9 strange customs that attract social controversy

1. The Aghoris people live in northern India and are a branch of Hinduism. They still retain the custom of cannibalism. They will eat corpses floating on the Ganges River in pursuit of eternal life and supernatural powers. The Aghoris also make human bones into drinking utensils and believe that eating people can bring spiritual and physical benefits.

2. In some countries in Africa, such circumcision still exists. Women's reproductive organs are partially removed and sutured, leaving only a small hole for urine and menstrual blood to drain. For up to four weeks after circumcision, women often had to bring their legs together to heal the tissue. Most female circumcision is performed by private doctors without any anesthesia or health safeguards.

3. Ashura is one of the most important festivals for Shiite Muslims. In the 7th century AD, Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and son of Ali, was killed in the Battle of Karbala. Shiite Muslims who supported Ali and his descendants believed that they had not protected Hussein well, so they expressed condolences on this day by punishing themselves. They cut themselves and their children with blades to express their confession.

4. Old Eskimos will be taken to icebergs in the sea and drift with the flow. Isolated and helpless, the elderly eventually either froze to death or starved to death. The Eskimos believe that old people will enter the other world with dignity after death, and that this is also an honorable exit rather than gradually becoming a burden on the family. There are concerns that this custom still exists among the modern Eskimo community.

5. The Yanomamo attributed the main cause of death to the demon sent by the evil wizard who ate the human soul. Therefore, the bodies after death were quickly cremated, and then people collected the residual bones, ground them into powder, and put them into a set of gourds. About a year later, relatives of the deceased and villagers will eat the ashes. According to Yanomamo tradition, this behavior ensured that the souls of the deceased could reach heaven.

6. During this ceremony, a lying man placed his head on the thigh of another sitting man. The latter inserts leather ropes into the mouth of a person lying down to absorb bleeding during tooth extraction, relieve pain, and prevent teeth from being swallowed. Then, the tooth extractor held a piece of wood with holes against the tooth and knocked it hard with a stone, finally pulling the tooth out.

7. In Hinduism, there is a ritual of slaughtering livestock to worship gods. The general slaughtering methods used include strangulation and the use of pickets to stick straight into the heart. In the eyes of priests, making noises during slaughter is a bad sign. Cockfighting is also a form of animal sacrifice ritual. Blood is necessary during sacrificial rituals to purify and soothe evil spirits.

8. Urethral circumcision is an important part of a mysterious ritual in Australia's Aboriginal culture. During surgery, an incision is made in the lower part of the penis, and the entire urethra is cut open from the urethral orifice to the base, forming an open channel.

9. In some places in Thailand and Africa, wearing a metal neck ring is considered a symbol of beauty: making the neck appear slender. The number of neck rings can sometimes reach 20 rings, and are generally made of brass. Heavy neck rings can cause deformation of women's shoulders.