The internet states that there are more than 4,200 religions around the world. While this number is debatable, especially depending on how one defines the term, it can offer a bit of scope. Each religion is unique in its own ways. It has different religious rituals and customs associated with it, some of which may come across as strange to outsiders. While you may be familiar with the customs of your own faith, you might not know the first thing about how people worship in other nations. Now can be a great time to change that!
Take a look at these interesting religious rituals from around the world. From the mundane to the bizarre, every group has its own way of connecting to the divine and making sense of the world.
Auto Blessing
In the Christian faith, it is common practice to baptize a child in a religious ritual meant to welcome the little one into the faith. While blessing a person is quite normal in a number of faiths in North America, there are also plenty of places around the globe where cars and other vehicles are shown the same level of attention. In countries ranging from Bolivia to Thailand, people have the automobiles blessed in various ceremonies to welcome safety and luck to the vehicle for the future.
In some nations, the blessings have very specific rules. In the Philippines, for example, Catholic families will often invite a priest over on Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday to have new vehicles blessed. According to custom, having a priest over on these particular dates can bring about a ton of good fortune. In some nations, cars are just the beginning when it comes to blessings. In Thailand, jets are regularly blessed by Buddhist priests before the aircraft take their first official flights.
Feeling Buggy
A ton of modern religions have ancient beginnings. These deep roots mean that many of the customs started in a time when ingredients found in nature were the only options for ceremonies. The “coming of age” ritual is one found in all sorts of faiths, from Native American tribes to Judaism. In the Amazon, one such ritual involves nature in a very up-close and personal way. The Satere-Mawe, an indigenous tribe in Brazil, have a custom where young men transitioning from boyhood to manhood must plunge their arms into gloves filled with venomous ants.
The ants are known as “bullet ants,” and their bites are said to be far more painful than wasp stings. Beyond this, the venom of the ants can linger in the system for days and cause intense feelings of pain for a long while after the bites first occurred. The young men endure the pain of the ant bites to increase their strength and endurance. The bites are also said to contain properties that the tribe believes will protect the young men from future sickness.
Public Display
Some customs die out in popularity, which can often be for the best. Self-flagellation, for example, is the act of a person publicly whipping himself or herself with a lash in order to atone for crimes or sins. Practiced across several religions in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as quite intensely throughout the Medieval Ages, the somewhat violent practice eventually became less popular and fizzled away. Still, there are a number of smaller groups around the world that engage self-flagellation for various spiritual purposes.
Religion has existed since the earliest days of humanity. As the years pass and customs change, new and interesting religious rituals develop to meet the times. By learning about these, you can develop an appreciation for the various ways mankind attempts to connect to the divine and experience a deeper spiritual connection.