When you think of ancient Rome, you probably picture grand arches, legionnaires, and the birth of law and democracy. Yet the empire also left behind a treasure trove of 10 lesser known customs that quietly shaped daily life, many of which have faded into the shadows of history. Below we dive into ten obscure Roman traditions that still manage to surprise modern readers.

10 Lesser Known Roman Traditions

10 Mos Maiorum

The mos maiorum was an unwritten, yet fiercely respected, set of behavioral customs that traced its roots back to Rome’s founding ancestors. Much like the nostalgic yearning in the first song of Fiddler on the Roof, the Romans clung to these ancestral habits, convinced that drifting too far from them would invite moral decay. Observing the mos maiorum was therefore seen as a cornerstone of a civilized Rome, almost as if it possessed the weight of law itself.

When a magistrate dared to sidestep tradition—especially by presenting legislation without first consulting the Senate—it was branded a subversive act, and the offending official risked being labeled a traitor. Even though the code was unwritten, its enforcement could be severe. The transmission of the mos maiorum fell to the family, and in particular to the paterfamilias, who was charged with passing the customs down through the generations.

9 Ludi

The ludi were public spectacles that usually accompanied religious festivals, though occasionally they were staged purely for secular enjoyment. Many of these games were annual events; the most celebrated was the Ludi Romani, held each September in honor of Jupiter. It earned the distinction of being the oldest ludi, persisting for three centuries after its inception before any other festival could match its longevity.

Typical ludi featured chariot races and animal hunts, later expanding to include gladiatorial combat and even dedicated theatrical performances. The most infrequent of these festivals was the Ludi Saeculares, or Secular Games, celebrated once every 110 years to mark a new saeculum—the longest estimated human lifespan. Historian Zosimus famously blamed the empire’s decline on the Romans’ failure to observe this ancient celebration.

8 Dies Lustricus

The dies lustricus, literally the “day of purification,” marked an eight‑ or nine‑day window after a child’s birth, a period steeped in ritual significance. In an era when infant mortality was high, Romans believed a newborn did not truly become a family member until this ceremony concluded.

Rituals leading up to the final day included laying the infant on the ground and then raising it skyward—a symbolic gesture by the father to acknowledge the child as his own. At the ceremony’s climax, the baby received an official name, which explains why infants who died early were often left unnamed. Protective amulets—the bulla for boys and the lunula for girls—were also bestowed during this period to shield the child from malevolent forces.

7 Patria Potestas

Patria potestas, or “paternal power,” was a pervasive tradition that granted fathers supreme authority over their children, a principle that echoed through Roman law and even influences modern legal concepts. Under this system, children were expected to obey their father’s wishes without question, and social conventions generally kept extreme abuses in check, though the father retained ultimate discretion, especially regarding punishment.

The reach of patria potestas extended beyond immediate offspring to grandchildren and even great‑grandchildren. In practice, most children were freed from this paternal grip by their mid‑twenties, as the preceding generation often passed away by then. Legend attributes the origin of this authority to Romulus himself, granting fathers control over their children’s possessions until the father’s death.

6 Concubinage

Roman concubinage differed markedly from the more familiar notion of a mistress. A man could maintain only one concubine at a time, and the arrangement was forbidden if he was already married. Legally, the bond sat just below marriage, carrying distinct rights and responsibilities.

Most women entered concubinage because of social standing or to avoid complicating inheritance issues tied to an existing marriage. Children born from such unions were deemed illegitimate, yet the father was still obligated to provide for them during his lifetime. Unlike a wife, the concubine did not share the husband’s social status and was prohibited from worshiping Juno, the goddess of marriage.

5 Peregrini

Peregrini were non‑citizens living within the Roman realm, a status crucial to the empire’s expansion. Civil law placed numerous restrictions on them, most notably the inability to marry a Roman citizen unless extraordinary circumstances intervened. Nevertheless, the Romans allowed peregrini to retain the legal customs of their homelands; for instance, Athenians could marry fellow Athenians and inherit Athenian property.

Over time, the privileges of Roman citizens increasingly eclipsed those of the peregrini, reducing them to a near‑second‑class status, barely above that of a slave. The distinction evaporated in AD 212 when Emperor Caracalla issued the Constitutio Antoniniana, granting citizenship to all free men across the empire regardless of birthplace.

4 Poena Cullei

Roman law was famously comprehensive, but its capital punishments were especially brutal. The poena cullei was a unique execution method reserved for parricide—murder of a close family member. Once condemned, the perpetrator’s face was covered with a wolf’s skin, and sandals were placed on his feet, perhaps to keep him from contaminating the earth.

The condemned awaited the crafting of a sack, into which a dog, a monkey, a snake, and a rooster were placed alongside him. The sack was then cast into a river or the sea, delivering a grim, symbolic end that underscored the severity of betraying one’s own kin.

3 Homo Sacer

The status of homo sacer—literally “sacred man”—was imposed on individuals who broke oaths or committed certain crimes. While they were barred from being ritually sacrificed, they could be killed by anyone without legal repercussion. In some cases, vigilante groups declared someone homo sacer without formal judicial procedure, especially in early Rome when state enforcement was weak.

Being labeled homo sacer stripped a person of all legal rights, including property ownership, effectively erasing them from civil society. The Twelve Tables, Rome’s foundational legal code, explicitly referenced this punishment, particularly for patrons who deceived their clients.

2 Triumph

A Roman triumph was an extraordinary ceremonial parade reserved for a victorious general, representing the pinnacle of military honor. Though initially a public celebration, the tradition became a political tool, especially in the later Republic when aristocrats vied to outdo one another. The Senate set strict criteria—such as a minimum kill count—and the triumph had to be both approved and funded by the Senate.

The procession featured senators, musicians, sacrificial animals, and prisoners marching ahead of the general, who wore a gold laurel crown lifted by a slave. Behind him, soldiers sang teasing songs to ward off the evil eye. The climax involved animal sacrifices at the Temple of Jupiter and the execution of war captives, cementing the general’s glory in the public memory.

1 Damnatio Memoriae

Damnatio memoriae was the Roman practice of erasing a person from history—considered a fate worse than death. The condemned’s name was chiseled away from inscriptions, frescoes were painted over, and statues were defaced, as if the individual never existed. This punishment was typically reserved for the most despised emperors; Caligula and Nero escaped it only because of powerful allies.

Only three emperors are known to have officially suffered damnatio memoriae, including Maximian, whose co‑emperor Diocletian reportedly died of grief upon hearing the news. In practice, the erasure was imperfect—modern scholars still know of every victim—suggesting the ritual may have served a cathartic function, allowing the populace to symbolically purge the failures of their leaders.

When you think about the grind of a full‑time job, the chaos of college can feel like a whole other universe. That’s why generations of students have invented wild ways to blow off steam, bond with classmates, and keep sanity intact. In this roundup of 10 strange university customs, we dive into the most out‑there traditions that still thrive on campuses across the globe.

10 Hacks And Rats: MIT

The brainy, gadget‑loving scholars at MIT have earned a reputation for staging elaborate practical jokes, affectionately called “hacks.” Some legendary examples include hijacking the institute’s homepage with a notice that Disney had bought the school in 1998, rerouting long‑distance calls to a nearby radar site back in the 1960s, and even releasing a massive black weather balloon in the middle of a Harvard‑Yale football showdown in 1982.

Students especially love the challenge of balancing oddball objects atop the iconic Great Dome. Over the years they’ve perched a replica of the Wright brothers’ aircraft, a life‑size fiberglass cow, and even the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda on the dome’s crown.

Another quirky MIT custom is the nickname for the “Standard Technology Ring.” In 1929, a sophomore committee designed the class ring, opting for a beaver engraving to symbolize the industrious spirit of MIT grads. Supposedly the design looked more rodent‑like, giving rise to the affectionate moniker “Brass Rat” that alumni still cherish today.

9 Penny Throwing: Lincoln College, Oxford

To mark Ascension Day—the Christian celebration of Jesus rising to heaven—students from Lincoln College climb to the top of their college tower and hurl pennies at a gathering of children waiting below in the quad.

This charitable throw dates back to the 15th century and originally had a far darker twist. Historically, the pennies were heated before being tossed, with the belief that any child scorched by the hot metal would learn a hard lesson about greed.

During the same festivities, Lincoln scholars also perform “beating the bounds,” marching through Oxford while striking boundary markers with two‑meter wooden staves to reaffirm the historic parish lines between St. Mary the Virgin University Church and St. Michael at the North Gate. As a quirky side note, Brasenose College members are traditionally invited to Lincoln College for a modest ale‑sipping lunch on Ascension Day, featuring a brew spiked with bitter ground ivy to keep Brasenose students from over‑indulging.

