When we think about customs passed down through generations, we often picture cozy gatherings, warm meals, and the comforting glow of shared heritage. Yet there exists a shadowy side of tradition – practices that began with the best of intentions but have morphed into outright cruelty. Below are 10 insanely brutal rituals that were once meant to protect, heal, or bring luck, but now leave us questioning why anyone would still partake in such savage rites in the 21st century.
10 Mingi
Much like the infamous “He‑Who‑Must‑Not‑Be‑Named” from the wizarding world, mingi is the taboo term whispered among the Kara, Hamar, and Banna peoples living deep within Ethiopia’s Omo Valley. Roughly 225,000 individuals reside in isolated hamlets, keeping this ancient custom hidden from outsiders.
The word mingi designates a child deemed cursed and therefore destined for death to safeguard the community. Although the description uses male pronouns, the rule applies equally to boys and girls. A child earns the mingi label if his upper teeth erupt before the lower set, if he breaks a tooth or harms his genitals, if he is born to parents who are not married, or if his parents lack the elders’ ceremonial blessing to have offspring. Even adults who defy these edicts can be branded mingi and exiled.
When a youngster is declared mingi, tribal elders snatch the infant and either drown him in the river, abandon him to starvation or predation, or push him off a cliff to his demise. Some elders even suffocate the child by stuffing soil into his mouth. The community believes that a mingi child summons malevolent spirits that could bring drought, famine, and disease to the tribe.
Estimates suggest that between 200 and 300 mingi children meet their fate each year, though exact numbers remain unknown. The practice is shrouded in secrecy; children under fifteen are never taught about it, and it is never discussed with outsiders. Yet Lale Labuko – the first member of his tribe to attend a boarding school 105 km away – bravely reported the custom to a foreign researcher. Together they have launched campaigns to rescue mingi children, and on occasion the Ethiopian government has jailed those who carry out the killings. The ritual persists, now carried out more covertly than ever.
9 Pig Slaughter Festival
Every year, the modest village of Nem Thuong in northern Vietnam stages a grisly ceremony where two plump pigs are ritually slain to usher in prosperity for the coming year. The event falls on the sixth day of the first lunar month and honors Doan Thuong, a local guardian deity.
Legend tells that Doan Thuong was a Ly‑Dynasty general who repelled invaders and fed his starving soldiers with freshly slaughtered pigs, birthing the tradition. The blood of the pigs is believed to embody blessings for a bountiful harvest, fertility, financial gain, and robust health.
During the festivities, villagers parade the live pigs to the beat of music, then lay the animals on their backs, pull their legs away from their bellies with ropes, and hack them in half with swords while the crowd watches in stunned silence. Afterwards, participants smear banknotes with the fresh blood and place the drenched notes on home altars to attract good fortune.
Animal‑rights advocates have campaigned for the festival’s cancellation. Although Vietnamese officials have urged village elders to tone down the public cruelty, they have refused to outlaw the event, fearing negative international perception as images spread rapidly online.
8 La Esperanza Rain Ceremony
Droughts can devastate farming communities, prompting many cultures to devise rain‑calling rituals. While some Native American tribes still perform rain dances, the village of La Esperanza in Guerrero, Mexico, takes a far more visceral approach. Each May, as male farmers ready their fields, the women assemble a grand feast featuring chicken, turkey, mole, boiled eggs, rice, and tortillas, which they bring to a communal altar to honor their deities.
After prayers and offerings of food and blossoms, the participants form a massive circle awaiting neighboring villagers. Children ready their phones to capture the spectacle, and then the real spectacle begins.
Within the cheering circle, able‑bodied women—young and old—challenge opponents from nearby villages, beating each other with their bare hands in a day‑long, blood‑soaked brawl. Men and children sometimes join the fray. The aim is to drench their faces in as much crimson as possible; there are no winners or losers, only a shared sense of camaraderie. The collected blood is later poured into the fields as a sacrificial offering, believed to coax the rain gods into granting a fertile season.
7 Coconut Head Smash
In Tamil Nadu, southern India, thousands flock to the Mahalakshmi temple each year to partake in a ritual that promises health, success, or gratitude for fulfilled wishes. As a crowd gathers, a priest brings down a massive coconut onto the head of each seated devotee, who must be at least 18 years old.
The ceremony occurs on the second Tuesday of the Tamil month of Aadi. Its origin traces back to the 19th century when British engineers attempted to lay a railway through a village. The locals protested, prompting the British to sarcastically suggest rerouting the line if villagers would smash large stones with their heads. The villagers complied, and the railway was diverted. Over time, stones gave way to coconuts as the preferred instrument.
