European Union Forums

[Terry]

Hundreds of Baby were thrown from the balcony of a temple in India even question their parents. Not because they like the river, but on the contrary. The ceremony is part of a ritual, practiced by Muslims in India. They are convinced that, so their children will be protected in future accidents.

[Steven]

Hundreds of Baby were thrown from the balcony of a temple in India even question their parents. Not because they like the river, but on the contrary. The ceremony is part of a ritual, practiced by Muslims in India. They are convinced that, so their children will be protected in future accidents.

And if a child had suffered from this ritual? would be appointed to health? I don't think so.

[Terry]

And if a child had suffered from this ritual? would be appointed to health? I don't think so.

have yet happened such cases. People are very careful because are children. Doctors have nothing against this ritual. I on the contrary they say that after such a fright they become more brave and strong character

[tricker]

Hundreds of Baby were thrown from the balcony of a temple in India even question their parents. Not because they like the river, but on the contrary. The ceremony is part of a ritual, practiced by Muslims in India. They are convinced that, so their children will be protected in future accidents.

I saw a report on this ritual ... At first sight seems to be awful but it is not so ... anyway those who are involved know that is a big responsibility and they doesn't do it the first time.

[Riser]

is only a ritual. I do not think It will save the child from diseases, infections, etc.. They are prone to all and a ritual can not escape them, than health care; and sometimes it does not protect us.

[FreeThinker]

There are lot more stranger health rituals that happen in India and most of them happen in villages where there are no trained doctors available. When there are no medicines to depend upon then the best you can get is a morale boost which comes from such beliefs or rituals. These locals tend to feel that performing these rituals would make them safer. It's like the placebo effect. It's all in the mind and it helps sometimes when there is no alternative.

I remember this incident from my childhood. I went to visit my grand parents. They live in a hill station surrounded by waterfalls and jungles. We could even spot peacocks and deers many times. There were tribesmen from nearby jungles that came there to trade things like honey and herbs. I grew up in a city far away from all this and I was always excited to visit my grand parents. I was so fascinated by the tribal's bows and arrows that I bought a pair for me. (lol, not to use though, but they were huge and real). I was told about this ritual by the local people there that if someone get's bitten by a cobra snake, he or she will survive if he cooked and ate the snake's lever. Even at that age (i was probably 8 years then) I felt it was absurd. I dont even know if snakes have levers, do they? One eveving, one of my grand parents servant working in the fields got bit by a cobra. Instead of looking for help, he chased the snake and brought it to his wife and asked her to cook it's lever for him. My uncle rushed him to a hospital and he got well, and I don't know if he had the lever or not. But what's amazing was that he managed to come home alive and he was calm and confident that he was going to survive a cobra bite. The idea about the ritual gave him the confidence and he wasn't panicked, which is very important after snake bites. Panic increases your heartbeat rushing the poision to your heart quicker, so it's important to stay calm and that's exactly what the ritual did to him indirectly. Some rituals like these have more to do with the mind than how they can effect physically.
I wanted to narrate another incident about how my uncle, after a car accident and had no access to a hospital nearby, got his fractured leg treated by some tribesmen. But I won't because I am tired and drowsy. Anyway, he is 66 now and walks without a stick. The tribes use the herbs from the forest to treat him for about 2 weeks and he didn't have to see a doctor. This ritualistic health cure is called Ayurveda. It's a science of medicine some ancient indians developed and used long back. They even performed successful surgeries long before we had books on surgical treatment. Practices like yoga are part of Ayurveda. So there are some rituals that we can relate to scientifically and some that appear superstitious, some that are amusing and some that are disgusting, some that we can relate to and some that we dont understand, but to those who believe in them I guess it all makes sense, lol.

[tricker]

these rituals were effective but not for all, in the past when doctors were not or were little. It depend of immunity and willingness to survive. I do not believe that these rituals should a priority to medicine, as tend to be in some places.

[FreeThinker]

True. They are usually practiced in remote places and villages where people are cut off from proven mediccal treatment. I haven't any such rituals in cities.

[Faw_Peter]

I do not know how is in your city but in my town are charlatans who try to win money by "natural treatments". I was not their patients but I heard they used different old methods of surgery without scalpel and without anestizie, only with hands.