8 Pipe Smoking And Handsome Dan: Yale

At Yale’s commencement, graduates receive a clay pipe and a modest pouch of tobacco. After a brief puff, they are expected to smash the pipe—a symbolic gesture denoting the end of their carefree collegiate days. Complementing this rite, a tradition dating to 1851 sees students burying a sprig of ivy on campus, representing a lasting bond with the university.

Beyond graduation, Yale’s football spirit is bolstered by its iconic bulldog mascot, Handsome Dan. First appointed in 1889, the canine has become a beloved figure, with the most recent incarnation, Handsome Dan XVIII, joining the roster in 2016.

Other famous collegiate mascots include MIT’s Tim the Beaver, Princeton’s Tiger, and Stanford’s Tree—technically the mascot of the Stanford Band, yet widely embraced as the university’s unofficial emblem.

7 The Time Ceremony: Merton College, Oxford

Born in 1971, this modern tradition commemorates the conclusion of a three‑year experiment where the United Kingdom stayed on British Summer Time year‑round, staying an hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Participants don their sub‑fusc academic dress, clutch a glass of port, and parade counter‑clockwise around the Fellows’ Quad precisely at 2:00 AM.

While the ceremony may appear frivolous, its originator notes that ever since its inception, Britain’s clocks have reliably shifted back to GMT when summer ends, as if the ritual itself guarantees the change.

6 Underground Exploration: Stanford

Since the tunnels and steam pipes were installed in 1881, Stanford students have taken to exploring the labyrinth beneath the campus—dubbed “the Farm.” Over generations, daring scholars have braved insects, roaming rats, and even legal gray areas to sip from hidden fountains, stage capture‑the‑flag games, or hunt for the fabled secret entrance to the Hoover Library.

These subterranean passages are notorious for being dirt‑laden, claustrophobic, and lined with scorching hot pipes. Because of the hazards, university staff strongly discourage any unauthorized spelunking, though the legend persists among adventurous undergrads.

5 Toast Throw: University of Pennsylvania

At every home football game, Penn students belt out their school anthem, “Drink a Highball.” When the lyric “Here’s a toast to dear old Penn” arrives, the crowd doesn’t raise glasses—they hurl actual slices of toast onto the field.

Some trace the origin to the audience participation seen at live screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, while others argue the ritual emerged during Prohibition, when fans could no longer carry real liquor into the stadium.

4 Dooley: Emory University

Dooley is a biology‑lab skeleton that has become Emory University’s unofficial mascot. The persona sprang to life when, in 1899, students began signing letters to the campus newspaper under Dooley’s name.

Today, a student dons the skeleton costume—complete with a black cape, top hat, and white gloves—to embody Dooley. Each spring, Emory hosts a week of playful pranks and jokes in his honor, and the bony figure makes surprise cameo appearances at various campus events throughout the year.

3 Hunting The Mallard: All Souls College, Oxford

All Souls College, Oxford’s most elite institution, admits only fellows after a famously rigorous selection process. Yet its members still partake in one of the most eccentric traditions on record.

Every century, a procession of fellows, torch‑lit, follows a leader bearing a staff topped with a wooden duck. The spectacle honors a 1437 legend in which a massive duck allegedly burst from the college’s foundations. The next ceremony is slated for 2101.

2 The Primal Scream: Harvard

The “Primal Scream” erupts at Harvard once exam season ends. Students congregate at the north end of the Old Yard and unleash a collective howl just before midnight. Over the years, the scream has been accompanied by occasional streaking, though that particular element seems to have taken off in the 1990s rather than the 1700s as some myths claim.

Streaking itself boasts a storied past. In 1804, George William Crump became the first American college student arrested for streaking at what is now Washington and Lee University. Despite the scandal, Crump later served as a U.S. Congressman and ambassador to Chile.

1 Night Climbing: Oxford and Cambridge Universities

Night climbing is the clandestine sport of scaling college and public buildings under cover of darkness. Originating in Cambridge in the late 1800s, the practice was immortalized in Noel Howard Symington’s 1937 book The Night Climbers of Cambridge, written under the pseudonym “Whipplesnaith.”

While evidence suggests Oxford students dabbed in similar antics during the 1920s, Cambridge prides itself on being the true birthplace of urban mountaineering—a tradition that never truly caught on at “the other place.” After a lull, the 1960s and ’70s sparked a revival, spawning numerous guidebooks on modern routes.

King’s College Chapel in Cambridge remains a favored target, standing 29 meters (94 ft) tall. Recent climbs have seen traffic cones, toilet seats, and even Santa hats removed from the structure at considerable expense to the college.

Why These 10 Strange University Traditions Matter

Each of these customs—whether a midnight pipe‑smash at Yale or a penny‑throwing ceremony at Lincoln—reveals the creative spirit that thrives when students are given the freedom to be weird, wonderful, and wildly inventive. They remind us that beyond lectures and labs, college life is a theater of tradition, where the bizarre becomes beloved.

When we talk about the 10 bizarre traditions of love that shape our modern romance, we usually picture hand‑holding, cheeky texts, and weekend brunches. Yet, centuries ago courting involved some truly odd rituals—cards that mocked your looks, secret tubes for whispered sweet‑nothings, and even miniature eyes traded as tokens of affection. Below, we dive into ten lost customs that once defined courtship, each stranger than the last.

10 Vinegar Valentines

Mean Valentine’s Day cards, known as “Vinegar Valentines,” sprang up in the 1800s as a weapon of ridicule. Unlike the sugary sentiments we send today, these cheap sheets featured a sarcastic illustration and a four‑ to six‑line verse that lampooned the recipient’s quirks—from baldness to social standing. Some cards even urged the unlucky soul to end their life. Their targets spanned neighbors, rivals, bosses, teachers, or anyone whose advances the sender wished to rebuff.

One particularly vicious example depicts a bald fellow surrounded by a swarm of insects, perhaps flies or moths. Beneath the drawing, a rhyming insult reads:
Bald Head. Your bright shining pate is seen at all shows
and invariably down in the bald‑headed rows
where you make conspicuous by your tender care
your true ardent love for that one lonesome hair.

These Vinegar Valentines flourished between the 1840s and 1880s, mass‑produced by the same firms that churned out today’s frilly valentines. Before prepaid stamps, the recipient footed the postage bill, meaning the insult‑bearing card cost the very person it mocked.

9 Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve

Ever wondered why we say “wearing your heart on your sleeve”? Three theories compete for the title. The first places the phrase in a Roman‑era festival where men drew names to designate a lady for the year, then literally pinned that name to their sleeve after Emperor Claudius II banned marriage, believing single soldiers fought better.

The second story comes from medieval jousts: a knight would dedicate his performance to a lady and attach a personal token—perhaps a handkerchief—to his arm, broadcasting his devotion to all spectators.

The third origin traces back to Shakespeare’s Othello, where Iago declares, “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for Daws to peck at,” meaning he would expose his feelings for all to see.

8 Escort Cards

Escort cards, or “flirtation cards,” functioned as Victorian calling cards, letting a shy suitor slip a witty note into a lady’s glove or fan. In an era when women needed chaperones to speak to men, a discreet card offered a safe way to initiate a conversation.

Some cards bore polite invitations—“May I have the pleasure of seeing you home tonight? Keep this card if you accept; return it if you decline.” Others were far bolder, flaunting slogans like “Not Married And Out For A Good Time.”

Women also wielded these cards. Examples such as “You May C Me Home Tonight” and “I am Anna ‘Butch’ Engle Who The Devil Are You?” show that flirtation was a two‑way street, with ladies employing the same cheeky tactics as gentlemen.

7 Lover’s Eyes

Lover’s eyes, or “eye miniatures,” were intimate tokens exchanged by affluent couples in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A tiny painted portrait of the giver’s eye was presented to the beloved, allowing the receiver to wear the image publicly without revealing the lover’s full identity.

These miniatures ranged from a few millimetres to several centimetres and were rendered in watercolor on ivory or gouache on card. They were set into rings, pendants, brooches, snuffboxes, or even toothpick cases, turning a single eye into a wearable secret.

Legend claims the first lover’s eye emerged after the Prince of Wales (later George VI) pursued Maria Fitzherbert. When she initially rebuffed him, he staged a suicide attempt, prompting her to reconsider. Still hesitant, she later received a miniature eye set in a locket, accompanied by a note urging her to remember his likeness. The gesture succeeded, leading to a secret marriage in December 1785, and the fashion soon spread among high society. Today, fewer than a thousand of these delicate eye portraits survive.

