Unusual Customs
We all have our customs, but some customs are a heck of a lot stranger than others. Customs have also changed a lot over the centuries. One particular nauseating custom that the Romans had, was to eat until they were full, then go to a place in the home called a vomitarium. There they would cause themselves to throw up, so that they could eat some more food. They were so advanced in some areas and yet so strange in others. In our civilization we look upon the marriage of close relatives to each other, such as brothers, sisters, first cousins and such with utter disdain and indeed it is just not done in most places. In ancient cultures there was nothing wrong with this and indeed it was considered quite acceptable in places like ancient Egypt. In ancient times as well as some parts of the world today polygamy is accepted. Adultery is frowned upon today and often results in divorce, but it was dealt with differently in ancient times. In olden Scandinavia, the offended husband was allowed to castrate his wife’s lover and kill his wife. In ancient Egypt the man was castrated and the woman had her nose cut off. In other ancient civilizations both parties might be stoned to death. In some areas of India old traditions die hard. If a man and woman like each other and want to get married, the families must meet and if the families like the choice, then the bride’s family must give the groom’s family a dowry and the date for the wedding is planned. If the gifts are unsatisfactory to the groom's family, the bride’s family might have the groom kidnapped and then married to the groom without his consent. This is called Pakraua Vivaah or forceful marriage. If the groom resists, he is open to be punished and even killed.
Pearls In Asia one of the medicines that is used to cure disease is crushed precious pearls. They are crushed into a powder and have been used for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. Pearls are made of calcium carbonate and guess what, this is an antacid like the one’s we might take for an upset stomach. I guess you need a lot of money to take this cure? In Austria, Krampusse Night is celebrated. Krampusse is a figure that looks like the devil, but has some relationship to St. Nicholas. The people gather on that night and wear goat hair costumes and carved masks and carry bundles of sticks. They ring cow bells as they approach. They are usually young men that get very drunk and hit people on the street with sticks. Women are told to stay indoors that night. In some European countries children are told that if they don’t go to sleep on Christmas eve, Krampusse will take all the gifts that St. Nicholas, or Santa leaves them. In Thailand one of the things that is considered insulting, is if you cross you legs while sitting. It is especially insulting if you do it in front of a monk. Americans are considered Farang. This means Long Noses. As near as I can figure, this means that we appear extremely foreign to the Thais, far more than an Asian would be for example. Thais have a custom that is similar to many Asian cultures and that is not to criticize in public, because this causes them to lose face. Staring directly at someone is considered rude. Do not look into the eyes of the person that you are talking to. The head is considered the cleanest part of the body and things that go on your head should never go on the ground. You should never touch anyone else’s head. The Japanese seem to have a lot of customs. The bow is a showing of respect during a greeting. There are different bows depending on the importance of the person being greeted. The deeper. longer bows are for more important people. If you are eating with chop sticks, it is acceptable to raise the bowls of food to your mouth. You should say, “itadakimasu”, which means, I will receive, before starting to eat. Tipping is considered insulting. In Japan you had better wear nice socks without holes, because you can never enter a home with your shoes on. This is also true in most businesses and hotels. If a Japanese person feels that they might have something that others might be able to catch, they will wear a mask. If you are invited to take a bath first when you visit someone, it is an honor, but you have to make sure that you are very clean before getting into the bath. The bath water must not get dirty. Unusual customs are not limited to non western nations. There is a custom in Derbyshire, England that is called Well Dressing. No it has nothing to do with wearing nice clothes and such. It is literally going to wells and and making them look nice by dressing them up. Large framed panels that contain elaborate pictures are put around the wells. The panels and pictures are made of things like flower petals, berries and such and only last a few days.
Rodeo We have our own strange customs right here in this country. One of them is greasing up a pig and trying to catch it. You might see this at Indian Powwows or state fairs. In Maine, on the 4th of July, you can go to the Lobster races. In another area we have the Boom Box Parade. Instead of a band, people bring their radios and tune in to the local radio station that plays marching tunes and they march. Another tradition in some areas is the rodeo. This seems ordinary to us, but curious to others. These feature bronco bustin, steer riding, pig scramble and other things. The dish drop custom would appear strange to some. It happens in some areas when dishes are dropped in a restaurant and everyone claps and whistles.
Left: Catrinas I guess no discussion of unusual customs would be complete without discussing Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. It is celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans. The idea is for the family to gather to remember the souls of family and friends and to pray for them. It occurs on November 1st and 2nd and is connected to the Catholic All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It is believed that this celebration might go back as far as 3,000 years, predating Christianity. Toys are brought to the graves of dead children, along with alcohol for deceased adults. Sugar skulls are also popular. Skeleton figures are dressed up and these are called Catrinas. Skull masks are worn called calacas. A bread is made called pan de muerto, that is made in various shapes including skulls and rabbits. Colorful costumes are worn, sometimes they have noisy shells or bells attached to wake the dead when the women dance. Yes there are many different customs in the world and while we all inhabit the same planet, some of these customs seem very strange to some of us, while seeming quite normal to others. |
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