10 strange traditions (2)

After finishing first article about 10 strange traditions, which you can find at this web site, I thought why not write one more. So, here it is. Enjoy!

1) Yunnan is the Chinese region located in the far southwest of China. In the west of Yunnan people put a tile made object in the middle of the ridge. The object looks similar to cat so local people called it the "Tile Cat". It is believed that the Tile Cat can eat monsters and evil spirits and that way be the protector of the family.

Chinese Tile Cat

Before putting the Tile Cat on the roof special ritual is held in the second or eighth month of Chinese lunar calendar. The main person is such ritual is local "koradji". First, he would catch a red rooster and tell several prayers. Then he would bite rooster's cockscomb and put some blood all over the the Tile Cat.

Next in the procedure is putting different fruits and seeds (pine nut, melon seeds, broomcorn, Chinese date and root) into the mouth of Tile Cat. At the same time yellow sacrificial paper is burned and some incantations are spoken. After that the family members present at the ritual touch the Tile Cat and the Cat is put in the middle of the ridge.

2) Hindus (Hindu Dharma) living on the island of Bali in Indonesia have an interesting coming of age ceremony during which children enter the world of adults. The ceremony is called Metatah or "tooth filling ceremony". It is held during July and August.

Metalah or "tooth filing ceremony"

The whole ceremony is performed by a person of Brahman caste called "sangging". Before the ceremony a magic spell is done. He has a special ruby ring which protect whole ceremony from powers of black magic.

In 10-15 minutes long procedure of smoothing teeth he uses a small wooden mallet and an iron file. Local Hindus people believe that long teeth are symbols of vices. For them the filing of teeth cleans the body of bad things they call the "Sad Ripu" (six enemies) - "Kama" (lust), "Lobha" (greed), "Kroda" (anger), "Moha" (anxiety), "Mada" (conceit) and "Matsarya" (envy).

After the ceremony the person will bite betel leaf. The saliva created will be collected on the ivory coconut. Everything is finished with sprinkling of person with some "tirtha" (purified water).

3) Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur. Every August there is rather unusual competition going on there. It is called La Regate des Baignoires or the International Regatta of Bathtubs.

There are only few rules. Bizarre design of the bathtub is always a plus. Motors are forbidden. The competitor should not try to sink the opponents.

4) For the next tradition let's move to the courtyard of the cathedral of Bremen, the city in the north of Germany. There you can see the basalt stone with cross on it. In the Bremen history of crime Gesche Margarethe Gottfried (1785-1831) has definitely a special place. She used arsenic to poison 15 people. She even had a nickname "Angel of Bremen".

Gesche Margarethe Gottfried (1785-1831)

There are two versions what connect the mentioned stone with the criminal. Some say that it is the place where she was executed. Others believe that it is the place where her rolling stopped after execution.

Spuckstein in Bremen, Germany

There is a tradition that to show disgust for the criminal local people and tourist spit on the rock. The rock is better known as Spuckstein or "Spitting Stone").