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Having sex with cousins,
beating up future kings & hiding from the dead: The world's taboos come in many forms.
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What makes an action or a glance taboo is
based on religious beliefs or morals
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Taboo comes from the Polynesian language Tongan which is from a tiny island called Tonga just a little over 2,000 miles East of Australia.
"Forbidden" or "Prohibited"
The word taboo simply means forbidden or prohibited.
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In Singapore, taboo gifts are
sharp objects, like knives or scissors, as they symbolise the cutting off of a friendship: handkerchiefs, as they are considered a sign of sadness: straw sandals, as they are worn at funerals: and clocks, as the Cantonese word for clock also can mean "to go to a funeral."
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When it comes to not speaking the names of the dead themselves—or any words that resemble them—the basic explanation is that out of fear the dead might present themselves or return as a ghost.
When someone dies, all of the relatives take on new names in the Kiowa KAI-OH-WAH Indian tribe. In a similar way, when the king of the Bahima BAH-HIM-MAH of Central Africa, dies, his name is removed from the language. Sometimes this taboo on naming persists up until the body has totally decayed with some communities feeling a need to disguise themselves to prevent being recognized; The Nicobar islanders go as far as shaving their heads.
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Sometimes taboos stem from hostility toward the ruler. The savage times of
Sierra Leone are allowed to beat their king on the eve of his coronation, thus risking his chances of survival. When the leading chiefs want to get rid of someone, they elect him king.
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For the Manu people of Peru, sex
was regarded as a violent and shameful performance in the darkness of night. Mothers told their daughters that sex was painful until the first child was born and unpleasant thereafter. Husbands and wives regarded each other’s bodies with shame. Sex play was taboo between man and wife. Such activity was restricted to cousins.
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These were some of the world's most intriguing taboos so keep them in mind for when you decide to travel the globe.
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