6 Future Husband Superstitions

Long before dating apps, women turned to superstition to glimpse their future spouse. One ancient practice, dating back to Greek and Roman times, held that the first bird sighted on Valentine’s Day foretold the suitor’s character: a goldfinch signaled wealth, a sparrow promised happiness with a modest man, a robin hinted at a sailor, while a woodpecker warned of a marriage that would never happen.

Another British ritual from the 1700s involved pinning five rose‑water‑drenched bay leaves to a pillow—one in the centre and one in each corner—while eating a salted egg without yolk. The participant then whispered a prayer: “Good Valentine, be kind to me; in dreams, let me my true love see.” If performed correctly, the dream‑vision would reveal the future husband.

For the boldest, a midnight pilgrimage to a graveyard on the eve of Saint Valentine’s Day was prescribed. After chanting a special verse and circling the church twelve times, it was believed that the apparition of the destined partner would materialise before the seeker.

5 Bundling

In colonial America, “bundling” let courting couples share a bed while remaining fully clothed. A board often divided the mattress, or the woman was placed inside a large bag—sometimes called a bundling or chastity bag—to keep the pair separate. Parents typically lingered in the same room to ensure propriety.

Scholars trace bundling to early Scottish, Welsh, and broader European immigrants. The practice served a pragmatic purpose: fuel was expensive, and cold nights demanded a shared heat source. Some also link the custom to the biblical tale of Ruth and Boaz, who spent an intimate night together in a threshing floor before marrying.

4 Apples Of Love

In 1975, Benjamin Brody’s article “The Sexual Significance of the Axillae” documented a quirky Austrian custom: a girl would tuck a slice of apple under her armpit while dancing, using the fruit as a natural deodorant. At the dance’s end, she presented the sweaty apple slice to the man she fancied. If he accepted, he would bravely eat the slice, signalling his reciprocal affection.

Men sometimes swapped the apple for other scented objects, like handkerchiefs. An 1899 issue of the Journal of American Folklore noted a similar practice: “To make a girl love you, take a piece of candy or anything she is likely to eat, and put it under either armpit, so that it will get your scent.”

3 Courting Sticks

Early New England courtsmen faced cramped homes and bustling family rooms, leaving little privacy for whispered sweet‑talk. To circumvent this, they invented “courting sticks,” also called courting tubes. These hollow tubes stretched two to two‑and‑a‑half metres, with a diameter of about one inch, and featured a mouthpiece and earpiece at each end.

Couples would sit on opposite sides of the fireplace, speaking into their respective ends. The listener placed the tube’s opposite end into their ear, allowing private conversation while the entire family gathered nearby, unaware of the covert flirtation.

2 Lovespoons

The Welsh tradition of carving lovespoons began in the 16th century and quickly spread across Celtic Europe. Young men fashioned a single‑piece wooden spoon, often embellishing the handle with intricate designs, and presented it to a prospective bride much like a modern bouquet.

If the lady accepted the spoon, it signalled mutual affection and the start of a relationship. The practice is believed to have birthed the modern term “spooning.” Couples who settled together would display the cherished lovespoon on a wall, akin to a wedding photograph.

1 Morgengabe

In medieval Germany, marriage ceremonies were accompanied by a cascade of gifts exchanged between families. The groom paid a “bride price” to the bride’s father, while the families offered various tokens to the newlyweds. Among these, the most intriguing was the “morgengabe,” or morning gift.

The morgengabe, typically amounting to a third or quarter of the dowry, was presented to the bride the morning after the couple consummated their marriage. It functioned as a payment for the bride’s virginity—a legal guarantee that the marriage was consummated and thus fully binding.

Today, the morgengabe stands as a fascinating relic of marital economics, highlighting how love and property intertwined in the Middle Ages.

When it comes to tying the knot, cultures around the globe have cooked up some truly head‑turning customs. These 10 unusual wedding traditions prove that saying “I do” can be as unpredictable as it is romantic.

10 Unusual Wedding Traditions Around the World

10 France

In France, especially among younger couples, friends and relatives descend on the newlyweds’ home armed with pots, pans and a chorus of boisterous shouts. The noisy crowd demands drinks, snacks, and sometimes even cash to earn their leave.

If the party is ignored, the mischief can turn downright daring: revelers may break in, abduct the groom, and dump him far from home—often in his birthday suit—forcing him to trek back on his own.

This raucous custom, known as the charivari or shivaree, traces its roots to medieval times when neighbors would loudly protest a widow’s hasty remarriage. Today it’s all in good fun, a lively reminder of communal celebration.

9 Mauritania

In Mauritania, a plumper physique is prized, leading families to send daughters—sometimes as young as five—to summer “fat camps” where they are encouraged, often force‑fed, to bulk up. This practice, called Leblouh, sees girls consuming staggering amounts of food, sometimes up to 16,000 calories a day.

The belief behind Leblouh is that a larger woman occupies more space in her husband’s heart and signals greater wealth; the richer the man, the larger the bride he can afford.

When a groom’s family begins negotiations, the girl’s size becomes a key bargaining chip: the heftier she is, the more desirable—and expensive—she is considered.

8 Scotland

The Scottish “Blackening” is a pre‑wedding rite that drags the bride, groom, or both into a messy ordeal. Friends and kin douse the couple in anything from rotten eggs and dead fish to curdled milk, mud, flour or tar.

After the slop‑fest, the embarrassed pair might be tied to a tree or paraded around town in the back of an open truck, ensuring maximum public exposure to their discomfort.

Folklore holds that surviving this communal humiliation equips the couple to weather the inevitable trials of married life, especially in the rural northeast of Scotland where the tradition thrives.

7 China

Among the Tujia people of China, every bride is expected to shed tears during the ceremony. Elders view the act as a heartfelt expression of gratitude toward parents and extended family.

To master the art, the bride rehearses crying for a month, spending an hour each night weeping loudly. After ten days, her mother joins in, followed by the grandmother and other female relatives, creating a cascade of emotional release.

The tears are meant to convey joy and hope, not sorrow, and while the custom has faded in modern times, it once stood as a poignant rite of passage.

6 Borneo

The Tidong community of Borneo imposes a baffling rule: for three consecutive days after the wedding, the newlyweds must not use the bathroom at all. In effect, they are forced to hold both urine and feces.

Breaking this taboo is believed to invite severe misfortune—infidelity, or even the premature death of the couple’s children.

During this austere period, friends and family supervise the pair, providing only minimal sustenance. After the three‑day fast, the couple receives a ceremonial bath and is finally allowed to resume normal life.

5 China/Mongolia

The Daur people, spanning parts of China and Inner Mongolia, determine a wedding date through a rather grisly divination. The engaged couple grabs a knife, slaughters a baby chick, and then dissects it to examine its organs.

If the chick’s liver is healthy, the couple takes it as a good omen and proceeds to set a wedding date. A diseased liver, however, signals bad luck, prompting the pair to repeat the ritual until a healthy liver appears.

This macabre practice underscores the community’s belief that the health of the chick mirrors the future prosperity of the marriage.

4 India

In certain Indian locales, astrology can cast a dark shadow over a bride’s fate. Women born under the “Mars‑bearing” sign are thought to be cursed, bringing early death to their husbands.

To neutralize the curse, the bride must symbolically marry a banana tree; the tree is then destroyed, supposedly lifting the malign influence. Though the practice has been outlawed for violating women’s rights, it still persists in some circles, even among celebrities.

The ritual reflects a deep‑seated belief in cosmic forces and the lengths some will go to safeguard marital harmony.

3 Wales

Dating back to the 17th century, Welsh courting customs feature the crafting of an ornately carved wooden spoon—known as a love spoon—by a hopeful suitor. This spoon, presented to the lady, signals his intention to marry.

If the woman accepts, the spoon becomes a token of engagement, symbolizing a promise that the groom will never let his bride go hungry.

Today, love spoons are readily available as decorative gifts, still exchanged on weddings, christenings, birthdays, and other special occasions across Europe.

2 Maasai

Maasai weddings are lavish affairs, and one of the most striking customs involves spitting. Once the families agree on a union, an elder spits fresh milk in front of the bride’s home to herald the wedding procession.

The bride, adorned in vivid garments, beaded necklaces, and a shaved head slicked with lamb fat, then receives a spit from her father on her head and breasts. The act is believed to usher in prosperity and good fortune for her married life.

This ritual, while startling to outsiders, is a cherished blessing within Maasai culture, reinforcing communal support for the new couple.

1 India

Among Tamil Brahmins in southern India, a playful yet elaborate ceremony tests the groom’s resolve. He pretends to abandon the wedding, claiming he wishes to become a priest, while his relatives beg and cajole him to stay.

