There is no one who is not fascinated by the culture of other countries, especially when it differs greatly from our Brazilian culture, right? In fact, curiosity knocks even more when it comes to the strangest traditions in the world.

By the way, weird traditions abound. From chasing downhill chasing cheese to putting cream cheese on Japanese food (you identified with that one, right?!), each country has a crazy thing to call their own.

Were you curious to know more about it? Then you're in the right place! We've listed the 15 strangest traditions in the world that you've never heard of. So, let's kill this curiosity of yours? If so, let's go!

How about chasing cheese down the hill, huh? Or rather, how about chasing this delicacy with a bunch of people around you, bumping into people and risking getting badly hurt, all in exchange for being the first to get the cheese? Sounds like a stupid idea, doesn't it? But this exists!

originally called The Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake, the “Cheese Run” is an annual event held in May in Cooper's Hill, England.

It's basically a race where people have to chase a cheese down a hill and the first one to arrive is the winner.

And what would be the prize of this crazy race? There could only be one: Gloucester cheese, which is the cheese released for the “treasure hunt”. Just a lot of addiction to this delicacy to explain why people subject themselves to this, don't you agree?

If running after cheese is already one of the strangest traditions in the world, imagine running after several enraged bulls? It's crazy just to imagine this situation, but unfortunately it happens in San Fermín, Spain.

The “unfortunately” is due to the fact that this race is not at all friendly, both for the animal and for the participants. In the case of the bull, he is provoked to the point of enragement to run after people, who are often seriously injured.

For example, in 2019, 67 people were treated after the race, seven of whom needed to be hospitalized. In the city of Cuéllar, where the event also takes place, a The man died after being bitten in the chest and neck..

In other words, it's high time to rethink this strange Spanish tradition!

Ever thought of trying rotten fish? Yes, rotten fish! It's very likely not, because, right, who would commit such insanity? Well, we tell you: the Swedish people!

Without a doubt, one of the most nauseating experiences one can have in Sweden is eating (or trying to eat) the so-called surstromming. This is a local delicacy made from Baltic herring fermented in a low-salt brine. That is, nothing more than a rotten fish already fermented.

From a distance, you can already smell the food. However, if feeling its fullness is a very challenging task, imagine tasting it? No chance, at least for us Brazilians! As such, there is no way that Surströmming is not on the list of the strangest traditions in the world.

If you thought Surströmming was the most disgusting food you've ever seen in your life, it's because you haven't been introduced to Hákarl yet. Icelandic tradition, this gastronomic delicacy is not made with any rotten fish, but with shark!

A Hakarl's story it's quite interesting. Faced with the infertile soil of Iceland, its inhabitants developed this dish made from the remains of dead sharks that washed up on the coast. As he is poisonous, his flesh had to be decomposed in order for it to become edible.

Have a stomach, because its taste, as well as its smell, is inedible. However, given the famine that plagued Icelandic farmers in the past, eating the Hákarl became something of a matter of survival.

Spain, for sure, is a country with the strangest traditions in the world. In addition to running after several enraged bulls, its people have a tomato throwing festival, the famous La Tomantina.

This tomato war takes place annually on the last Wednesday of August in the streets of Buñol, in the province of Valencia. It is, without a doubt, one of the festivals that most attract tourists to Spain, who arrive in the city avid for this smeared and red mess.

Before you think about judging the event, the tomatoes used in the Tomatina are grown properly for this. This means that it is a kind of fruit that is not edible. Therefore, there is no food wasted and you, if you are interested in the party, can have fun without guilt!

Who doesn't like a Saint John's festival, Is not it? In Brazil, the event, which celebrates the birth of São João Batista, ended up becoming a monthly event in the format of our beloved Festa Junina. However, in Portugal, mainly in Porto, the tradition is different!

From the 23rd to the 24th of June, Porto receives many tourists from all over the world who are looking for the traditional feast of São João. There are several stages set up throughout the city and many people dancing happily, but mainly hitting a plastic hammer on the heads of others.

The story of hitting people over the head with a plastic mallet began with the leek, which was traditionally a phallic symbol of male fertility. From the 1970s, the vegetable began to be replaced by the object, which remains until today, being one of the strangest traditions in the world.

Have you ever thought about taking a finger of yours for each relative who passes away? Idea beyond surreal, huh? After all, you already have to deal with the pain of a dead loved one, you still have to deal with the pain of a finger that went along with the death.

As bizarre as this seems to be, it is a reality in the Dani tribe, located in Indonesia. There, when a family member dies, the women of the tribe physically express their grief by cutting off a piece of the tip of one of their fingers.

In addition to expressing one's regret, this cultural practice is also performed as a means of satisfying ancestral ghosts. Fortunately, this tradition, which is certainly one of the strangest in the world, is no longer as frequent as in the past, although some members of the tribe continue to perform this ritual.

