Before the start of hostilities, Kalmyk warriors built and attacked a haystack. This shock symbolically represented the enemy and was a kind of voodoo doll. After defeating the hay in gratitude higher powers they sacrificed a captive. It was considered a particularly valuable organ gallbladder– the bile of a killed enemy supposedly helped against many diseases. And this is far from the worst custom of ancient peoples.
Turks
The custom of “tuom” arose and spread from the ancient Turks. A person was shot with a “thousand arrows”: it was believed that shed blood gave favor and help to the god of war. It was desirable to use a noble captive, but if he could not be obtained, then a criminal was taken. At the end of the war, one of the captives was killed as a thanksgiving sacrifice. Gumilyov suggests that sacrifices were made not to the god of war Ilbis, but to the bloodthirsty spirits of ancestors in order to enlist their support.
Tuom - very ancient custom, which arose no later than the Neolithic. It appeared earliest among the Yakuts, and was preserved longest among the tribes living in the lower reaches of the Lena. The memory of him is still preserved.
Aztecs
This warlike Central American people had long tradition making sacrifices. Ritual murders people were constantly practiced in order to appease the gods, to whom the Aztecs attributed the most bloodthirsty inclinations. Specially trained priests cut the victim's chest with an obsidian knife and pulled out the still beating heart. The more high qualities and a person had external data, the more the gods should have liked him, therefore for special occasions the most noble, talented and beautiful people. At the insistence of the priests, anyone could be executed. Thus, the chronicle preserved a terrible incident when a royal bride who had come from a neighboring people was sacrificed by ripping off her skin.
Phoenicians
This warlike seafaring people worshiped cruel gods: Molech, Baal and Ashtoreth. According to legend, to initiate these entities it was necessary to lead a person through fire, but often people were sacrificed by being burned alive. And the Phoenician colony of Carthage “specialized” in children; here, by law, young first-born children from the most noble families were sacrificed: it was believed that for such a serious sacrifice the gods should definitely reward them. But it didn’t work out: Carthage was destroyed by the Romans.
And the Slavic holiday of Ivan Kupala has precisely these roots: in particular, jumping over a fire.
Scandinavians
The Vikings made military sacrifices not before, but after the battle. They brought the captives to their settlements and in a solemn atmosphere thanked the gods for the victory. The main gods of the Scandinavian pantheon were Odin and Thor. In honor of Odin, the victim was strangled or hanged, and those who were intended as a gift to Thor had their spines broken on a sacrificial stone. When a regular execution was required, people's heads were simply cut off; this was considered less troublesome.
Among the Scandinavians, Christianity took root only in a form strongly mixed with the worship of the Ases. Even in Iceland pectoral cross decorated with a wolf's head and shaped like Mjollnir, Thor's hammer. For a long time when laying the foundation of any building, some one was buried alive Living being. When founding a cemetery - a horse or a pig, and this custom finds roots in completely different countries in ancient times. But even when laying churches, a living lamb was walled up in the foundation. Moreover, there is still a belief that the ghosts of these victims appear to people as a harbinger of trouble. If a person sees the ghost of a horse, it means he will die soon. If you see a church lamb, the baby will die soon.
The Scandinavians walled up children at the base of fortifications. Even in the Christian 17th century, such a case was recorded in Copenhagen: there was no way they could complete the construction of one of the fortress towers. They set up a room in the foundation, filled it with sweets and toys, lured a little girl there and walled it up.
Vietnamese
In Vietnam, there was a ritual when, on the eve of a campaign against enemies, a live snake was gutted, the warrior drank its blood and swallowed the still beating heart. The shedding of blood by all peoples was revered as an offering to the dark gods, but it was necessary to approach this process with caution: if the deity remains dissatisfied, he will attack the sacrificer himself. The custom has another danger: snakes are often carriers of salmonellosis.
