There are all kinds of customs around the world, from everyday habits like eating, dressing, and living to larger traditions like folk customs and wedding rituals. Have you ever heard of any strange sexual customs? Let’s take a look.
Uruguay Men: Allowed to Visit Prostitutes 200 Times
In Uruguay, men are absolutely forbidden from having intercourse with their wives during their menstrual periods, with violations resulting in imprisonment. However, the law takes into account human nature, allowing men to legally visit prostitutes during this time, as long as they don’t exceed 200 visits. Two hundred times? One wonders how many men can manage that within seven days! 
Ancient India: Necrophilia
In ancient India, there was a strange custom: if a bride died before the wedding, her groom was expected to fulfill his duty by copulating with her corpse. Even more shocking, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was celebrated with a grand ceremony attended by the entire village. Drums and gongs would sound, and the ceremony, presided over by the village’s most respected priest, would take place in front of all relatives, friends, and neighbors, with the “holy ritual” of necrophilia taking center stage.
Colombian Mother-in-Law: Helping in the Honeymoon Suite
In a certain area of Colombia, many bizarre customs still exist. On the wedding night, the law allows the bride’s mother to stand by and supervise, offering immediate guidance if the couple is not performing well.
Siwa Tribe: Feeding Women with Semen
When traveling in North Africa, be cautious if a Siwa tribe man invites you to a meal, as there’s a local custom where men secretly smear their semen on food to feed to women, making them believe the man is incredibly charming!
Ugandan Tribal Chief: Shame in Marrying a Virgin
Within certain Ugandan tribes, there’s a tradition where if a tribal chief takes a virgin as a concubine or queen, he will be shamed by all his tribespeople, as virginity holds no value in their eyes. Interestingly, there’s a special role known as the “Concubine Sampler,” whose job is to have intercourse with the new concubine. In these tribes, a deflowered bride is considered purer.
Inis Beag Tribe: Victims of Sexual Repression
The Inis Beag tribe, living off the coast of Ireland, separates men and women almost entirely for life. For procreation, they are occasionally paired together for a brief moment of intimacy, after which they hastily return to their separate lives. Their sexual organs are seen merely as tools for reproduction, to be used and quickly put away.
Polish Women: Beating Adulteresses with a Stick
In a small town in Poland, men need to be especially careful if they’re out cheating, as the law allows women to legally kill the woman who sleeps with their husband, but only with a stick; no knives, guns, or bare hands allowed.
Cameroon: Ironing Girls’ Breasts to Prevent Sexual Activity
In western Cameroon, mothers follow a social custom of “breast ironing” to hide their daughters’ puberty, prevent early sexual activity, and avoid early pregnancy and school dropouts. They use hot stones as makeshift irons to flatten the girls’ breasts, forcibly delaying their development.
Honduras: Wives Used for Trade and Exchange
In Honduras, there’s a custom that’s hard to fathom: “selling wives.” In some villages in northwestern Honduras, men can “divorce” their wives, auction them off at the market, or trade them with other men’s wives.
Ethiopia: Tribal Women Self-Mutilate to Attract Men
The Karo tribe in Ethiopia, a very small ethnic group, has a tradition where young women, upon reaching puberty, endure severe pain to cut incisions in their chests and abdomens, inserting bamboo sticks into the wounds to create specific patterns.
Cameroon: Mothers Can Marry Their Own Sons
In rural Cameroon, the tradition of early marriage persists, with some girls engaged at 2 and married at 9. There’s also a peculiar form of marriage where a son can inherit his father’s wife, or a younger brother can inherit his older brother’s wife, including the children, to keep “the family wealth within the family” and prevent the wife from remarrying and taking assets away.
Different cultural backgrounds lead to different understandings of sex, and although some customs may be hard to accept, they are part of the cultural landscape.
