Top 8 Most Weird Rituals in the World

1) Baby Tossing, India

In the Karnataka state of India, there is a unique tradition that has been followed for a long time. In this ritual, priests hold infants by their hands and feet. Then they shake them and then drop them from a balcony into a babycatcher some 30 feet below. The newborns are then subjected to involuntary crowd surf over hundreds of onlookers before being given away to their mother. The ritual is practiced by both Hindus and Muslims and is said to bring happiness to the babies. This shocking ceremony has been going on in India for at least 500 years. Needless to say, the ritual has caused considerable uproar amongst children.

2) Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA

Burning Man is an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. It began in 1986, and by 2010 had drawn over 50,000 visitors. Over the years, other aspects of the event have evolved, including the celebration of weird and wonderful vehicles and the burning of a separate temple. This remains one of the most eagerly celebrated modern rituals. However, the increasing prevalence of "Burning Man Is Stupid" t-shirts around the west coast may be the real indicator that the burning man has reached the national consciousness.

3) Finger Cutting, Indonesia

In Indonesia's Western New Guinea province, the Dani tribe has a unique way of mourning for their lost relatives. It is customary to cut off the top half of a woman's finger during the funeral ceremony. The amputation symbolizes the pain of grieving and helps to ward off any unwanted spirits of the late relatives, which may haunt the village if these women were to keep their fingertips. After amputation, the bleeding digit is cauterized to stop blood flow and help form a new fingertip.

4) Jumping over babies, Spain

In the El Colacho festival in Spain, Men dressed in clothes painted red and yellow run through the street. Kids are laid down on mattresses, and these men jump over them. This is believed to symbolize good over evil, though earlier it just a fertility ceremony.

5) Bullet Ant Gloves, Amazon

Deep in the Amazon jungle, the men of the SatereMawe tribe have to endure the most excruciating right of passage imaginable bullet ant gloves. The bullet ant is a small insect that packs the most painful sting known to man. The sting of this ant is excruciating, so it has been compared to a bullet piercing the flesh. Upon nearing the age of manhood, young boys take to the jungle to collect these tiny bullet ants and then hand them over to the village elders. They sedate the ants before weaving them into mesh gloves with their stingers pointing inward. During the ceremonies, the boys must wear the gloves for 10 minutes while dancing around in a trancelike state and try to ignore the pain.

6) Hanging out in cemeteries, Denmark

While cemeteries are the sites of spooky lore in many countries, it is a little different in Denmark. We might add the Danes convert their cemeteries into areas for socializing rather pragmatic use of space. These cemeteries are well manicured and teeming with locals when the weather finally begins to warm up. Asistens Kirkegard in the country’s capital, Copenhagen, provides a perfect example, and also, you’ll be hanging out in the great company as many famed Danes are buried here.

7) Throwing of Broken Dishes, Denmark

The Danes have a unique way of bringing their good luck. During the year, people in Denmark save any broken dishes, plates, cups, or bowls until New Year’s Eve. On the New Year, they throw the broken dishware at the homes of friends and family as a way to wish them good luck for the new year. A less aggressive way to wish good luck is to leave a pile of broken plates on the doorstep of a loved one. The tradition dates back centuries and is one of the more unique ways to ring in the new year.

8) Prayer at the Western Wall, Jerusalem

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In Jerusalem, the Western Wall, also known as the "wailing" wall, is the last remaining piece of the temple destroyed by the Romans in 70CE and has been a pilgrimage site since then. Despite often tumultuous disagreements about the meaning and significance of the space, today, visitors of all religions are permitted to approach the wall for prayer. The faithful write requests or prayers on scraps of paper and sometimes carry them thousands of miles to the wall before placing them in cracks between the ancient stones as part of the pilgrimage ritual.