Nowadays, the Vietnamese have turned this ritual into a tourist attraction: the snakes are kept in a cold place, which immobilizes them, and killed in front of tourists. To naive people they say that the ritual gives men and women unprecedented sexual strength and attractiveness. Needless to say, people often bring home something that is not what they expected, given the incubation period of salmonella.
Greeks and Romans
These extremely warlike peoples elevated the process of making sacred sacrifices to a whole science. There was a certain category of priests trained to tell fortunes on the liver or brain of sacrificial animals. The famous soothsayer Aristander was in the army of Alexander the Great. It was he who deployed the army near the Indus, pointing out clearly unfavorable signs in the entrails of the victim.
The Romans borrowed these technologies from the Etruscans; their haruspex priests were considered great masters of telling fortunes using the entrails of bulls, chickens or lambs.
One more type of sacrifice can be mentioned when something of value was thrown into the sea. Often it was a precious cup along with wine - yes, wine was considered a valuable sacrifice. But they could also abandon a person. By the way, Stepan Razin, when he threw the princess into the Volga, could well have had this goal in mind.
Starting a story about ancient rituals, it is necessary to introduce the reader to some definitions, without which further narration is simply impossible. So what is ritual?
Ritual is a kind of system of actions dedicated to specific event or deity. Almost without exception, ancient peoples practiced many different rituals for all occasions. Some rituals still exist today; just remember a wedding, funeral, or other rules of behavior and etiquette in our society. When talking about rituals, one should define the concept of cult.
Cult in ancient times was the worship of gods, forces of nature and sacred animals. Over time, cults grew into religious and political ones.
Ancient rituals were a kind of games for the people who performed them. There were no winners in these games, but there were those who had to gain confidence in their strengths and capabilities. Many peoples sacrificed blood to the gods. This was due to the fact that blood was the essence of all earthly life.
And today, when excavating ancient burials and necropolises, archaeologists encounter unknown ancient rituals.
Priests and shamans - performers of ancient rituals
In Africa, candidates for priesthood undergo a severe test. 
All day long they sit surrounded by acrid smoke, or are exposed to painful bites from dangerous... In some Indian tribes, the priest went into the jungle alone and without weapons for several days. When he returned, he was treated to unusually bitter leaves of plants, which he had to eat dry.
For priests initiated into the mysteries, there were ancient rituals and restrictions. In African tribes there was a rule - the priest washed with one left hand and did not cut his nails and hair. Asians were forbidden to consume salt and spices, and they could communicate with other people only with the help of an intermediary.
The priestesses kept order in the temple, kept accounting, and watched over the statues of the gods. In Egypt there were priestly classes, in Rome there were priestly colleges. Vestals (priestesses) observed chastity and were considered servants of God or his brides.
Sacrifice - bloody ancient rituals
Already at the dawn of civilization in religious rite sacrifices appeared. Different nations presented household items, clothes, medicinal plants, Food.
Man was also one of the most favorite objects for sacrifice. For example, in Mexico they worshiped a captive youth. He was the representative of the supreme deity. At first the young man was a guest at a noisy festival, then he became a victim.
The priests took most of the gifts they brought for themselves, but people were not outraged by this; they blindly believed that the clergy were endowed magical power. Ancient rituals included. Stone and wooden idols they fed animal meat, berries and fruits, and the Aztec tribes sacrificed human hearts and blood.
In North America, Indians sacrificed children to the gods by inflicting wounds on them. They believed that the spirit was sucking blood, when in fact the children were dying from blood loss. In India, a sacrificial animal was brought to the altar. His meat was eaten by the entire tribe. Some African tribes arrive In a similar way and in our days.
Ancient burial rituals
In ancient times, priests believed that dead people should be laid 
into the pit, certainly in a bent form. At this time, the first rituals associated with burial arose. People buried their fellow tribesmen with an east-west orientation. In Australia, people could be buried in a sitting position, facing east. In Samoa and Fiji, the deceased were laid with their feet to the west and their heads to the east. The abode of the soul was in the west, where, according to legend, the body was supposed to go after the resurrection. IN North America The Indians buried the deceased up to the waist, facing west. IN South America the dead were buried with their heads facing east - the side of the hunting paradise.
