#9 Christmas in Catatonia
(El Caganer, Spain)
 A little doll or model who
has his pants down to er…
take a dump… somewhere in
the Nativity scene. This
particular tradition has been
around since the 18th or 19th
century, and he’s a bit like
the “Where’s Waldo?” of a
Christmas scene in the
Northern region of Spain.
#10 Christmas in Catatonia 2
(El Caganer, Spain)
 If one crapping Christmas
tradition wasn’t enough – Caga
Tio is a log with a painted face
that brings presents to kids in
an unusual way.
The idea is that kids spend the
whole day waiting for Caga Tio
to drop presents from his rear
end.
This gives the grown-ups plenty
of chances to make farting
noises and tease the kids that
Caga Tio is nearby, while
everyone gets on with the
business of eating and drinking
way too much.
#11 Camel Wrestling
(Turkey)
 A kinder, gentler version of
bullfighting? Perhaps.
In Turkey, camel wrestling is
a popular event where
spectators watch in glee as
two specially bred male
camels wrestle each other.
Serious injuries are rare, but
spectators should be wary of
being sprayed by the milky
saliva of the agitated camels.
#12 Blackening the Bride
(Scotland)
 Blackening the bride is a
weird Scottish wedding
custom where the bride is
drenched with a foul smelling
mixture of eggs, sauces, flour
and feathers.
The unfortunate bride is then
paraded around the town.
Her friends and family make
much noise by beating the
sticks and banging drums.
The custom still exists in the
Scottish islands where the
inhabitants follow this
tradition.
#13 Bouncing Babies
(India)
 In Sholapur, India, an
unbelievable non-religious
ceremony takes place every
year.
Babies are dropped from a 15meter tower without any safety
string tied to their bodies. They
free fall straight into the hands
of the people who wait below
with a bed sheet.
The people of Sholapur are
clueless about the purpose
behind this fearful act. Some
say, it’s for good health while
others say it is for good luck for
the future of the child.
#14 Bathroom Ban
(Borneo)
 Tidong are a group of people
from northern Borneo with a
particularly uncomfortable
wedding custom.
For the 3 days and 3 nights
following the wedding, both the
bride and groom are prohibited
from using the bathroom. That
means no urinating, no
defecating, and no bathing.
They believe that custom will lead
to a long, happy, and fertile
marriage. In order to achieve this,
the newlyweds are allowed to eat
and drink only very small
amounts and are watched very
closely by family members.
#23 Hanging Wax Body Parts
(Brazil)
 Hanging from the walls and ceilings of a church
in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil is a collection of wax
or plastic arms, legs, livers, hearts, lungs, eyes,
uteri, and other internal organs and
miscellaneous body parts. The church, Igreja de
Nosso Senhor do Bonfim (Church of our Lord of
Bonfim or the “Good End”), is the site of an
annual religious ceremony and procession called
the Festa do Bonfim (Feast of the Good End),
when church goers dress in traditional clothing,
attend the mass at the Church of Conceição da
Praia in Salvador, then walk eight kilometers
uphill to the Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim.
 Upon arrival, they wash the steps and plaza in
front of the church, all the while singing and
dancing. The event is hugely popular and draws
thousands of people from all over the world. The
church is believed to have curative properties,
and in the Sala dos Milagres (Room of
Miracles), people hang wax or plastic
representations of various body parts and photos
of themselves or loved ones as either an offering
to pray for divine intervention or thanks for
curing a particular ailment. Seeing all those body
parts hanging from the ceiling can be a tad jarring
to the uninitiated, but they are left in a spirit of
hope and gratitude.