The officiating priest also joins the drama, attempting to sway the groom’s mind. After a series of persuasive arguments, the groom finally arrives at the marriage hall, where the bride’s family greets him and the festivities commence.

This theatrical ritual underscores the importance of community involvement and the symbolic affirmation of the groom’s commitment.

+ Marquesas Islands Of French Polynesia

On the Marquesas Islands, after the nuptial vows, the bride’s relatives lie face‑down, side by side, across the floor. The newlyweds then walk over them like a ceremonial carpet, symbolizing their passage into married life.

When you hear the phrase 10 surprising historical facts about the holidays, you might picture glittering lights and cozy firesides. Yet the story behind every beloved Christmas custom is a patchwork of ancient rites, clever marketing, and practical tweaks that span centuries. Below, we untangle the fascinating backstories that have turned simple practices into timeless traditions.

From the charitable legend that birthed the humble stocking to the sweet transformation of a pagan fire ritual into a festive cake, each entry reveals how cultures mixed, matched, and reinvented rituals to create the holiday tapestry we adore today.

10 Surprising Historical Insights

10 Mistletoe: A Pagan Symbol of Fertility and Peace

Mistletoe’s reputation as a romantic holiday prop masks a far older pedigree rooted in pagan worship. The ancient Druids held the plant in reverence, believing its white berries and glossy leaves possessed magical powers that could repel malevolent spirits and usher in fertility. During winter‑solstice ceremonies, they would harvest mistletoe from sturdy oak trees using golden‑tipped sickles, then incorporate the green boughs into rites aimed at guaranteeing a bountiful harvest and safeguarding the coming year.

The custom of stealing a kiss beneath the sprig likely traces back to Norse mythology. Legend tells that the goddess Frigg declared mistletoe a token of love after it helped resurrect her son Balder. Over centuries, this connection to peace and affection filtered into Christmas celebrations, and the Victorians later turned the ancient fertility emblem into a charming romantic tradition by encouraging lovers to share a kiss under the hanging mistletoe.

9 Christmas Stockings: A Charitable Legend of Saint Nicholas

The practice of suspending stockings by the hearth originates from a 4th‑century tale about the benevolent Saint Nicholas. According to the story, a destitute widower with three daughters could not afford dowries, consigning the girls to a life of servitude. One night, Saint Nicholas slipped down the chimney, scattering bags of gold coins that landed neatly in the girls’ stockings, which had been hung up to dry by the fire.

This act of secret generosity married itself to the broader tradition of Christmas gifting, and the custom of stockings spread across Europe. In the United States, the habit took firm hold in the 19th century, bolstered by Clement Clarke Moore’s famous poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which famously describes Santa filling stockings with toys. Over time, the modest sock evolved into the oversized, decorative holiday staple we recognize today.

8 Christmas Trees: A Fusion of Pagan and Christian Traditions

The evergreen tree that now dominates holiday décor began its life as a symbol in ancient winter‑solstice rites. Romans incorporated evergreen branches into their Saturnalia festivities, while medieval Germans adorned fir trees as a hopeful sign of everlasting life during the darkest days of the year.

The Christian adaptation is commonly linked to 16th‑century Germany. Legend has it that reformer Martin Luther, walking home one night, was struck by the sight of stars glittering through the branches of a fir tree and decided to bring one indoors, decorating it with candles to symbolize divine light. The custom spread throughout Europe, gaining royal endorsement when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert introduced the practice to England in the 1800s. German immigrants later carried the tradition across the Atlantic, cementing the Christmas tree as an enduring emblem of the season.

7 Eggnog: A Colonial Adaptation of a Medieval Drink

Eggnog’s lineage stretches back to medieval Britain, where a beverage called “posset” was crafted by curdling hot milk with ale or wine and spicing it with aromatics. Wealthy households often enriched the concoction with eggs and cream, turning it into a luxurious treat for special occasions. As European settlers crossed the Atlantic, they carried the recipe with them, where it gradually morphed into the egg‑laden drink we recognize today.

In colonial America, rum became the spirit of choice for eggnog, largely because it was cheaper and more readily available than imported wine or brandy. The rich, frothy mixture quickly became a centerpiece of Christmas gatherings, symbolizing abundance and celebration. Over the centuries, eggnog’s popularity endured, spawning regional twists such as Puerto Rico’s coconut‑infused “coquito,” which blends rum, coconut milk, and spices into a tropical holiday delight.

6 Candy Canes: Religious Symbol or Sweet Marketing Ploy?

Many believe candy canes carry deep religious meaning—their shepherd’s‑crook shape supposedly represents the staff of Christ, while the red and white stripes symbolize his blood and purity. In reality, this symbolism is a relatively modern invention. The earliest candy canes emerged in 17th‑century Germany as plain white sugar sticks handed out to children during nativity plays to keep them quiet.

The iconic red stripes and peppermint flavor arrived in the 19th century, likely introduced to make the treat more visually appealing and marketable. By the early 20th century, candy canes had become a staple of Christmas décor and confectionery. Their lasting appeal owes as much to savvy branding as to any purported religious significance.

5 Santa’s Sleight: Borrowed from Norse Mythology

The image of Santa soaring through the night in a sleight drawn by reindeer finds its roots in ancient Norse lore. In the pagan Yule tradition, the chief god Odin rode across the sky on his eight‑legged horse, Sleipnir, during the mid‑winter season. Children would leave offerings of food in their shoes for the horse, and in return, Odin would bestow gifts upon them. This myth laid the groundwork for a magical gift‑bringer who traversed the heavens.

As Christianity spread throughout Northern Europe, Odin’s legendary ride merged with the benevolent figure of Saint Nicholas, evolving into the modern Santa Claus. The sleight and his reindeer were popularized in American culture by Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” which introduced eight reindeer. The red‑nosed Rudolph was later added in 1939 as part of a Montgomery Ward marketing campaign, cementing the fusion of ancient myth and contemporary commercial storytelling.

4 Gift Wrapping: A Japanese Tradition Turned Western Staple

Although many view gift‑wrapping as quintessentially Western, its origins lie in ancient Asian customs. In Japan, the practice of wrapping presents in “furoshiki” cloth dates back to the 8th century, serving both practical and symbolic purposes—protecting the gift while adding a personal, decorative touch. Similarly, Chinese traditions employed silk cloths to wrap gifts during important occasions, with elaborate designs signifying good fortune and respect.

Western paper‑based wrapping arrived by accident in 1917 when Joyce and Rollie Hall of Hallmark ran out of traditional tissue paper for the Christmas season. They improvised by selling decorative French envelope‑lining sheets, which sold out rapidly. Recognizing the opportunity, the Halls began producing their own vibrant, sturdy wrapping paper, and by the mid‑20th century, colorful designs, ribbons, and bows turned the act of giving into a visual spectacle. Today, the industry generates billions, though eco‑conscious alternatives like reusable cloths are reviving the ancient practices they replaced.

3 Advent Calendars: From Religious Devotion to Chocolate Treats

Advent calendars originated in 19th‑century Germany as a method for families to count down the days to Christmas. Early homemade versions featured candles, chalk marks, or devotional images to mark each passing day. In 1908, German printer Gerhard Lang introduced the first commercially produced calendar, complete with small doors that opened to reveal Bible verses or festive illustrations, emphasizing religious reflection during the Advent season.

The modern chocolate‑filled calendar emerged in the mid‑20th century as manufacturers sought to attract children. Companies like Cadbury began mass‑producing calendars with tiny chocolates behind each door, shifting the focus from spiritual preparation to indulgent treats. Today, advent calendars have expanded beyond chocolate, offering miniature toys, beauty products, and more, reflecting a shift from solemn devotion to a fun, highly commercialized holiday tradition.

2 Christmas Cards: A Victorian Innovation

The tradition of sending Christmas cards began in 1843, thanks to Sir Henry Cole, a British civil servant who desired a simpler way to convey holiday greetings. Cole commissioned the first commercial card, which displayed a festive family scene and the greeting “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to You.” The cards quickly appealed to the Victorian upper class as a fashionable alternative to lengthy handwritten letters.

The advent of affordable postage stamps, such as England’s Penny Post, made card‑sending accessible to a broader audience, and the practice spread across Europe and the United States. By the early 20th century, companies like Hallmark were mass‑producing colorful, decorative Christmas cards, cementing them as a holiday staple. Although digital communication has reduced the prevalence of traditional cards, millions are still mailed each year, often featuring personal photographs or handcrafted designs.