In ancient times, the inhabitants of Phenicia buried their fellow tribesmen at the bottom deep well. This was reliable protection from robbers. Typically, wells were located on the slopes of mountains and hills. Weapons, jewelry, clothing, incense - everything that could be useful in the future - were placed in the graves of dead people. afterlife. Curious finds in the burial include figurines of demons made of clay, as well as with the image of a dwarf on bowed legs. These items served as amulets. On the sarcophagi, the role of amulets was played by inscriptions with curses addressed to future robbers.
Ancient rituals associated with hunting
The main source of food for ancient peoples was hunting. For this reason, people revered hunting on a par with deities. There's no such thing ancient people, which had no hunting rituals. In preparation for a hunt, people performed several rituals at the same time.
It took several days to make the weapon. The whole tribe worked on this. The weapons were blessed and cleansed. According to tradition, it was placed between two sacrificial fires along with food intended for hunters.
The bodies of hunters were covered with ritual tattoos and drawings made with the blood of sacrificial animals. Their heads were decorated with leather bandages or leaf wreaths. A successful hunt ended with a thanksgiving ritual. A leaf was placed in the mouth of the killed animal sacred tree. The hunters and all members of the tribe mourned the killed animal.
The rituals of the ancient Slavs can become extremely interesting for every person who is interested in the history of magic or the original culture of the Russian people.
From the ancient Slavs
These rituals have existed for many years, and today we also often resort to them during the celebration of various holidays, when holding wedding ceremonies or funeral rituals. Let's talk about ancient Slavic rituals in more detail so that you understand what they are and why they are needed.
Rituals for the Day of the Autumn Equinox and Incense
Fretting
Our ancestors attached great importance to such a holiday as the Autumn Equinox. It's about about the day when the transition to winter time- that is, on this day night and day are equal to each other, and then the nights gradually become longer.
The Autumn Equinox is always celebrated on September 21 - 22, and on this day sorcerers strive to gain strength from Mother Earth, touch nature, glorify the memory of their ancestors and find them secret knowledge. And most often there are rituals per day Autumn Equinox are carried out under open air- in the places of ancient Sanctuaries.
Considering the main customs and rituals of the ancient Slavs, it is also necessary to mention Ladovaniya. This ritual could be carried out on the day of the Autumn Equinox or on any other day of the year, and its main task was spiritual development and complete recovery of a person. But in essence, the rite of incense was a ritual mentoring, during which a person revealed his soul to the Sage or Magus, who became his temporary mentor and together with him immersed himself in the Sacred State. Moreover, not everyone could carry out spiritual mentoring, but only dedicated magicians or sorcerers.
Rituals for the transition to the Slavic faith
Transition to faith
An extremely interesting Slavic rite is also the rite of naming. It was carried out upon the acquisition of the Slavic faith by one person or another, and only priests could perform this ritual. The purpose of the ritual was to help a person acquire a real NATIVE name, which would be fully consistent with Slavic culture, as well as to establish connections between individual and his family. Moreover, if a man or woman received real Slavic name immediately after birth, they never had to participate in the Naming ceremony.
Considering the most interesting rites and customs of the ancient Slavs, the rite of Naming should in no case be overlooked. After all, it is extremely important for every person - by choosing a Name, we choose our Destiny. So the rite of naming can, in fact, be considered a new birth of a person. And therefore our ancestors took it extremely seriously, paying Special attention choice a suitable name(if the Magi had doubts about further life path person, then, as a rule, they were in no hurry to choose a name).
Almost in the same way as the rite of Naming, the rite of Baptism was carried out. However, its essence was completely different - in in this case, the Magi only helped a person move away from a faith that had become alien to him. And therefore, almost always the rite of Baptism was carried out immediately before the Naming. Thus, a person moved away from his old faith and came under the patronage and protection of his NATIVE deities.
