5 Strange tradition and cultures across Africa

you may think you may have seen all and know all, but there are some customs and traditions that are strange and are practiced mainly in Africa. Today’s article will be focused on 5 strange traditions and cultures that are practiced in Africa

1. Ceremonious stealing of wives

Stealing of wives is practiced in Niger republic West Africa and it is done by the Wodaabe tribe. The marriage practice in this tribe is that the first marriage in a person’s life is arranged at the point of infancy, it must be between cousins of the same lineage, Infant cousins get betrothed and married.

During their Gerewol festival which is celebrated annually, the tribal men adorn heavy makeup and costumes, they dance to attract the tribal women and hopefully steal a wife. If a woman is stolen by a man who is not her husband and this act is unnoticed they become socially recognized as husband and wife.

2. Spitting as a way of greeting

The Massai tribe of Kenya spit when they greet. Instead of saying good morning, afternoon or evening they spit on the floor. While spitting may be a signal of rejection for some people, it is a sign of respect in the Massai tribe.

This tribe practices the tradition of spitting on their hands before shaking the elders, also the men spit on the newborn babies and give them bad names to protect the babies from dark evil spirits. Another culture that is practiced in this tribe is that of drinking fresh animal blood to prevent diseases and seek protection.

3. Festival of the dead

View pictures in App save up to 80% data.The picture above represent the masquerades displayed in the burial rites of the deceased tribe member.

The Chewa community which is a Bantu tribe found in Malawi practices the funeral and burial rites of a deceased tribe member by washing the corpse in a sacred location and slitting the throat. When this is done they pour water inside the corpse through the slit throat and squeeze the water out of the body until it becomes clear. The clean water is collected and used to cook a feast for the entire village.

4. Test Of Potency

The Bayankole tribe of Uganda confers the aunt of the bride the supreme power of the test of potency. The culture in this drive is that the aunt of the bride has to sleep with the groom to test his potency and strength.

Not only will the aunt of the bride test the groom’s activeness she will also test her niece’s virginity to see if she is still on track and capable of having children.

5. Lip stretching

Lip stretching is a tradition that is commonly practiced by the Surma tribe who are located in Southern Sudan and Ethiopia. This act involves the removal of the lower teeth to replace them with a lip plate.

When the tribal girls are young they undergo this tradition of stretching their lips with a lip plate to look more beautiful. The lip plates are replaced with a bigger plate annually to make the lip more attractive.

The men also elongate and widen their ears for beauty. The warriors of this tribe believe that the more a person has a scar on his body the more handsome he is, so they put scars on their body.

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