1 The Yule Log: From Pagan Fire Ritual to Dessert

The Yule log tradition stems from ancient Scandinavia, where a massive log was the centerpiece of pagan mid‑winter celebrations. Families selected a large timber, adorned it with carvings or ribbons, and burned it in the hearth during the winter solstice to honor Norse deities. The fire symbolized warmth, protection, and the return of the sun during the darkest days, while the ashes were kept as charms to bring luck and ward off evil for the coming year.

As Christianity spread, the Yule log was incorporated into Christmas customs throughout Northern Europe, symbolizing light triumphing over darkness. In the 19th century, French pastry chefs transformed the ritual into the “bûche de Noël,” a sponge cake rolled to resemble a log and frosted to mimic bark. This edible version became a beloved holiday dessert, marrying ancient fire rites with modern culinary creativity. Today, the Yule log lives on both as a decorative hearth emblem and a delicious cake, preserving its rich heritage in two tasty forms.

Holidays often come with their own set of beloved customs—think turkey on Thanksgiving, shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day, or jack‑o‑lanterns on Halloween. When it comes to Christmas, many practices pre‑date the 20th century, like candy canes, twinkling trees, and whispering wishes to mall Santas. Yet a handful of traditions have sprouted in the past century, shaping the modern festive season. Below are the 10 newer christmas customs that have taken root, complete with their quirky origins.

10 Newer Christmas Overview

10 Watching Network Television Christmas Specials

The accolade for the earliest TV‑only Christmas special doesn’t belong to Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer or A Charlie Brown Christmas, which debuted in 1964 and 1965. Instead, the crown goes to Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, a 1962 cartoon adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic tale about the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by a trio of spectral guests that guide him toward redemption.

Among the voice talent on Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol were Jim Backus—who would soon star in Gilligan’s Island—and Morey Amsterdam, who was simultaneously juggling duties on The Dick Van Dyke Show while the special was in production.

9 Conducting Toys for Tots Drives

The iconic blue‑topped donation box bearing the Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots logo made its debut in Los Angeles in 1947. A Marine Corps Reserve member, urged to act, founded the organization to distribute the handmade dolls his wife crafted to children in need, filling a void where no similar charity existed.

During that inaugural year, 5,000 toys were gathered and handed out. Fast‑forward to 2023, the program has delivered roughly 677 million toys, books, and games to 301 million financially disadvantaged youngsters.

8 Listening to Radio Stations’ Christmas Music Marathons

Circa 1990, a Phoenix‑based adult‑contemporary station known by the call letters KEZ defied its consultants’ counsel and flipped to nonstop Christmas music right after Thanksgiving. Contrary to the skeptics, listeners embraced the format, sparking a wave of stations nationwide that now run commercial‑free holiday playlists, though the exact start dates differ from market to market.

In 2024, Chicago’s 93.9 FM kicked off its holiday rotation on November 1, while Cincinnati’s 94.9 FM began on November 18. New York City’s 102.7 FM and Philadelphia’s B101 joined the festivities around the same time. Notably, Fort Wayne, Indiana’s 95.1 FM may hold the record for the earliest non‑satellite Christmas‑only broadcast, launching an all‑holiday lineup in July 2020 amid COVID‑19 lockdowns.

7 Wearing Ugly Christmas Sweaters

The modern craze for garishly festive sweaters—think glitter overload, pom‑pom extravagance, or a Santa caught in an un‑characteristic pose—took off in the early 2000s. Earlier, more modestly tacky versions appeared in the 1950s and resurfaced in the 1980s.

Today, fast‑food chains and ice‑cream parlors are among the designers churning out these eye‑catchers. Many businesses now host Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties, some of which double as fund‑raisers for charitable causes.

6 Shopping on Cyber Monday

In the early 2000s, the National Retail Federation noticed that online sales surged on the Monday following Thanksgiving, outpacing the days leading up to the holiday. After discarding options like “Blue Monday” or “Black Monday,” they coined the catchy moniker “Cyber Monday” in 2005.

The federation attributed the spike to shoppers using faster work‑day computers to complete their gift lists, a tactic that also helped keep the purchases hidden from the intended recipients.

Sales have generally risen year over year. In 2019, Cyber Monday generated $7.4 billion; by 2024, that figure swelled to $13.3 billion. The only dip occurred in 2022, when sales fell to $9.12 billion from $9.53 billion the previous year.

5 Showings of A Christmas Story for 24 Hours Straight

The marathon tradition began when the 1983 classic first aired on TBS, TNT, and TCM in 1991. Those three networks ran the film six times between the day before Christmas and the day after, expanding to eight showings in 1996.

In 1997, TNT launched the first 24‑hour nonstop marathon. When TNT pivoted to drama programming in 2004, TBS assumed marathon duties, and since 2014 both networks have offered the full‑day viewing experience.

By 2020, 32 million viewers tuned in at some point during the marathon. Director Bob Clark praised the film’s heartfelt take on the holiday season, while star Peter Billingsley noted fans often see reflections of their own lives in Ralphie’s story. Recently, other holiday favorites such as Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation have joined the 24‑hour marathon club.

4 Leaving Milk and Cookies for Santa

Offering Santa a plate of milk and cookies while he makes his rounds began during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The practice aimed to teach children the value of generosity and to foster gratitude for the gifts they received.

Santa reportedly enjoys a wide variety of cookies—peanut butter, snickerdoodles, gingerbread, sugar, oatmeal‑raisin, and chocolate chip—though his milk preference (2 %, oat, soy, etc.) remains a mystery.

Estimations suggest Santa consumes several hundred calories per household, meaning his global snack intake would far exceed recommended daily limits, a caloric overload that no amount of chimney climbing can burn off.

3 Watching Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular

The dazzling holiday production, co‑created by Vincente Minnelli, premiered in the world’s largest indoor theater in 1933. From its inception, the show featured the iconic Rockettes and a nativity tableau.

Over the decades, the spectacle has embraced modern technology, adding LED light walls and 3D effects. Each season, the production utilizes around 1,200 costumes, approximately 30,000 red dots to give the Rockettes a rosy glow, and just under 14,100 batteries.

2 Paying Homage to Rudolph the Red‑Nosed Reindeer

Robert L. May, a catalog writer for a Chicago department store, created the glowing‑nosed reindeer in 1939 as part of a children’s story assignment. He toyed with names like Rollo, Rodney, Roland, Roderick, and Reggy before settling on Rudolph.

May’s own life—feeling isolated after skipping grades and being younger than his classmates, grieving his wife’s death, and struggling to succeed as a novelist—mirrored Rudolph’s feelings of loneliness and melancholy.

1 Reenacting Colonial Troops Delaware River Crossing

For more than seven decades, volunteers gather each Christmas Day along the Delaware River north of Philadelphia, brandishing period weapons and donning uniforms reminiscent of George Washington’s 1776 army. They recreate the historic surprise crossing of the Hessians, marching across the river into New Jersey just as the original troops did.

The event also features 1770s‑themed activities and speeches, persisting even when weather or river conditions prevent the actual crossing. Thousands of spectators—from across the United States and abroad—come to witness the living history display.

When you think of Christmas, classic images of twinkling lights and cozy stockings come to mind. Yet the holiday is constantly evolving, and this year’s 10 twists Christmas showcase how innovators, history buffs, and even marine life are reshaping the season in surprising ways.

10 Twists Christmas: A Fresh Look at Holiday Traditions

10 Electric (Eel) Christmas Lights

In the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, a rather electrifying spectacle takes place at the Tennessee Aquarium. Miguel Wattson, an electric eel, isn’t singing carols for his supper; instead, he’s generating the very power that makes the Christmas tree outside his tank sparkle. As he darts about searching for food, low‑voltage jolts travel from his body to a set of tiny bulbs, causing them to blink in a rhythmic fashion.

When Miguel becomes especially excited—whether he’s feasting or simply feeling frisky—the voltage spikes, and the lights burst into a brighter, longer‑lasting flash that rivals any commercial display. The eel’s natural bio‑electricity is thus transformed into a dazzling holiday showcase.

Behind the scenes, Kevin Liska of Tennessee Tech University’s iCube Center helped translate Miguel’s shocks into a playful “voice.” By writing custom code, Liska and his team turned each electrical pulse into sound bites that let the eel shout whimsical phrases like “SHAZAM!” and “ka‑BLAMEROO!”—a delightful blend of electrical engineering and creative communication.

With a similar setup, Miguel has even taken to Twitter, where his 41,000 followers enjoy a steady stream of pun‑filled sound‑effect tweets. The eel responds to comments, sharing jokes such as “r‑eel‑y cool” and proclaiming “I’m eel‑ated,” proving that even underwater creatures can get into the holiday spirit.

