The Sky Burial is an ancient and hidden funerary practice followed by the Buddhists, the Tibetans and the Mongolians. Do you know: In this practice, the body of the deceased has to be cut into pieces. The Sky Burial is considered to be an extreme form of ‘alms giving’ by the Tibetans. Members of family […]
Common name : Tumbili Scientific name : Chlorocebus pygerythrus Family : Cercopithecidae Native to : Southern and East Africa Interesting fact : The grandmothers and grandchildren share their genes. Conservation status : Least Concern There are five sub-species of vervet monkeys. The monkeys are known for their love of grooming one another for hours; this
Man Down is a tradition drinking game in Russia. Do you know: The Russians are known for their love for vodka and this game tests their capabilities to the limit. As a tradition of sorts, when the Russian men get together they have a drinking custom, where one bottle of vodka is distributed amongst three
Throwing Coins for children is a tradition in Mexico. Do you know: The coins thrown for children are known as ‘Bolo’. As a blessing and wishing them prosperity for their life, adults in Mexico throw money at small children in their baptism. The custom has evolved over the years to include chocolate money, which for
Scientific name : Desmodontinae Family : Phyllostomidae Native to : Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina Interesting fact : Hematophagy refers to the food habit of some animals feeding on blood. Conservation status : Least Concern Vampire bats are bats whose food source is blood; they are of three types. Unlike other bats, vampire bats can
Mexican traditions for a person’s birthday involve fun and entertaining customs. Do you know: Smashing a cake on the birthday boy’s/girl’s face was a tradition that most probably originated in Mexico. Birthdays are celebrated with great pomp in Mexico. At dawn and dusk, Las Mañanitas is sung for the birthday person. His entire family is
Boot Throwing is an actual competition in Finland that has been around for a very long time. Do you know: In this unique competition, the boot couldn’t be just any boot, but a rubber boot. There are many interesting customs and practices in Finland that have been converted into entertaining competitions. Boot Throwing is one
Common name : Arkars, Shapo Scientific name : Ovis orientalis vignei Family : Bovidae Native to : Central Asia Interesting fact : It is found in Ladakh as well. Conservation status : Threatened It is a type of wild sheep. It has reddish-brown long fur that fades during winter. Urial males have large horns, curling
The Germans have another fun custom for bachelors and bachelorettes at 30. Do you know: 30-year-old bachelors and bachelorettes are made to do ridiculous cleaning chores on their birthdays. Bachelors at 30 have the misfortune of having to sweep the stairs of the town hall with ridiculous costumes, such as sumo outfits and unimaginably small
In Germany, 25-years-old unmarried persons are meant to partake in a quirky custom. Do you know: At 25 bachelors in Germany are known as ‘old socks’ and bachelorettes are known as ‘old boxes’. Bachelors in Germany receive garlands of socks draped all over and around their houses for everyone to see. What’s more, as the
Scientific name : Elaphodus cephalophus Family : Cervidae Native to : China and Myanmar Interesting fact : Its hide costs much and sells for a lot of money. Conservation status : Near Threatened It is called tufted deer because of a tuft of black hair on its forehead. The deer bears close resemblance to the
Unmarried women in France celebrate Saint Catherine’s Day on November 25th, in a unique way. Do you know: Paris organizes a runway show to honour the ‘Catherinettes’. It is customary in France for unmarried women at 25 to wear large green and yellow hats and parade in them through-out the day in honour of Saint
Scientific name : Panthera tigris x Panthera leo Family : Felidae Interesting fact : Not found in the wild. Usually, tigons weigh around 180 kilograms. Tigons can exhibit visible characteristics from both parents, they can have both spots from the mother and stripes from the father. Usually they have orange-yellow coats with stripes or spots,
Scientific name : Sarcophilus harrisii Family : Dasyuridae Native to : Australian Island state of Tasmania Interesting fact : The largest carnivorous marsupial in the world; locates prey by itswhiskers. Conservation status : Endangered The size of a small dog, it has a stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, disturbing screech, and a
Scientific name : Tapirus indicus Family : Tapiridae Native to : Asia Interesting fact : They have powerful jaws and bite when threatened. Conservation status : Endangered It is similar in shape to a pig. Their coats are short and range in colour from reddish-brown to grey to nearly black. Their size varies between types,