The Crying Ritual is a pre-wedding ritual that takes place amongst the Tujia people in the Sichuan Province, China. Do you know: This wedding ritual is said to have originated as early as the Warring States Period, which lasted between 475 BC and 221 BC. This ritual, while practised differently in different parts, mostly requires […]
Thimithi or the Fire-walking Festival takes place in various partsof South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Do you know:Thimithi is a part of a two-and-a-half-month-long ceremony where the community re-enacts the parts of the Mahabharata. Thimithi is the devotion shown by the members of the community towards goddess Draupadi. Devotees follow a priest
The Up HellyAa Fire Festival is held in Shetland, Scotland. Do you know: The festival was a transformation of an old Yule tradition known as Tar barrelling, which was eventually banned. While the original tradition involved mischief-makers barrelling burning tar through the town on sledges, in 1881, a formal tradition originated from this tradition. People
Common name : Patagonian mara, Patagonian Cavy, Patagonian Hare or Dillaby Scientific name : Dolichotis patagonum Family : Caviidae Native to : Argentina Interesting fact : Its skin is used to make rugs and bedspreads. Conservation status : Near Threatened This herbivorous, somewhat rabbit-like animal, has an agouti-coloured fur with a light-coloured underside, buff-coloured, thin
The Scarlet Sails is a festival that began after World War-II at St. Petersburg, Russia. Do you know: This tradition started as a symbolic representation of the 1922 popular children’s book of the same name by Alexander Grin. After World War-II, Leningrad students united to celebrate the end of another school year. During that year,
The Tower of Silence is an actual tower built as a part of the funerary practices of the Zoroastrian community, predominantly in Mumbai, India. Do you know: As a part of this ritual, vultures must feast upon the dead. The Parsi community does not believe in burying or cremating its dead members. A deceased member
Common name : Scaly anteaters Scientific name : Manis Family : Manidae Native to : Asia and sub-Saharan Africa Conservation status : Least Threatened They are covered in tough, overlapping scales. These burrowing mammals eat ants and termites using extra-ordinarily long, sticky tongues, and are able to roll themselves up quickly into tight balls when
The Mass Scavenging ritual is a funerary ritual that is practised by the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Do you know: The members of this indigenous group let loose wild animals on their dead people. According to this custom, the bodies of all the dead members of the group are
The Hanging Coffins are a Chinese funerary custom that is most commonly attributed to the Bo people of Mantangba, China. Do you know: This traditional practice could be dated back to more than 3,000 years ago in China. The Hanging Coffins were the most widespread form of burial in Southwest China. It was believed that
Common name : Panda bear, Giant panda Scientific name : Ailuropoda melanoleuca Family : Ursidae Native to : China Interesting fact : 99% of its diet is bamboo. Conservation status : Endangered It has black fur on ears, eye patches, a muzzle, legs, and shoulders with the rest of the coat being white. It stands
Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, is considered the Atonement Day by the Sunni Muslims the world over, whereas the Shia Muslims deem it to be a day of great sorrow. Do you know: While suffering and flailing rituals were banned in many places including Lebanon, these practices still continue in India and Bangladesh. The
The Baby Throwing ritual takes place amongst the Hindu and Muslim Indians in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka in India. Do you know: The ritual requires a baby to be tossed through 30 feet of air. The Baby Throwing ritual is carried out at a religious shrine, where a man scales a wall 30
Scientific name : Lutrinae Family : Mustelidae Native to : Coasts of the pacific ocean in North America and Asia Interesting fact : Otters aren’t found in Antarctica and Australia. Conservation status : Threatened This is an aquatic member of the weasel family. Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs with webbed paws.
The Finger Cutting ritual of the Dani tribe is practised as a form of mourning in Papua, Indonesia. Do you know: While the ritual was to be carried out by any member of the family of the deceased, it was mostly women that were subject to this ritual. The people of the Dani tribe believed
Common name : Gazelle Scientific name : Oryx gazella Family : Bovidae Native to : Africa Interesting fact : They can smell rain from almost 80 km away. Conservation status : Endangered It is a large antelope with long, spear-like horns. It is a true desert animal, with a thick, horse-like neck; a short mane,