9 Edison Christmas Lights

An early advertisement for “Christmas Lighting,” courtesy of Edison Miniature Lamps, boasted that the lights were safe, clean, and odor‑free—promising “no danger, smoke or smell.” While customers could either rent or purchase these lamps, there was a catch: they could only be used in homes that already had electric lighting installed.

Thomas Edison himself invented these lamps, and the inaugural strand made its debut in 1882 on an indoor tree at the New York City residence of Edward Johnson, the vice‑president of the Edison Electric Company. That first display featured eighty tiny bulbs in red, white, and blue, illuminating the tree with a novel electric glow that set the stage for modern holiday lighting.

8 Metallic (and Plastic) Tinsel

Tinsel’s history stretches back to 1610, when German craftsmen first draped Christmas trees with slender silver strands. Those gleaming ribbons reflected the modest candlelight that illuminated the trees, evoking the star‑studded sky of the Nativity story.

Because silver tarnishes quickly, later centuries saw the material swapped for other lustrous metals. At the turn of the twentieth century, aluminum became popular, and subsequently lead foil entered the market—both offered a bright finish without the expense of silver.

Health concerns about lead exposure in 1972 prompted manufacturers and importers to cease production of lead‑based tinsel. Modern tinsel is now crafted from plastic film coated with a metallic finish or from Mylar, cut into thin, shimmering strips that capture the same festive sparkle without the hazards.

7 Rockefeller Christmas Tree Topper

When the 2018 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was ready for its grand debut, the crowning star required a monumental effort to fabricate. BorgDesign Inc., a company known for creating custom parts ranging from medical devices to radar systems, was tapped to engineer the star’s core.

The design collaboration involved Orion RED, architect Daniel Libeskind, and the renowned crystal maker Swarovski. While the creative vision came from these partners, BorgDesign handled the intricate engineering, delivering the star’s structural components after a seven‑month, 500‑to‑1,000‑hour development cycle.

The final piece measured an impressive nine feet, four inches tall, housing seventy LED‑filled modules and encrusted with three million Swarovski crystals. These crystals provide the iconic twinkle that crowns the tree, while a sophisticated lifting mechanism ensures the star can be hoisted safely into its lofty perch.

6 Inverted Christmas Tree

Upside‑down trees surged in popularity on Instagram in 2017, appearing in shopping malls and private homes across the United States. By mounting a tree on a modified stand or suspending its base from the ceiling, decorators flip the traditional orientation, letting ornaments dangle from inverted branches while gifts gather beneath the tree’s tip.

Although this modern trend feels fresh, the concept dates back to the Middle Ages, when inverted trees symbolized the Holy Trinity and the crucifixion of Christ, offering a deeper, historical resonance to the contemporary Instagram‑driven craze.

5 Head Ornament

Thanks to the rise of 3‑D printing, it’s now possible to turn a person’s head into a bespoke Christmas ornament. Imagine a miniature version of yourself, complete with a red stocking cap and a fluffy pom‑pom, hanging from a branch—facial hair and all, minus any gore.

Sony Xperia brought this quirky idea to life in its 2017 “Bauble Me” promotion. At pop‑up events across the United Kingdom, shoppers could have their faces scanned with an Xperia smartphone, printed into a tiny ornament, and taken home for free—turning ordinary holiday décor into a personalized keepsake.

4 La Befana

Since the eighth century, Italy has celebrated a witch‑like figure known as La Befana. According to legend, the Magi spent a night in her home while following the star to Bethlehem. After a warm welcome, the Wise Men invited her to join their journey, but she declined, claiming she needed to tidy her house.

Regretting her decision, La Befana later set out on her own, basket of gifts in hand, to follow the same celestial guide. She never reached the infant Jesus, but her determination cemented her role as a holiday gift‑giver.

Every Epiphany Eve (January 6), she roams from house to house, offering sweets to well‑behaved children and lumps of coal to the naughty. Her story mirrors, in many ways, the modern Santa narrative, adding a distinct Italian flavor to the season’s folklore.

3 Chimney Entrances

Why does Santa slide down chimneys on Christmas Eve? The answer traces back to Washington Irving, whose 1809 work “Knickerbocker’s History of New York” portrayed Saint Nicholas as a jolly figure who “drops” presents down chimney flues. Irving’s vivid description helped cement the chimney as Santa’s preferred entry point.

This imagery draws from medieval beliefs that witches entered homes through chimneys and windows, making the chimney a liminal portal between the earthly realm and the supernatural. Various folklore creatures—Scottish brownies, Irish bodachs, and Italy’s La Befana—also used chimneys to move unseen.

Irving’s portrayal, later amplified by Clement C. Moore’s 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas”), solidified the chimney’s place in the modern Santa mythos.

2 NORAD Tracks Santa Program

The story begins on Christmas Eve 1955, when a curious child mistakenly dialed the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center (CADCOC) in Colorado, seeking Santa’s whereabouts. Colonel Harry Shoup, who answered the call, reassured the youngster that the military would keep an eye on Santa’s journey.

By 1958, the fledgling tradition had evolved into the official NORAD Tracks Santa program. Every December, a massive volunteer network—including seventy government and non‑government contributors and over 1,500 volunteers—fields calls, emails, and online queries to keep children updated on Santa’s global trek.

In 2019 alone, the program logged 126,103 phone calls, answered 2,030 emails, and received 7,477 requests via OnStar to locate Saint Nick, underscoring the enduring popularity of this high‑tech holiday tradition.

1 Letter Adoption

The United States Postal Service processes hundreds of thousands of letters addressed to Santa each year. To respond, the USPS launched Operation Santa, now in its 107th year, spanning fifteen cities across the nation.

To protect children’s privacy, personal details—including last names, addresses, and other contact information—are redacted. Gifts are matched to recipients using a coded system. Volunteers adopt individual letters, purchase at least one requested item, package it, and mail it anonymously to the child, ensuring the magic of receiving a present from Santa lives on.

Letters are also posted on the USPS website, where registered volunteers can claim a letter, purchase the requested gifts, and ship them by December 20.

About The Author: Gary L. Pullman, author of the Western trilogy “An Adventure of the Old West,” lives near Area 51 in southern Nevada, a fact his friends say “explains a lot.”

When you ask yourself why people choose to wear ink on their skin, the answer often spirals into a tapestry of rituals, identity, and sheer curiosity. In this roundup we unveil ten distinct tattoo pieces and the cultural customs that birthed them, each a vivid snapshot of humanity’s love affair with permanent pigment – the very essence of the 10 unique tattoo phenomenon.

10 Olive Oatman And The Mojave Tribe

Native American societies have long embraced tattooing, yet each nation cultivated its own set of rites, symbols, and techniques. Variables such as geography, available natural resources, and spiritual narratives all shaped the way ink was applied and what it signified.

Take the Mojave people, for instance. Spanish chroniclers first mentioned them in the 1500s. Their territory stretched across present‑day California and Arizona along the Colorado River, and they harvested a blue‑hued cactus to create a distinctive pigment. Adolescents received these blue‑cactus markings as a passage‑of‑age ceremony, while warriors bore tattoos for luck and protection in battle, and ceremonial occasions also called for ink.

Photographic evidence of the Mojave is scarce, yet a famous set of portraits of Olive Oatman displays her unmistakable chin tattoos. Oatman’s tale is unusual because she herself was not Mojave; she was a white captive.

As a child, Olive and her sister Mary Ann fell victim to a raid by a group believed to be the Tolkepayas/Western Yavapai, who killed their family and seized the girls as slaves. Their brother Lorenzo escaped, though badly wounded.

The sisters endured harsh treatment until a year later they were traded to a Mojave band in California. Tribal chief Espianola welcomed them, and his wife Aespaneo, together with their daughter Topeka, granted the girls land for cultivation.

The Mojave then applied their signature blue‑cactus tattoos to the girls’ chins, a rite intended to secure a favorable afterlife. Olive and Mary Ann lived among the tribe for several years; tragically, Mary Ann perished during a drought that claimed many lives.

Olive eventually left after the U.S. Army bribed and threatened the Mojave. Reunited with Lorenzo, she initially spoke fondly of her time, but later accounts suggest her feelings grew more ambivalent. The true depth of her sentiment remains an enigma.

9 Dulong Tattoos

The Dulong are a tiny ethnic group tucked away in Yunnan Province, China, who remained isolated until a highway finally cut through their mountains in late 1999. Their tradition, known as “Hua Lian” (literally “painting the face”) or “Wen Mian” (“tattooing the face”), called for girls to receive a facial tattoo at the onset of puberty.

Artists would first sketch the design using soot mixed with water, then pierce the skin with a needle or sharpened stick. Once the pattern was complete, they rubbed soot or grass juice into the fresh wound, turning the resulting scar a deep blue hue.