A little about Slavic funeral rites
Required knowledge
Since our ancestors believed in the immortality of souls, it is not surprising that they attached great importance to various funeral rites. Moreover, the oldest and most widespread of them was called “Kalinov Bridge” (sometimes in literature you can also find the name “Star Bridge”, but this is closer to Scandinavian mythology). “Kalinov Bridge”, in fact, represented a transition between Reality and Truth, between our world and world of the dead. Moreover, according to beliefs, only the souls of kind, brave and courageous people could pass it, and any sinner who set foot on the “Bridge” was sure to be thrown into the cold and darkness of Navi.
But what did the ancient one look like? Slavic rite before and after the funeral? According to reliable sources, funeral procession had to cross the symbolic “Kalinov Bridge”, accompanying the soul of the deceased to the point of transition between worlds. At the end of the journey, the body of the deceased was placed on the so-called “treasure” - a funeral pyre (in another sense of the word, sacrificial fire). The treasure was very large - almost the height of an adult man, and had rectangular shape. And the domina in which the human body was placed had the shape of a boat, and its nose had to be directed towards the sunset.
Before the deceased was given to the sacrificial fire, he was washed and dressed in white clothes. The body was also covered with a white blanket, and various gifts and specially prepared funeral food were placed inside the house. The rook was placed on the treasure so that the feet of the deceased were facing west, and then the Priest had to light the fire. And only after the funeral pyre had completely burned down, a wake was held for the deceased - and they were always quite noisy and cheerful.
The military funeral rite, the so-called Trizna, deserves special attention. His distinctive feature was that the colleagues who had gathered to see the deceased off to last way, then they organized competitions, games and dances in his honor. Moreover, in ancient times there were even special places - funeral feasts, where it was possible not only to give fire to fallen soldiers, but also to organize a feast, competitions and celebrations in their honor. But over time, the tradition of seeing off the dead on their last journey was forgotten in this way, and the wake began to resemble the procedure with which almost every modern person is familiar.
Rituals in honor of weddings
What's for the wedding
Slavic wedding ceremonies. After all, weddings were perceived by our ancestors not as intra-family, but as community-wide celebrations. So the ancient Slavs took the conclusion of each such union much more seriously than theirs. modern descendants. In particular, the wedding had to be preceded by: matchmaking, bridesmaids, conspiracy, betrothal of the newlyweds, and sometimes also theft or ransom of the bride. Well, just before the ceremony of joining the two loving people they baked a loaf (a symbol of fertility, wealth and family warmth), as well as a kurnik (pie with chicken).
Also, before the wedding, the man had to build a house to which he would bring his wife. Moreover, how to choose a suitable land plot, and directly to the construction process, our ancestors took very seriously. For example, in order to assess how suitable a particular site is for building a house, they could place a cast iron pot with a spider directly on the ground and leave it overnight. And if the spider managed to weave a web overnight, it was believed that the place was suitable for habitation. But in those places where blood was shed and where human bones were discovered, houses were never built.
Our ancestors also had other beliefs and rituals that remain extremely interesting to this day. However, our contemporaries will never understand and learn them all - after all, that era has long been left behind, and only minor echoes of the past reach us.
Ritual culture has its roots in pagan times of proto-religious beliefs. In ancient times, a person was accompanied throughout his life by numerous rituals with the participation of the entire community.
Rituals accompanied the beginning and end of agricultural cycles, the achievement of certain age stages in a person’s life, holidays of the change of seasons, as well as a person’s change of beliefs, pagan baptism.
Rituals of the ancient Slavs - traditions and beliefs
Slavic history goes back many millennia. Over this long period, many rituals regulating the life of the pagan community were formed. Rituals Eastern Slavs were closely associated with the cult of agriculture, thanks to the favorable climate that determined the type of activity of the Slavic tribes.
