross.

Velikonoce (meaning “Easter” in Czech) is one of the feasts of Holy Week in the Czech Republic. Among the practices that take place during this festival, every April 21, young people gently beat women with a stick and throw water to promote the fertility🇧🇷

On Easter Monday (known as red monday), the boys, in a group, visit their friends and, after singing typical songs from the festival, the whip on the buttocks with special whips so as not to hurt them. While this is happening, the women can run and hide to avoid being caught or else play the game and remain motionless in front of them. Those who didn’t grow up in the country will find this tradition a little strange, but it is very common and fun for its inhabitants.

Many years ago, it was tradition for each woman to add a ribbon to the rod she had been tapped with, so that the next girl would know how many girls that boy had already hit. However, this custom is disappearing. Among the rules, it is clarified that boys must take branches in Willow tree, because it is the first tree to wake up during spring. The plant’s vitality is believed to reach a woman when she is lightly touched, promoting fertility.

Every August 31, in Nejapa, municipality of El Salvador, the festival “Fire balls”, commemorating the battle between Saint Jerome and the Devil. The practice, within this festive date, consists of throwing flaming balls, made of wire or fabric, between two teams.

Some say that the practice is linked to the celebration of the youth day of the Nejapanese, but the most accepted version refers to the fight between the patron of Nejapa, San Jeronimo Doctorand El Diablo, and also to remember the eruption of the El Playón volcano, in 1658. History tells that the eruption of that volcano made the old Nejapan disappear, forcing the inhabitants to move to the current territory of Nejapa.

Among the funniest customs that we can find, without a doubt, the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake must be part of this list. Every year, on the last Monday of May, in Gloucester, England, hundreds of people gather with one goal: to get a piece of cheese down the hill.

The game starts when a cheese weighing about 4 kilos is launched from the top of the hill. From there, people start running after him (or get carried away up the hill and just…roll) until one lucky person manages to hold the piece. If no one catches it, the winner is the one closest to the target at the finish line.

The custom dates back to 1836 and has since become one of the most dizzying and challenging traditions in the region. And the question is: what is the prize for which participants fall down the hill, get hurt and trip over constantly? The same cheese they chased!

Weddings are unique celebrations where family and friends celebrate the union of two people. In Germany, there is a quirky and fun way to celebrate the occasion: Polterabend.

Before the wedding, relatives and close friends of the couple take dishes, vases or any porcelain item for the party and simply break them. It’s no joke! They throw everything on the floor until they turn the space into a disaster.

After this celebration, the bride and groom must clean all that their family members broke, as a symbol of union and work. This tradition is believed to drive away evil spirits from the couple, and teach them that they must solve all problems together. It is also a way of wishing you good luck in your marriage.

In Denmark, if you are “unfortunate” to remain single or single by the time you turn 25, you will suffer the consequences at the hands of your friends and family. This fun tradition consists of tying up any single person who turns 25 and cover it with lower leg from head to toe.

In addition to being a moment of laughter and fun, this custom aims to bring good luck to the person and attract the love of their life.

At origins This practice dates back to the 16th century, when spice traders (including cinnamon) devoted all their time to the business and forgot to seek, even for a moment in their lives, love and find a partner🇧🇷 So the cinnamon bath
at age 25 symbolizes a reminder that there is always time for love and that it should not be left out.

Although the rite is completely harmless, authorities have repeatedly warned that this practice must be carried out very carefully, because cinnamon is flammable at low temperatures and the game can end very badly.

Which of these customs did you find the strangest? Tell us in the comments!