UNCONVENTIONAL CULTURAL RITUALS

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Cultural traditions continue to take place in the global debate since most of them include various controversial practices that remain harmful to human well-being, health, and even more, natural rights. In this case, we will be presenting a pair of some... unconventional cultural rituals that involve a few luck-bringing practices, but at the same time put at risk the lives and integrity of millions of little babies.

Keep reading and it will leave your mouth wide open and reflect on How far would we go to show our devout beliefs?

Baby Tossing in India

Would you let your baby be throwed off the roof of a shrine to be caught in a bedsheet about 30 feet below? For the majority of us, the answer would be definitely negative.…right? 

But the unfortunate surprise is that milliards of families from rural India are willing to allow this practice with their babies inflenced by their religious traditions.

The history behind…

The ritual take place initially almost 700 years ago, at the time when infant mortality was truly high and there was not only a lack of medical knowledge but a quite few places to look for help. Thus, as a solution of the scarcity of cures for the diseased children, this practice has its origins when the “Pir” (an spiritual guide) advised parents whose babies were about die to build a shrine and drop their diseased babies from the roof and if they truly believe in the almighty, a hammock would appear in the middle of the air to save the child and miraculously being cured. 

In recent times...

Over the time, this ritual evolved and now it's no longer related to the death of children. Instead, it has become a celebration in some regions of India, carried out every year in the first week of December where first, a priest holds and shakes the baby a few times before lettig him fall from a 30 to 50 feet shrine, then if the baby lands safely, the crowd surrounding the sheet celebrate and pass each infant around before being returned to their mother. The villagers make this practice since they believe it will bring good luck and a long and blessed life for the child. 

Desite the efforts of the National Comission for Protection of Child Rigths in 2009 and 2011 to ban and make intervene this practice, many witnesses have claimed that this ritual continue to be conducted covertly in small villages.

In case you haven't noticed yet, this is controversial because...

I think we can all agree that dropping a baby from a height of 30 to 50 feet—even if they are caught in a sheet—is far from normal. This practice poses serious risks of injury or physical trauma. Moreover, the issue of consent and the need to protect minors only highlights how superstitions can perpetuate harmful traditions while completely disregarding child safety.

Spain’s Baby-Jumping Festival

Spain is known for its very unique and authentic celebrations, such as, La Tomatina, which is a tomatoes war; The Carnival of Cádiz, a disruptive spectacle with music and costumes all over the streets;  San Fermín in Pamplona, a week full of cultural events like processions, concerts and of course, the Encierro (running of the bulls). However, let’s focus on a very rare religious ritual in which the devil jumps above a group of babies. I'm talking about “El Colacho”.

Let’s understand what the Colacho is...

La Fiesta del Colacho is a long-lived tradition that mixes Catholic and pagan practices, which has taken place in the village of Castrillo de Murcia, in the province of Burgos, Spain every year since 1621. It is set during the feast of Corpus Christi in late May or the beginning of June. But what is it about and why is it on this blog? In this celebration, babies born in the past year from the local community are laid on mattresses in the street, then El Colacho (the central figure), a man dressed in a bright red and yellow costume, wearing a demonic-looking mask, represents the devil. He jumps over the babies, along with men dressed as “atabalero” (drummers), while the crowd cheers and plays some music. This act is believed to cleanse the babies of original sin, protect them from evil spirits, and ensure good health and fortune.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, it is controversial because…

While fascinating and culturally significant, the Colacho festival has sparked controversy for several reasons, within and outside of Spain. The most evident point of debate is the concern about child safety, although the act is performed with care and there have been no known serious accidents, many people, especially child safety advocates and outsiders, see the act as risky and unnecessary. The idea of jumping over fragile infants, even symbolically, seems reckless or dangerous to those unfamiliar with the tradition. Nowadays, health, hygiene, and child protection are emphasized more than ever, therefore, laying infants in a public street for a ritual performance raises concerns, people argue that this contradicts modern parenting norms and medical advice regarding how to treat and protect newborns, especially in a public gathering with many people.

Therefore, after all of that…

While it is important to respect cultural and religious traditions, we must also recognize when certain practices put the health and safety of vulnerable individuals, such as babies and children, at risk. Celebrations like baby tossing in India or The Colacho in Spain may hold deep symbolic meaning for their communities, but they also raise serious concerns regarding the rights and physical integrity of those involved. The writers of this blog believe that international organizations focused on child protection and human rights should step in to evaluate and, when necessary, regulate such practices. Preserving culture should never come at the cost of a child's well-being.