The pantheon of gods was very extensive, special attention was paid to the veneration of the Sun, which gives life surrounding nature. Thus, Svarog was considered the sun god, but in different times years, the Sun was also identified with such deities as Kolyada, Yarilo, Khors and Dazhdbog. Among women, Makosh, the goddess of agriculture and water sources and the patroness of crafts, was especially popular. Rituals to honor the gods were performed in special places powers that were assigned separately to each deity. Such places were called temples.
Calendar traditions and holidays
Most of the rituals were directly related to the change of seasons and certain milestones in the annual cycle. Thus, in winter it was customary to perform the ritual of caroling - spells against evil spirits, saying goodbye to the outgoing year, laying down positive programs for the coming year.
In the spring, according to ancient beliefs, it was customary to bake “larks” from dough to help Spring overcome Winter. At the same time, ritual songs-spells of spring - vesnyankas - were widespread among the Slavs.
Summer is a time of celebrations for young people.
The main one among them was the holiday of Ivan Kupala, during which unmarried girls they wove wreaths of flowers and sent them down the river, and the guys looked for the legendary fern flower in the forest.
In the evening of this day, fires were lit on the river bank, and young people jumped over them, thereby performing a ritual of purification by fire from evil spirits.
Autumn was traditionally considered the time of harvest, which was accompanied by numerous rituals. In addition to the harvest festival, the majority of weddings and related rituals took place in the fall.
Age rituals among the ancient Slavs
Of course, there are many more Slavic rituals; each stage of life was accompanied by one or even several rituals. But some of them have been lost forever, and some have changed so much that very little of the original remains in them.
Birth
The process of childbirth itself was inextricably linked with magical rituals, designed to provide the mother with a safe resolution of the burden, and the child with protection from all kinds of negativity. The placenta and umbilical cord, as well as umbilical cord blood, were not thrown away, but were carefully preserved by the midwife to bury them in the garden under the family tree with spells for long life And good health newborn
It was customary to celebrate the holiday of the birth of a new person in a narrow family circle, so as not to attract evil spirits and unkind glances from others.
At first, in order to avoid the evil eye, the child was not allowed to be shown to anyone except immediate relatives.
Many ancient peoples also had a tradition of dipping a baby into a vat of water immediately after birth. This was done both for hygiene purposes and to protect the baby from evil spirits, his symbolic bathing with his arrival in a new world for him. For the first diaper, the clothes of the parents were used - the mother gave her shirt to the daughter, the father shared with the son.
Naming
According to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, a person’s name determined him future destiny. Therefore, members of the clan and community treated the naming ceremony extremely responsibly. The name was previously agreed upon with the sorcerer, the day for the ritual was carefully selected, and, as soon as all the conditions were met, the ritual could take place.
The ritual was performed in front of a sacred fire, into which a lock of the hair of the person being named was thrown. It was also obligatory to bring demands to the spirits of ancestors - grain and antimony were used for this.
Before the ceremony began, lots were usually cast to determine whether the person was worthy of the name given to him.
If everything went well, then after the ceremony the entire community could address him with a new name.
However, the Slavs carefully protected their names from strangers and foreigners. For newcomers, generic or protective names were used, such as Nekras, Nezhelan. Such a negative meaning of the name, according to beliefs, was supposed to scare away evil spirits and bad people from its owner.
Funeral rite
It was customary among the ancient Slavs to burn the dead at funeral bonfires - kradas or domovinas. Purification by fire, according to legend, allowed the spirit of the deceased to quickly free itself from the earthly shell.
While most of those preserved in modern society rituals include harmless traditions common throughout the world, others, less well known, can be extremely painful and cruel. Unusual and dangerous rituals can be found in different corners peace. We will tell you about several of them in this collection.
(Total 11 photos)
1. Cannibalism.
Aghori Babas who live in the Indian city of Varanasi are famous for eating the dead. They believe that man's greatest fear is the fear of death, and that this fear is an obstacle to spiritual liberation. By eating a dead person, you can get rid of fear and take the right path of enlightenment.
