A few days ago a most strange ritual was celebrated in India for us Westerners: launch children under two years of age from a height close to 15 meters.
Although for many it is a rare novelty, it is a tradition that is more than 700 years old. Every year hundreds of children are thrown from the roof of a mosque with the belief that, by picking them up with a blanket or sheet, health and prosperity will be ensured to the children's families. Last year Lola discovered this tradition and this year I discovered it, because I didn't know her.
Those who believe in it say that with the high level of mortality in rural areas, this ritual is the only thing that works for them.
Children must be under two years old and, honestly, it is a little scary that something might happen to them. They say the risk is minimal, since, they say, nothing has ever happened to any child. The National Commission for the Protection of Children's Rights has initiated an investigation in this regard to determine whether it violates the rights of minors.
Personally I think it's a silly one that I hope they end up withdrawing, the danger seems obvious to me and I would like the possible damage to the brain of such a slowdown when the fall stops, but I would also like that in addition to looking at the straw in the foreign eye we look for it in ours.
In Castrillo de Murcia (Burgos) for example they put babies on the floor so that a boy, called “colacho” (like tradition), jumps over them to ward off their evil. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't let anyone jump on my baby, or be an Olympic champion.
Other traditions involve animals for the celebration of personnel who are killed. These are other issues and this is not the time or place to discuss it, but I think it is logical to comment that our customs may also seem barbaric in other countries.
