10 Weird Rituals From Around The World Still In Practice (2017)

#2 Mourning of Muharram

In what can only be described as a gruesome display, followers of the Shi’a sect of Islam carry out the ritual of mass self-flagellation every year during the Holy month of Muharram. The men whip their bodies with blades attached to chains. In their state of religious trance, they apparently do not feel the pain. This Ritual is Celebrated in Iran, Bahrain, India, Lebanon, Iraq and Pakistan.