In the upper and middle reaches of the Dulong River, the designs formed intricate diamond chains that stretched across the bridge of the nose, cheeks, and mouth. Further downstream, the motifs simplified, yet every pattern resembled a butterfly—reflecting the belief that the deceased transformed into butterflies after death.

Scholars argue that the tattoos served a defensive purpose: they rendered Dulong women less appealing to Lisu and Tibetan slavers, who demanded women as tribute when families could not meet tax obligations. By marking themselves with bold, unremovable symbols, the women hoped to deter capture.

In a subtle act of resistance, Dulong women dyed their faces black and blue with soot, ensuring the markings could not be washed away and would frighten potential abductors.

The practice persisted until the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Today, fewer than thirty women still bear the traditional Dulong tattoos.

8 R.H. Macy

At fifteen, Rowland Hussey Macy signed on as a crew member of the whaling vessel Emily Morgan. During his four‑year stint at sea, he commissioned a red star on his forearm, a symbol of the celestial bodies that guided sailors through night‑time tempests.

Returning to shore, Macy opened several ill‑fated stores before joining his brother‑in‑law’s shop in Boston. He also tried his luck in the 1849 California Gold Rush, an endeavor that ended in disappointment.

Undeterred, Macy partnered with his brother to launch a dry‑goods shop in Haverhill, finally tasting success. Buoyed by this triumph, he moved to New York in 1858 and opened R.H. Macy & Co. The inaugural day brought in a modest $11.06; by year’s end, revenue swelled to $85,000.

R.H. Macy & Co. expanded to eleven buildings, evolving into a retail behemoth. Its iconic logo—a red star—echoes Macy’s original tattoo, a lasting tribute to his maritime roots.

7 William Lithgow

William Lithgow, a 17th‑century Scotsman, traveled the globe and chronicled his adventures in numerous works. While in Jerusalem, he and his companions received pilgrimage tattoos. Lithgow’s own ink bore a proud declaration of loyalty to his native monarchy:

In the last night of my staying at Jerusalem… I caused one Elias Bethleete… to engrave on the flesh of my right arm, The never‑conquered Crown of Scotland, and the now inconquerable Crown of England… Vivat Jacobus Rex.

Most pilgrimage tattoos of the era featured Christian symbols or verses, yet Lithgow’s piece also included a regal statement. He later acquired additional pilgrimage markings, mentioned only in marginal notes.

Lithgow’s life was far from ordinary. He was frequently labeled a spy, and in 1620, while in Spain, he was captured and tortured for allegedly sharing intelligence with an English vessel. Spanish inquisitors excised his tattoo, cutting away flesh and sinew until only bone remained.

He recounted the ordeal: “The Corrigidor … gave direction, to tear a sunder, the name, and Crown … cutting the Crown, sinews and flesh to the bare bones.” Though he survived, the injury left lasting scars, and he narrowly escaped execution by burning. He eventually returned to Britain.

6 Otzi The Iceman

Otzi, a naturally mummified corpse discovered in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, dates back more than five millennia. The preservation is so extraordinary that researchers have identified 61 distinct tattoos etched into his skin.

Scientists have debated his cause of death, dietary habits, and even potential modern relatives. Regarding his tattoos, they surmise that a needle or sharp implement first pricked the skin, after which soot was rubbed in to create the permanent marks.

Because Otzi’s skin is heavily pigmented, many of his designs are faint to the naked eye. Advanced multispectral imaging has revealed additional tattoos by separating light wavelengths, making hidden patterns visible.

One prevailing theory suggests the tattoos served a therapeutic purpose akin to acupuncture. Numerous markings align with areas of injury—his Achilles tendon, lower back, wrists, and ankles—hinting at a medical rationale.

If this interpretation holds, it would push the origins of acupuncture back nearly two thousand years earlier than previously believed. Nonetheless, researchers acknowledge uncertainty: “It’s possible Otzi’s people believed those regions of the body were spiritually significant.”

Other tattoos, such as those on his chest, do not correspond to any obvious ailment, leaving their true intent ambiguous. Whether decorative, ritualistic, or therapeutic, Otzi’s ink offers an unparalleled glimpse into a prehistoric culture.

5 Mai

Mai hailed from Raiatea, an island in French Polynesia. In the 1700s, his homeland faced invasion by Boroboro warriors, prompting him to flee to Tahiti. The first Europeans to encounter Tahiti were Captain Wallis and his crew aboard HMS Dolphin around 1767, who attempted to claim the island for Britain and suppress native resistance.

As European vessels continued to arrive, the islanders suffered from dwindling resources and ongoing conflict. Some were even taken to England as “specimens,” where many perished during the journey.

When Captain Cook returned in 1773, Mai—mistakenly recorded as Omai—requested to accompany the expedition back to Europe. His goal: acquire firearms and other weaponry to reclaim Raiatea from the Boroboro.

During his stay in England, Mai was presented to high society by Sir Joseph Banks. He met King George III and, before returning to Tahiti in 1776, sat for a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

The painting, titled Portrait of Omai, depicts a barefoot figure in white robes, with hands and wrists adorned by a series of dots. These tattoos signaled his exotic origins to European audiences, embodying the era’s “noble savage” ideal.

4 People Of The Arctic And The Inuit

Arctic peoples may have shared a common tattoo tradition, as suggested by an ivory mask recovered on Devon Island that dates back over 3,500 years. The mask bears parallel lines extending from forehead to lips and chin, motifs later identified in various northern communities worldwide.

The earliest European record comes from Sir Martin Frobisher in 1576, who observed: The women are marked on the face with blewe streekes down the cheekes and round about the eies… they race … the wristes of their hands, whereupon they lay a colour, which continueth dark azurine.

For many decades, Inuit facial tattoos were stigmatized after missionaries introduced Christianity, prompting the suppression of shamanic practices and associated markings. Some tattoos also functioned as pain‑relief methods akin to acupuncture, but European medical advances rendered those techniques obsolete.

Today, artists like Holly Mititquq Nordlum and Maya Sialuk Jacobsen are reviving traditional methods—hand‑poking and skin‑stitching—through apprenticeship programs, gradually restoring pride in Inuit tattoo heritage.

3 Bert Grimm And The US Criminal Underworld

Bert Grimm fled home at fifteen to become a traveling tattooist, joining the itinerant sideshow circuit. Along the way, he crossed paths with fellow artists such as Shorty Schultz, Percy Waters, and Long Andy Libarry, honing his craft and expanding his repertoire.

Grimm eventually established tattoo parlors in Chicago, Las Vegas, Long Beach, and St. Louis. A charismatic raconteur, he would weave tales of his exploits into each session, bolstering his reputation.

Among his most sensational alleged clients were the infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, though details of their tattoos remain murky. He also claimed to have inked Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd, the notorious bank robber, with a “Rose of No Man’s Land”—a design originally honoring World War I Red Cross nurses.

Floyd’s wanted poster referenced the rose tattoo, and Grimm asserted he applied it during an unnamed visit to his St. Louis shop. The story took an unexpected turn when a U.S. marshal, intrigued by the design, visited Grimm, received the same tattoo, and left with it on his own skin.

Grimm’s gift of gab and his willingness to share colorful anecdotes cemented his moniker as “the greatest tattoo artist in the world.” He practiced for roughly seventy years before passing away in 1985.

2 Irezumi

Irezumi, which translates to “inserting ink,” denotes the Japanese tattoo tradition that dates back to the Jōmon period. Archaeological finds, including clay figurines with facial markings, suggest early societies used tattoos to denote rank or ward off malevolent spirits.

The full‑body tattoo, known as horimono, evolved into an intricate art form that displayed wealth and status—particularly during eras when tattooing was outlawed in Japan.

In modern times, tattoos have become entwined with the Yakuza, Japan’s organized crime syndicate, which regards the painful process as a testament to bravery.

Negative perceptions also stem from 17th‑century Chinese influence. In China, criminals received facial branding to mark offenses, and this practice was adopted in Japan, where each region assigned specific designs to denote particular crimes.

Although tattoos are now legal throughout Japan, lingering stigma persists in certain locales, a cultural echo of historic criminal association.

1 Tattooed Ladies And Circus Freaks

The human fascination with the bizarre has endured for centuries, giving rise to “freak shows” that peaked in popularity during the late 1800s and early 1900s. These exhibitions highlighted individuals with extraordinary physical or mental conditions—people like Schlitzie (“The Last of the Aztecs”), Frank Lentini (“The Three‑Legged Man”), and Joseph Merrick (“The Elephant Man”).