[FreeThinker]

Is it safe? Why do they do it? Do they not have access to hospitals? Where do you live?
Sorry too many questions

[Terry]

Is it safe? Why do they do it? Do they not have access to hospitals? Where do you live?
Sorry too many questions

is a quackery that is practiced more by Russians and Asien peoples, so do not let them to lead you in error.

[FreeThinker]

Is it safe? Why do they do it? Do they not have access to hospitals? Where do you live?
Sorry too many questions

is a quackery that is practiced more by Russians and Asien peoples, so do not let them to lead you in error.

I wouldn't go to them, but still wondering if that works?

[Steven]

Every year in late summer, observed with ritual holiness dangerous. Dozens of young people are bombing each other with balls of fire. Although it seems hard to believe, this fire bombardment has church governance.There are no rules and fire balls flying everywhere. To a stranger, the threat seems obvious, but in very few cases hot holiday was left with the wounded.
Young people from Nehapa town commemorates in such way a volcanic eruption in 1922 which forced all its inhabitants to abandon their homes.

[Peach]

A regular ritual for Tibet, revolting to the world, called " sky funeral". After a solemn procession, the procession reached a place as withdrawn, but the pre-established. Then, the man who died is stripped of clothes and put on earth, and his relatives come and II are dozens of cuts over the whole body.
Get away from the corpse and wait "nature to do his part to" dozens of vultures, attracted by the smell of blood, wine and simply eat their "mass". Then, after the eagles have done their job, the family comes and get the remains of the body: all the bones are gathered in one place and chopped.

[Riser]

The body of a child born with severe deformity, was stolen from the grave for a ritual. It seems that thieves were convinced that the girl had miraculous powers. Coops have found the body in a river and try to find out if the story is now an Afro-Cuban religion called Santeria.

[Riser]

Impressive self-flagellation rituals,in Iraqi town.According to traditions at the end of the Battle of Kerbala, defeated, Imam Hussein was beheaded and his body was mutilated by soldiers Caliph Yazid, as punishment for the faith refuses to give jurmamant winner. Flogging symbolizes so faithful remorse because they did managed to glory Imam.

[Benn]

there is nothing surprising in these facts. for someone is a natural phenomenon, for others is something amazing. everything depends on the thinking and the environment we grew up. For some it's safe to leave inanimate bodies being eaten by vultures, and for others to be buried, but one for another this rituals is a freak

[M.Helen]

I wouldn't go to them, but still wondering if that works?

if is a lie, a leakage of money, just as an illusion I might say ...of course that does not work, has neither a positive results

[FreeThinker]

I wouldn't go to them, but still wondering if that works?

if is a lie, a leakage of money, just as an illusion I might say ...of course that does not work, has neither a positive results

I agree that most of such rituals do not have any effect on the health medically. But there is something that all these health rituals have in common - the placebo effect. Research showed that about 35% of health patients can be treated by placebos alone without any medicine.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo
http://www.skepdic.com/placebo.html

[M.Helen]

I don't believe in any of that ...

[Big_Becka]

I agree with freethinker that these rituals have a very useful placebo effect.

I think the danger comes when people reject modern medicine in favour of the "old ways." For example, I was raised in a rural area where people refused to give their children Whooping Cough vaccinations. They were worried about the side effects of the vaccination. Instead, there is a superstition that if you take the child to the seaside and bury it in the sand, the cough will leave with the sea when the tide goes out

But, I have to admit, this treatment somehow cured my whooping cough...

[Laurentine]

I think the danger comes when people reject modern medicine in favour of the "old ways."
when is about vaccinations then is bad...but when to treat from a disease I prefer the old ways cause i hate pills; treat stomach and sick liver ... better drink teas and other herbal mixtures, is healthy, it sure is harmless, and more pleasant because many of teas and blends are very tasty
But, I have to admit, this treatment somehow cured my whooping cough...

Sea has amazing power that we even can not imagine it's proportion ...

[gemma]

Although I find this ridiculous, we have different culture and traditions. I guess we all have be open minded with these things and respect each other. I also know some bizarre things that people in my country do. They tend to nail themselves in the cross every Holy Week, ouchh. People have different practices to make them feel good, I guess.

[Lorry]

It is very stupid, how can you do that with a child? You don't have any rights to do such things, I think they are primitive if they do that, i will never agree with such of different kind of rituals, which are just harm person's life.