Rituals Banned but Still Practiced in Secret

Cultural Traditions That Persist Underground Despite Legal Prohibitions

Throughout history, governments and institutions have banned rituals they deemed dangerous, subversive, or incompatible with dominant legal and moral systems. Yet many of these practices have endured—discreetly, quietly, and often in private spaces—because they serve enduring spiritual, cultural, or communal needs. These covert rituals continue to thrive under the radar, revealing the powerful tension between legal authority and cultural survival.

1. Human Sacrifice
Though universally outlawed, reports of human sacrifice continue to surface in isolated regions where spiritual worldviews are entwined with ancestral cosmologies. In parts of West Africa, particularly in remote areas of Nigeria and Togo, underground rituals involving the offering of human life still emerge occasionally. These acts are often tied to traditional religious beliefs that associate sacrifice with power, protection, or spiritual justice. In India, sporadic cases linked to tantric sects or goddess worship—especially within traditions venerating Kali or other fierce deities—are documented despite harsh penalties. Practitioners often believe that these secret sacrifices appease divine forces capable of granting prosperity, protection from evil, or revenge against enemies.

2. Spirit Possession and Mediumship Rituals
In Vietnam, rituals associated with the Len Dong ceremony—part of the Mother Goddess religion—continue to flourish behind closed doors, even though these practices are not officially sanctioned by the state. Spirit mediums, often women, conduct elaborate trance rituals involving music, costume changes, and spirit possession, typically hosted in private homes or nighttime gatherings to avoid surveillance. Despite state restrictions, it is well known that even government officials and business elites discreetly consult these mediums, who often frame the events as ancestor veneration to deflect scrutiny. In Cuba, Santería survived centuries of persecution by fusing West African Yoruba rites with Catholic iconography, allowing practitioners to disguise their altars and orishas as saints and Christian relics. These hybrid adaptations allowed the faith to continue underground until state tolerance increased in the late 20th century.

3. Secret Religious Gatherings Under Persecution
During the Communist era in Eastern Europe, religious worship was heavily policed and often prohibited. In response, groups of Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Protestants organized clandestine services in forests, mountains, private homes, and even abandoned buildings. Archival photos and secret police files from the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany show confiscated religious materials and surveillance images of unauthorized gatherings. These hidden rituals were critical for maintaining faith and identity under an officially atheistic regime. In Japan, following the 17th-century ban on Christianity, a group known as the Kakure Kirishitan or “hidden Christians” developed elaborate systems of disguise to preserve their religion in secret. They passed down prayers orally, transformed Christian figures into Buddhist-sounding names, and repurposed household items as sacred icons. These hidden communities kept their faith alive underground for over four centuries.

4. Animal Sacrifice in Afro-Caribbean Religions
Although banned or tightly regulated in many countries, animal sacrifice remains a central ritual in Afro-Caribbean religions like Santería in Cuba and the United States, and Vodou in Haiti. These sacrifices are often carried out during ceremonies dedicated to specific deities or orishas, where chickens, goats, or other animals are ritually offered. In the U.S., the Supreme Court has ruled that animal sacrifice is protected under religious freedom, provided it complies with public health and animal welfare laws. Nonetheless, the practice is frequently performed in private to avoid stigma or confrontation. In countries with stricter bans, sacrifices may be conducted discreetly in rural areas or under the guise of feasts and celebrations.

5. Hazing Rituals in Fraternities and Secret Societies
While not tied to formal religion, hazing rituals persist in collegiate fraternities, sororities, and secret societies despite being officially banned by most universities. These rituals, which often involve physical endurance, humiliation, or dangerous stunts, are intended to test loyalty and forge group cohesion. In many cases, they are conducted under strict secrecy, away from campus, or disguised as social events. Despite the risks and public condemnation, hazing persists due to its perceived role in reinforcing group identity, status hierarchies, and internal trust.

6. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
FGM is outlawed in most countries and condemned by international human rights organizations, yet it continues to be practiced in secret within parts of Africa, the Middle East, and immigrant communities globally. Carried out primarily on young girls, often without anesthesia or medical oversight, the procedure is justified within some communities as a rite of purity, maturity, or marital readiness. In regions where it is illegal, FGM is often conducted during school holidays or in remote locations to evade detection. Efforts to eradicate it face resistance from local leaders and families who view the ritual as essential to cultural identity, even at great personal risk.

These underground rituals persist not because of ignorance or rebellion alone, but because they offer a profound sense of connection—to ancestors, to spiritual systems, and to community identity. In many cases, they serve as forms of resistance against homogenizing forces like colonialism, state repression, or globalization. Whether through disguised altars, encoded language, or nighttime gatherings, practitioners preserve these rituals with determination. The continued existence of banned but secretly practiced rituals reminds us that cultural survival often unfolds in the margins, where law and belief collide but tradition refuses to disappear.