India is not a stranger to strange customs. It is home to many religions, diverse traditions, and superstitions. Although said to be a “developing country”, there are many weird Indian traditions and rituals that can make anyone go: OH MY GOD!
These Indian rituals and traditions are unique and unusual in their own quirky ways; their oddness speaks the unbelievable diversity of India, which reflects a lot on the lives of people living here. However, some of these weird Indian traditions developed out of nowhere, but some are centuries-old relics.
If you are wondering what are some bizarre Indian traditions, you have landed on the right page. Here are some well-known and others less-known yet weird Indian Traditions.
Table of Contents
10 WEIRD INDIAN TRADITIONS
Atta- Satta Ka Nata
It is one of the weird customs of Himachal Pradesh. This ritual observes a series of marriages arranged simultaneously; where a father promises the hand of his daughter to another’s son, on condition that he (the groom’s parents) will later promise his daughter to the third man’s son.
Unfair? Bizarre? Yeah, but Happy married life!
Livestock Beauty Pageant
Pushkar’s camel fair is one of the colourful festivals of Rajasthan. They celebrate it in November, during the sacred full moon. The fair starts with a beauty pageant of over 50,000 livestock, where the owners bring in their camels, horses, cows, goats, and sheep adorned beautifully.
Later, these animals take part in beauty and race competitions to underline their worth, before getting sold.
This colourful fair is a great tourist attraction. Besides the beauties in the pageant, the huge animal trade fascinates them more.
Beat The Bachelor Boys
It is a weird custom followed by the people of Jodhpur, Rajasthan; where bachelor guys get beaten by the women with a wooden rod. However, the condition is only married women qualify to take part in this bizarre custom. Although, now female tourists are also getting involved in this bizarreness.
The belief behind this strange custom is boys who take part will get married within a year. Though it might be hard getting a spouse after getting green and blue; nonetheless, Good luck!
Cow Trample “Spa”
Gujarat’s town, Garbada is home to a bizarre tradition of Cow Trampling. This custom follows by letting the cows walk over the back of people. Why would they do that? My question exactly!
But they believe that letting the holy cow trample over your body will reduce your problems. Unless you have a back problem, then no, this is not your solution.
Pakadwa Vivah
Pakadwa Vivah (marriage by abduction), is the tradition followed in Bihar; where the prospective groom is kidnapped and then tied in the nuptial knot at the gunpoint. Unorthodox, but it is the direct action against social evils like dowry. And it is likely done by the bride’s family; who are under the great material load while arranging the marriage.
Funnily, Pakadwa Vivah has now become an acceptable trend in Bihar.
Fishy Soul mates of Manipur
Manipur wedding tradition is fishy, literally. Because before any marriage ceremony, the folks of Manipur believe in releasing the evil spirits. How? Well, they make the bride and groom release one fish each in the nearby pond. If the fishes swim side by side, then it’s a good omen for them.
Lady of the House
If you are a “Women’s Rights” follower, then I suggest you shift to Meghalaya ASAP! For it is the only state in India to follow matrilineal tradition and provide a lot of rights to women before men.
Here, the groom shifts to the bride’s household after marriage. And the youngest woman of the household inherits the family property and carries the family lineage.
It is also common for children in Meghalaya to take their mother’s family name, rather than their father’s.
Babies Toss down!
Tossing babies up in the air to make them laugh and giggle is one thing, and tossing them down from a height of 50 feet, is wholly another. As horrifying as it sounds, it a ritual followed by both Muslims and Hindus.
At Baba Umer Dargah, and Sri Santeshwar temple, people drop their children from 50 feet and are caught in the sheet by the waiting men on the ground. The common belief among them is, it brings prosperity and good luck to the children.
And if not careful, I’m sure it will bring them a great cardiac arrest before a good childhood or prosperity. Though this dangerous tradition is criticised pensively, yet practiced heavily.
Bani
Andhra Pradesh is home to a rather odd festival, called Bani; which takes place near the Devargattu temple.
This festival follows the strange ritual, where devotees hit each other with lathis throughout the night. The priests of the temple believe the festival to be a century old, where instead of lathis people used axe and swords, but now they use lathis to control the mayhem.
During this bloody ritual, you can find police personnel and medical staff on standby, since injuries are frequent.
Puli Kali Festival
Puli Kali (Tiger Dance) is a colourful festival of Thrissur, a district of Kerala. Where, on every fourth day of Onam, trained artists dress up as a tiger and dance to their traditional folk songs.
Although, it is amusing to watch so many colours on the street, yet it remains a weird Indian tradition. Plus, it is also fascinating to see people do things to nurture their superstitious beliefs.
So, what are your thoughts on these weird Indian Traditions? Which of them did you find the most bizarre and do you know of any unique Indian traditions? Share them in the comment section.
Targeted keywords: Bizarre Indian Traditions, Weird Indian Traditions, What are some Indian traditions, Less-known Indian traditions
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Very informative one ! Was quite unaware about all these , thanks for adding to my knowledge 🙌🙌
Super happy to know that we could add to your knowledge 🙂
Stay tuned for more!