Bizarre Rituals That Are Still Performed Today
Necrophagy, is the practice of feeding on carrion. The Aghori Babas are famous for eating the dead. They believe by eating the dead, it would confront their fear of death.
Sun Dance is performed by the Native American. It is a way to pray to the Great Spirit. Participants are pierced with a skewer, and a rope connects the skewer to a pole which represents the Tree of Life. This is rarely practiced today. Most of the rituals today involves dancing in the Sun to pray for the spirits of the world.
Self – Flagellation is implemented every year during the holy month of Muharram. Followers of Shi’a sect of Islam will whip their bodies with blades attached to chain.
Gkol is a ritual performed by land diving. It is performed in the village of Bunlap. Despite the chances of broken bones and death, it is said that the higher the jump, the more blessings you will get.
Vodun (Spiritual Possession) is a ritual that involves making someone into a kind of vessel, or medium. He or she is taken to the forest to connect with the earth spirit, Sakpata.
Jhator (sky burial) is practiced in Tibet. Relatives of the dead will bring the body to the “highest” altitude and leave it for scavengers to eat it. It was believed that when someone dies, the soul has moved to another realm and the body was no longer needed.
Fire Walking is hosted in Pennang, Malaysia called the “Nine Emperor Gods Festival.” As the name implies, people walked barefooted on burning embers.
Famadihana is a traditional festival held every 2-7 year in Madagascar. Loved ones will be dug up from their graves and danced with. It is believed it will help them reach the afterlife faster.
Impaling is annual ritual that takes place in Thailand. It requires participants to push knives, spears, swords, and hooks through their cheeks. By doing this, they believe they will be protected from evil.
Death Rites is practiced by the Amazonian tribe. The Amazonian tribe of Yanomami view death as an unnatural phenomenon. Corpse will be cremated and then fermented with banana. It is then consumed by the tribes’ people, believing the spirit of the dead will continue to live among them.
dawn blooms
across my skin
like a bruise
and I know
what the sun is doing
to me.
today is a day for
pushing the past
deep into pockets
and spreading
smiles across
the ghost towns of
our lips, like
if we leave the doors open
maybe laughter will find us
inside.
moments after I make the call
the lie, I love you too
my knees fold to the floor
in another kind of bruise
as the blue spreads
across my eyes, rolls
down my cheeks
salt water on my skin
this is not how it was supposed to be.
static across phone lines
because there’s no right thing to say
and nothing left either
so we each stutter at the edge of the receiver
spitting lies between clenched teeth
knuckles white, you were always there for me
the bruise dawn bloomed now
breaks into a wound as I say the words.
i love you too.
heavy chests, and ragged breaths
blue like a cracked open sea
this was not the way
it was supposed to be.