There are five types of people who cannot be cremated according to Hinduism: saints, children, pregnant women, unmarried women, people who died from leprosy or snake bites. These people are attached to the sacred river Ganges, from where they are subsequently pulled out and ritually consumed by the Aghori.
2. Dance of the Sun.
Native Americans were known to perform numerous rituals to honor the spirits of the land. Rituals are a means of communication with great spirits, and self-sacrifice means maintaining direct contact with the Tree of Life. The ritual of making direct contact with the Tree proceeds as follows: the skin on the chest of the participants is pierced with a skewer, which is attached with a rope to a pole representing the Tree of Life. Participants move back and forth, trying to escape while the skin of their chest is still tied to the post. This dance can last for several hours.
3. Self-flagellation.
Every year during holy month Muharram followers of Shiite Islam carry out a ritual of mass self-flagellation in order to honor the memory martyrdom Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Men beat their bodies with blades attached to chains. In a state of religious trance, they practically do not feel pain.
4. Vine jumping.
In the village of Bunlap, which is located on an island in Pacific Ocean, a ritual called Gkol is performed. This ritual is, in a way, the predecessor of bungee jumping. The villagers sing, dance, some beat drums, and some men prepare to dangerous jumps. They tie vines around their ankles and jump from very high wooden towers built especially for this ritual. Participants in the ritual do not seem to be very concerned about the possibility of breaking bones. They just jump and fly upside down. It is believed that the higher a person starts, the greater the blessing of the gods he will receive.
5. Voodoo and spiritual possessions.
Followers of the Voodoo cult can be found in some parts West Africa. One of the rituals is to accept into oneself, as into a kind of vessel, some other soul or spirit. In the photograph, a person connects with the spirit of the Earth, Sakpata. The spirit takes over the body, but the person remains conscious. After the ritual, the spirit does not leave the person for 3 days.
6. Sky burials.
In Tibet, Buddhists practice a strange sacred ritual called Jhator, or sky burial. Buddhists believe in the circle of rebirth, which means that there is no need to preserve bodies after death because the soul has moved on to another realm. It is customary to give the bodies of the dead to vultures as alms. In order to get rid of the body as quickly as possible, a special person cuts the corpse into pieces and scatters it around for the birds to eat.
7. Fire walks.
The festival takes place in Penang, Malaysia. One of the cleansing rituals involves walking barefoot on burning coals. It is believed that fire scares away evil spirits, strengthens male strength and helps to free yourself from bad thoughts. For this purpose, hundreds of people walk along the lights.
8. Dancing with the dead.
Famadihana, which means "turning of the bone", is a traditional festival that takes place in Madagascar. Participants believe that what faster body decomposes, the faster the spirit reaches the afterlife. Therefore, they dig up their loved ones in order to dance with them to music around the grave, and then rebury them. This strange ritual is performed every 2-7 years.
9. Piercing.
The annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand is a very... dangerous ritual, which requires participants to pierce their cheeks with swords, knives, spears, hooks and the like. It is believed that during the ritual the gods put their bodies into a trance, protect them from evil and bring them good luck in the future.
10. Death rites.
The Amazonian Yanomami tribe is one of the most primitive in the world. In their opinion, death is not a natural phenomenon. It is customary in the tribe to cremate a deceased person, and mix his ashes with bananas and eat them so that the spirit of the deceased member of the tribe continues to live among their own.
11. Scarification.
Kaningara tribe from Papua New Guinea, practice a very unusual ritual that is aimed at strengthening the spiritual connection between members of the tribe and their environment. One of the ritual ceremonies is held in the “House of the Spirit”. The teenagers live in seclusion in the Spirit House for two months. After this period of isolation, they prepare for an initiation ceremony that recognizes their transition to manhood. During the ritual, the person's skin is cut with bamboo fragments. The resulting notches resemble crocodile skin. The people of this tribe believe that crocodiles are the creators of people. The marks on the body symbolize the teeth marks of a crocodile that ate the boy and left behind an adult man.
