11 Things You Didn’t Realize Were Taboo Elsewhere in the World
Nothing ruins a vacation faster than being labeled a social outcast. With that in mind, when traveling the world, here’s a list of things you might not realize are a no-go…
Don’t Offer Unfinished Food In India
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If you’re eating in India, don’t offer anyone the rest of your fries. Leftover food, known as uchchhishta, is impure, and it's disrespectful to give it to someone else.
Kashmiri Brahmins Avoid Onions and Garlic
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They believe that these and other strongly flavored foods induce impurity, aggression and lustful thoughts.
Any Kind of Fish Is Taboo in Parts of East Africa
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Known as the “cushitic fish taboo,” some Cushite groups such as the Somali have a long-standing taboo against fish of any kind.
The Navajo Also Avoid Fish
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Though it’s a pretty orthodox stance to take these days, the Navajo people also traditionally considered fish taboo, and it still is completely taboo to eat during certain ceremonies.
Jainists’ Vegetarianism Extends to Root Vegetables
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Jainism is a religion centered around doing as little harm as possible to other living organisms. That extends to eating root vegetables, since harvesting them kills the plant.
Don’t Move Things With Your Feet in Singapore
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The feet are considered unclean — which is hard to argue with — so moving things with them is unclean.
No Funerals on Tuesday in Madagascar
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The Malagasy, the people of Madagascar, have a huge list of taboos that are known as fady. One of them is the prohibition of funerals (and farming) on Tuesdays.
Don’t Speak the Recently Dead’s Name Around the Aboriginal People
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As part of the mourning process, which can last months if they were a particularly important figure, Aboriginal people consider it taboo to say the name of the person who recently died.
The Aboriginal People Also Forbid You From Interacting With Your Mother-In-Law
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The Dyirbal people forbid a man from talking directly to, facing or even making eye contact with his mother-in-law.
Don’t Bring Yellow or White Flowers to A Japanese Hospital
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Because pale yellow and white flowers represent funerals to the Japanese, bringing them to someone in the hospital is a real dick move.
Only Use This Specific Language When Collecting Nuts In New Guinea
When gathering pandanus nuts, the people of New Guinea use a specific style of speaking known as “pandanus talk” to avoid spirits ruining the harvest.
