By: Menna Khamiss
As we have very weird traditions of our own here in Egypt, there are also other weird traditions all over the world that may seem funny, confusing and shocking for us.
Here is a list of some of the weirdest traditions from around the world:
Some traditions have to do with the holidays as well as other times that people go through at some point in their lives. Starting from Europe, in the Czech Republic, men go door to door with gaily decorated braided wooden switches on Easter Monday. These men lightly smack women on the buttocks in hopes of imbuing them with fertility.
When it comes the weirdest birthday celebrations, we have to absolutely mention Germany. Cleaning doorknobs on your 30th birthday in Germany is a market tradition. If you’re an unmarried woman who hit 30, you’re expected to clean the doorknobs of your best friends. The only other way out of this tradition is to secure a kiss from the opposite sex.
Continuing with the birthday traditions, it’s a Dutch tradition that for someone’s birthday, you have to congratulate their whole family.
From the Netherlands to Rome, the tradition of feeding the dead is a tradition that was actually popular years ago. The Romans used to dig a tunnel leading to the graveyards to send honey and liquids to their deceased loved ones.
Another super weird tradition takes place in Denmark where Danish people throw every single lady that hits 25 with cinnamon, and when she hits 30, they throw her with pepper, as if the dating scene wasn’t hard and spicy enough.
From one continent to another, we would be talking about totally different but equally weird traditions. Take Latin America for example. The Yonamamo tribe of Brazil believes that when a loved one dies, the family members must consume their body. The tribe burns the body to ash and then mixes this ash into the family’s food. Not quite a gourmet meal but what can we say, TRADITIONS!
Moving on the map to Central America, particularly Mexico where the birthday person is supposed to be the first to bite the cake. As the celebrant bends to take a bite, someone has to always shove his or her face into the cake. So if you’re celebrating your birthday in Mexico by any chance, take this tradition into consideration.
We can say that traditions define nations the way borders do not. So as you’re laying down reading this article, have fun remembering your weirdest country traditions and accept them. Accept your old panties and boxers that were transformed too soon into kitchen cleaning cloths, the “Shah2a” sound that your mother makes while cooking Molokheya and the “Neesh” you absolutely can’t get married without.