Among the attractions were tattooed performers, especially women, whose elaborate ink sparked curiosity. Many concocted sensational backstories about receiving tattoos from “savage natives” or tribal peoples.

George Contentenus, billed as “The Tattooed Man,” boasted over 300 tattoos and claimed he was a prince raised in a Turkish harem, his skin covered by markings allegedly forced upon him by Burmese natives. He even published a book detailing this narrative before later admitting it was a fabricated tale meant to boost his fame and fortune.

Similarly, numerous tattooed ladies spun fictitious stories about Native American origins for their ink, though some, like Artoria Gibbons, earned genuine fame through skillful performances. Gibbons, the highest‑paid tattooed lady of her era, received all of her markings from her partner “Red” Gibbons and maintained a devoted male following well into her eighties.

Although freak shows have faded, their legacy endures. By showcasing tattooed bodies on stage, they helped normalize ink in Western culture, turning what was once a curiosity into a mainstream form of self‑expression.

Today, many of us associate December with traditions and festivities that seem like an integral part of Christmas. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, before the Victorian era, Christmas was only ever really minimally celebrated in Britain and in other English‑speaking countries. It wasn’t until the reign of Queen Victoria and her German husband, King Albert, that Christmas became the truly festive celebration we recognize today. Thus, it is thanks to the Victorian era that most of our beloved Christmas traditions, such as Christmas cards, gifts, and Boxing Day, are popular.

10 Strange Christmas Traditions Unveiled

10 Creepy Christmas Cards

The Victorian period gave birth to the very first Christmas card, a creation of painter John Callcott Horsley, who answered a request from his affluent friend Sir Henry Cole. Cole had realised he was far too occupied to hand‑write individual holiday greetings for every family member, friend and colleague, and thought a single illustrated card with a short message would speed things up considerably.

Following its modest debut among Cole’s acquaintances, a thousand of these new cards were printed and offered for sale in 1843. The initial reception was lukewarm, and the temperance movement even condemned the cards because several featured glasses of wine, fearing they might promote drunkenness.

Nevertheless, within a year the cards exploded in popularity. Artists quickly diversified the designs, ranging from gentle spring‑time motifs—cherubs, blossoms and the like—to far more unsettling scenes: sinister clowns poking policemen with red pokers, gigantic wasps chasing children, and mischievous gambling monkeys.

9 Glass Pickle

A tiny glass pickle ornament was traditionally slipped into the Christmas tree as a token of good luck. The person who discovered it on Christmas Day either received a special present or earned the honor of opening the first gift.

Legend traces the custom back to a medieval tale about two Spanish boys travelling home for the holiday. Exhausted, they sought shelter at an inn where a wicked innkeeper stole their belongings and stashed them inside a pickle barrel. Saint Nicholas arrived, rescued the boys, and they thanked him before continuing on to their families.

A second version expands the story: three Spanish boys are abducted by a malevolent shopkeeper who chops them up and preserves them in a pickle barrel. Upon learning of their steadfast faith, Saint Nicholas prays, and the boys are miraculously restored to life and health.

8 Wassail Punch

Wassail punch was a beloved winter beverage concocted from fruit, cider and a medley of spices. Victorians would serve it to carolers who roamed from house to house, singing hymns and wassailing. After the singing, the hosts invited the troupe to share a sip from a communal wassail bowl.

Recipes varied widely, but the drink was always served hot. Some families based theirs on ale or cider, heating it until it turned thick and frothy; the foam was affectionately called “lamb’s wool.” Freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, lemon slices and even roasted crab apples were common flavour boosters.

7 Festive Science

During the Victorian age, scientific progress became almost synonymous with Christmas itself. Holiday‑themed books were packed with experiments for youngsters, news magazines printed scientific Christmas stories, and poems and newspapers advertised scientific toys and pastimes.

The 1830s saw the opening of two practical‑science galleries: the Adelaide Gallery and the Royal Polytechnic Institution. The former staged Christmas performances that often projected microscopic organisms, while the latter, under the direction of John Henry Pepper, turned the venue into a winter wonderland of optical pantomimes and a towering Christmas tree piled with scientific gifts.

Pepper’s most celebrated attraction was “Pepper’s Ghost,” an illusion where a phantom appeared and vanished onstage. Though adapted from Henry Dircks’s earlier mirror‑based invention, Pepper’s version projected a hidden actor from an off‑stage room onto the stage. After each show, scientists delivered a thorough lecture revealing the mechanics behind the marvel.

6 Parlor Games

The Victorians adored entertainment, and Christmas was the perfect excuse for a flurry of parlor games. These pastimes kept families amused, filled idle hours, and lifted spirits during a season when few diversions existed. Some games were downright hazardous—take “snapdragon,” where raisins were tossed into a bowl of rum, set alight, and participants had to snatch the flaming raisins and eat them on the spot. Simpler, still‑popular diversions included charades and the whimsical “Change Seats!”

Losers typically faced a forfeit. Gentlemen might be obliged to kiss every lady in the room, only to discover that a lady would often do the kissing on their behalf. Other creative penalties included delivering six compliments to a lady without using the letter “L,” or posing like a Grecian statue while others rearranged one’s limbs at will.

Ladies weren’t exempt from playful punishment. One notorious forfeit required a lady to kiss a gentleman in a “rabbit fashion”: each would place one end of a cotton strand in their mouths and inch toward each other until the kiss was achieved.

5 Oysters

The type of protein that graced the Victorian Christmas table depended heavily on a family’s wealth and locale. The affluent favoured beef or turkey, while the less prosperous settled for cheaper fare such as geese. However, even geese could be beyond the reach of many, prompting poorer households to search for an affordable alternative.

Oysters filled that niche perfectly. Abundant and inexpensive, they were sold as quick street snacks, pickled for later consumption, or served in stews, pies, or simply on their own. Pubs often paired them with a stout, earning oysters the nickname “the poor man’s protein” and cementing their place as the centerpiece of many modest Christmas meals.

4 Christmasing

“Christmasing” described a bustling trade where vendors gathered festive greenery—holly, mistletoe and the like—and sold it in the days leading up to the holiday. Homes, inns, churches and even puddings and mince pies were lavishly adorned with these branches.

Holly proved more popular than mistletoe, primarily because it cost less than half as much and grew abundantly in hedges, whereas mistletoe required specific host trees such as apple or hawthorn, making it a luxury for the well‑to‑do and a status symbol for those who could afford it.

Vendors would scour London’s neighborhoods weeks before Christmas, often trespassing onto private grounds to harvest holly. If caught, they might lose only the holly they’d taken. Acquiring mistletoe was riskier, involving entry into orchards where dogs, traps and spring guns awaited the unwary.

3 Goose Feather Tree

The goose‑feather tree—an assemblage of goose feathers dyed green and dotted with tiny ornaments—was the first artificial Christmas tree, originally German and later embraced by Victorians. Feathers from swans, turkeys and ostriches were also employed. German immigrants brought the concept to America when deforestation made real fir trees scarce.

Construction was straightforward: a framework of sticks or wire formed the trunk, while the sticks were wrapped in dyed feathers to mimic pine needles. Small ornaments were then attached, creating a festive, reusable alternative to a cut‑down fir.

2 Football

From the Victorian era right through the 1950s, playing football on Christmas Day was a beloved tradition, often causing fans to postpone their roast dinner to catch a match. Important fixtures were scheduled for both Christmas Day and Boxing Day. In 1888, Everton played two games on Christmas Day, drawing roughly 2,000 spectators—a sizable crowd for the period. Their Boxing Day match, a draw, attracted fewer fans, partly because it rained hail.

The inaugural league match on Christmas Day took place in 1889 when Preston North End faced Aston Villa. Both sides were powerhouses, and about 9,000 fans turned up to watch the spectacle.

As leagues expanded, supporters travelled farther, aided by the fact that public transport remained operational during the holidays. The tradition faded only after televised matches made it easier to enjoy football from home.

1 Goose Clubs

Although a goose traditionally headlined the Victorian Christmas dinner, most families earned only a few shillings a week and could not afford such a bird. Rural workers often received a goose or other meat as a Christmas bonus from their employers, and landowners sometimes provided meals for tenants. Urban poor, lacking such patronage, turned to “Goose Clubs.”

Members contributed a couple of pence each week to a communal fund. Just before Christmas, the pool bought a goose that would be shared among the club’s families, guaranteeing even the poorest a proper festive feast. Local bakers frequently stayed open late on Christmas Day to roast the birds for the club members.

Laura, a student from Ireland who loves books, writing, coffee and cats, shared that the sense of community created by these clubs made the holiday season feel truly inclusive.

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.