Speaking of the death of family members, how about having some soup with their remains? Another insane idea, right? Worse than that, this is a reality much closer to us than we think: it happens in the Yanomami tribe, located in the Amazon rainforest, right between Brazil and Venezuela.

According to tradition, this ritual, which is undoubtedly one of the strangest traditions in the world, helps to ensure that souls find their way to paradise. And how does it happen?! Calm down and we'll tell you!

When a person dies, the corpse is wrapped in leaves so that insects attack the decomposing body. After 30 to 45 days, the bones are collected, crushed, pulverized and mixed into a banana soup to be consumed by all.

In documentaries about culture around the world, you may have already come across the custom of putting an adornment in the mouth. Including the young Ataye Eligidagne, whose photo follows below, caught the attention of Australian filmmakers by appearing with an adornment that was almost the size of her head.

Ataye is part of the Mursi tribe, which is located in Ethiopia. In this community, plugs are a symbol of beauty and prestige, although it is becoming increasingly rare for young people to use them.

One curious detail is that this tradition was initially given for another reason than the cultivation of beauty: slavery. In order to save the women of the tribe from the slave trade, the Mursi imposed lip piercing. With this deformity, they would lose their market value and thus would not be enslaved. Interesting (and cruel). no?

As much as someone in their right mind would not subject themselves to this, walk on the fire is a much more common practice than we imagine. This ritual usually takes place in countries such as India, Malaysia, China and Japan and almost always has a religious nature.

This tradition is often used in healing, initiation and faith rituals. In the case of Indian culture, for example, walking barefoot on a bed of lit embers makes the devotee protected by the Hindu God Lord Shiva. That is, only such faith to endure so much pain!

So, are you enjoying our post about the world's strangest traditions? We hope so! After all, we've come to our top 5 weird rituals for you to check out. Let's go there?

Another very strange – and painful, by the way – indigenous tradition is that of the tucandeira ant ritual of the Saterê-Mawé people, also from the Amazon rainforest. For those who don't know, the pain from this insect's sting is comparable to a gunshot wound, lasting up to 18 hours, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

Anyway, but let's get to the point: what this ritual is about. Known as Waumat, it concerns a rite of passage, that is, of male initiation and is performed with young men, who put their hands in gloves to be stung by dozens of tucandeiras.

The purpose of this ritual is to definitively mark the transition from childhood to adulthood, as only after the first experience with ants can young Indians get married and start a family. In addition, another objective is to select men fit to be leaders. In this case, only those who endure pain stoically, without expressing their agony, would be ready.

When we think of New Year's Eve, we immediately imagine the scene with people dressed up, preferably in white, with a glass of champagne in hand and celebrating excitedly with family and friends, right? This tradition is quite common around the world, but not in Scotland.

At the turn of the year, the Scots head to the capital Edinburgh and celebrate the Hogmanay, the three-day Viking New Year's Eve. There, they find several concerts, several fireworks and, mainly, the torchlight procession on December 30th.

That night, the thousands of participants walk through Edinburgh city center with torches in hand and the crowd is led by the Up Helly Aa Vikings. It gets emotional! No wonder the Scottish New Year is considered one of the best in the world.

And, of course, now on our final stretch, we couldn't help but mention three of the strangest traditions in the world that are typically ours! After all, Brazil would not be unscathed on our list!

The first of them, in fact, is not a tradition, but rather a bizarre custom that we have here in Brazil: throwing used toilet paper in the trash and not in the toilet. Yes, it seems innocent to us, but it is something extremely strange for any foreigner who comes here.

Around the world, it is customary to throw the paper in the toilet, which is infinitely more hygienic, as it leaves the dirt “stored” in the wastebasket. However, we have to agree with something: not all places are where this is possible. After all, plumbing problems are not lacking in our country!

This custom of ours is very strange around the world and can lead a Japanese person who is attached to his roots to have a thing in his heart: putting cream cheese in Japanese food. Let's face it, who had this idea of mixing the two things, right?

About this custom, the fact is that there are several contradictions, as there are those who love this combination, while there are those who hate that they can't even see it from afar. Tastes aside, adding cream cheese to Japanese food has a reason that goes far beyond “fatness”.

The main reason for this combination is to sell the cat for a pig. That is, instead of Japanese restaurants selling the salmon itself, they sell salmoned trout. With cream cheese, the change goes more unnoticed by customers. Or do you really think they would add it to a salmon whose value is very expensive? Never!

The last of the weirdest traditions in the world that is typically Brazilian is our celebration of Valentine's Day. This is because the whole world celebrates the most romantic date of the year on Valentine's Day, which is February 14th.

However, in Brazil, the date is celebrated on June 12. Why? The reason is purely and simply commercial.. Created by the father of Governor João Doria, Valentine's Day came with the aim of improving the result of sales in June, which were always very weak. Great move, isn't it?

Did you like our strangest traditions in the world? If so, then keep an eye on our other publications because, for sure, there will be other texts that will be of great interest to you! Until later!