221 Curious Customs Practices and Traditions Around the World

Kidnapping the Bride is a pre-wedding custom in Germany. Do you know: The groom usually pays for a drink for anyone who wants to help him find his bride. Before the wedding, the friends of the bride and the groom kidnap the bride and the groom is expected to find her. The search for the […]

Both First Foot and the Luckenbooth Brooch are simple sweet pre-wedding customs in Scotland. Do you know: In the 18th century this type of brooch was sold through locked booths in the jewellery stores of Saint Giles in Edinburgh. A quaint custom amongst the Scots is the ‘first foot’ seen by the bride on her

There are interesting pre-wedding customs that are a part of Scottish tradition. Do you know: ‘Creeling the groom’ is a custom whereby the groom has to carry a basket full of stones until the bride comes and gives him a kiss. On the eve of the wedding, friends, members of family and relatives gather to

Esala Perahera is also known as the ‘Festival of the tooth’, and is the biggest festival in Sri Lanka. Do you know: While the festival has been organized since the 18th century, thereare experts who believe that the ritual dates back to the 4th century. EsalaPerahera is an annual festival where the main attraction is

The Feria de Caballo is a horse fair that is held annually in the city of Jerez de la Frontera, in Southern Spain. Do you know: The origins of this fair could be traced back 5 centuries. What started as an ordinary place for meetings, over the time became much more; with wine producers joining

The Festa del Redentore is a special feast organized in Venice, Italy, annually. Do you know: The feast was started as a celebration for the end of the plague, in 1573. The Festa del Redentore is celebrated each year in the month of July. On the special day, people in thousands collect to watch the

Detailed eating rituals and table manners are followed in the Japanese custom. Do you know: The Japanese rarely use spoons with their food. Since mostly chopsticks are used, many customs revolve around eating with them. The Japanese sit on a tatami floor with a low table for their meals. In a formal arrangement, it is

Palio Della Rana is an interesting event organized after Easter in Fermignano, Italy. Do you know: The main attraction of this event is a frog race. The Palio Della Rana is a unique event, where almost 300 people dress in medieval costumes and parade before the main event. The main event is a frog race,

Bone House is a custom whereby a building housing human bones is built. Many such houses exist across Europe. Do you know: The custom of human skeletons being arrangedin a special way inside a building started in 1278. Bone Houses were created essentially due to the paucity of space for burials. Hence, in the area

They are a tribe of people who live over a vast area of land spread out in the Kalahari desert. Do you know:The San People are said to have the oldest culture, which is over a 1,00,000 years old, on the planet. The San People have interesting customs relating to death. They avoid burial places

While weddings are beautiful in Morocco, the excitement and festive atmosphere is created with the pre-wedding customs. Do you know: Traditionally, it used to be the groom’s family that chose the bride for him. The first pre-wedding custom involves sending gifts such as jewellery, clothes and perfumes to the bride. The second custom, the furnishing

The Kayapo are native to Brazil and live along the Amazon basin mostly. Do you know: The Kayapo believe that their ancestors learn their social skills from insects. The Kayapo custom does not allow them to differentiate between heavenly and earthly things. Families have private property. But other than that, everything is shared. The women

In Portugal, the locals believed that the baby’s gender could be decided by the kind of food eaten. Do you know: The locals of Portugal believe that the shape of a fruit or food could determine the baby’s gender. Pregnant women in Portugal are told that if they want to have baby-girls, they should eat

There is a quaint custom surrounding pregnancies in the Orkney Islands, in Northern Scotland. Do you know: The baby-boys were always baptized before baby-girls, because the locals believed; if a girl was baptized first, she would grow a beard. In the Orkney Islands, a pregnancy is usually kept a secret to keep the mother and