Neurosurgeon Anil Kumar Peethambaran explained to National Geographic that the skull tolerates a certain amount of impact; if a coconut cracks, the energy dissipates, reducing injury, whereas an unbroken coconut can cause severe damage. Dozens of participants suffer serious head injuries annually, making this ostensibly health‑promoting rite a potentially lethal one.
6 People Trampled By Cows For Luck
Across villages near Ujjain, India, a bizarre custom unfolds each year on Ekadashi, the day after Diwali. Male residents voluntarily lie down in the street, garlanded, while their sacred cows—adorned with henna designs and colorful ornaments—are released to trample them.
The participants believe that being stepped on by these holy animals will draw the favor of the Hindu gods, securing good fortune for the upcoming year. Villagers insist that no one has ever been injured, attributing the safety to the cows’ sacred status.
5 Easter Rocket War
Off the Turkish coast, the Greek island of Chios hosts a spectacular yet hazardous showdown each Easter Saturday night. The town of Vrontados pits the followers of its two Orthodox churches—Agios Markos and Panagia Erithiani—against each other in a massive, homemade bottle‑rocket battle known as “Rouketopolemos.”
The goal is to strike the opposing church’s bell during services, though the rockets often cause extensive property damage despite protective wire mesh shielding the structures. Injuries and occasional fatalities have been recorded, and the practice remains technically illegal.
Two competing origin stories circulate: one claims that pirate‑fighting cannons once fired on Easter, later replaced by rockets after Ottoman forces seized the cannons; the other suggests Greeks staged a faux war to distract Turkish authorities, allowing them to celebrate Easter mass in peace. Some locals lament the tradition, describing themselves as “hostages” forced to endure the danger.
4 Santhara
To outsiders, santhara—also called sallekhana—often resembles suicide or euthanasia. In Jainism, however, it is a revered spiritual practice wherein believers voluntarily fast to death, seeking liberation (nirvana) from the cycle of rebirth.
Jains view the body as a prison for the soul, making self‑starvation a non‑violent, dignified exit. Participants are celebrated as saints, and many travel great distances to witness and receive blessings from those undertaking the oath. Both monks and laypeople, men and women, may undertake santhara, with roughly 500 individuals doing so each year.
The practice has sparked legal controversy. In August 2015, the Rajasthan High Court declared it illegal, a ruling currently being contested before the Supreme Court.
3 Costa Rica Bullfighting
Unlike the lethal spectacles of Spain and Mexico, Costa Rican bullfighting is a comparatively humane affair where the bull is never killed. Instead, the animal is treated as a celebrity, introduced with name, weight, and lineage before the event.
Young, often untrained “improvisados” (clowns) either stay near the fence for a quick escape or taunt the bull for crowd amusement, vying for cash prizes. When a bull becomes enraged, participants must sprint to safety; the animal may inadvertently trample anyone who lags. Injuries are common, with hundreds of “improvisados” hurt annually.
The tradition’s origins are unclear, but it has become a rite of passage for many Costa Rican men, who feel compelled to enter the ring at least once after turning 18.
2 Gotmar Mela
For over a century, the villages of Pandhurna and Sawargaon in India have turned the Jam River into a battlefield during the Gotmar Mela. Participants hurl massive stones at each other while scrambling to retrieve a flag perched atop a trunk planted in the riverbed.
The competition is perilous: stone‑throwing often results in severe injuries, and at least 17 deaths have been recorded. Government attempts to replace stones with rubber balls or to ban the event have failed, as villagers persistently defend the tradition.
Two legends explain its origin. One tells of a young couple whose love was forbidden; villagers pelted the boy with stones as he carried his beloved across the river, prompting the reciprocal stone‑throwing that continues today. Another version recounts a king’s abduction of a rival village’s daughter, sparking a stone‑fighting defense that evolved into the annual festival.
1 Yanshui Beehive Rocket Festival
“Insane” barely captures the chaos of Taiwan’s Yanshui Beehive Rocket Festival, part of the Lantern Festival celebrating Chinese New Year. Massive beehive‑shaped structures of bottle rockets are ignited, and crowds intentionally rush toward the explosions, hoping to be hit repeatedly for good luck.
Participants don protective gear—fire‑resistant clothing, helmets, and face masks—though some daring youths attend in only a loincloth and towel, trusting faith to shield them. Despite precautions, injuries occur, and some spectators require hospital treatment.
The tradition began roughly 200 years ago as a response to a cholera outbreak. Residents fired an enormous fireworks display to appease angry spirits, after which the epidemic subsided. The event has since become an annual test of bravery and a quest for fortune.
Why This List Is 10 Insanely Brutal
Each of these customs started with a noble goal—whether protecting a community, ensuring a bountiful harvest, or seeking divine favor. Over time, however, the rituals have devolved into harrowing spectacles that challenge our modern sensibilities. By shining a light on these practices, we hope to foster dialogue and, perhaps, inspire change.