Rituals Banned for Being Too Dangerous or Controversial

When Cultural Practices Collide with Safety, Ethics, and Modern Law

Across history and geography, humans have created rituals to mark life’s transitions, honor deities, or strengthen group identity. While many of these practices continue to evolve and adapt, others have faced legal bans, public outcry, or religious condemnation due to health hazards, ethical violations, or shifting cultural norms. These seven rituals highlight how societies reassess traditions when they come into conflict with contemporary values or safety concerns.

1. Baby Tossing – India
In parts of southern India, particularly around the Solas Siddhi Temple in Maharashtra, families once participated in a startling ritual: dropping infants from a height of up to 50 feet onto a cloth held below by villagers. The act, believed to bring divine blessings and protect infants from illness, was typically carried out on temple grounds. Despite its centuries-old history, the practice faced growing scrutiny following reports of injury and fear. In 2011, authorities in Maharashtra officially banned the ritual, citing the risk to infants' lives. Nonetheless, anecdotal reports suggest that in some remote areas, the practice may still be performed discreetly.

2. El Colacho (Baby Jumping Festival) – Spain
Held annually in the village of Castrillo de Murcia, El Colacho involves adult men dressed as devils leaping over rows of babies laid on mattresses. This centuries-old tradition, conducted during the Catholic festival of Corpus Christi, is meant to cleanse the infants of original sin and ward off evil spirits. While the event remains popular locally, the Catholic Church has officially condemned it as theologically inappropriate and potentially dangerous. However, rather than disappearing, the ritual has evolved. In recent years, it has been carried out with blessings from local clergy and with increased safety precautions, reflecting a compromise between religious critique and local identity.

3. Scarification and Extreme Body Modification
Across many cultures, scarification has historically served as a rite of passage, particularly in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where patterns etched into the skin signaled maturity, bravery, or tribal affiliation. However, due to infection risks, public health policies, and Western influence, several African countries have restricted or banned scarification practices, especially for minors. Similarly, the Chinese tradition of foot binding, practiced for centuries as a symbol of beauty and status, was officially outlawed in 1912 following the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Although the ban was difficult to enforce at first, persistent education and changing aesthetics eventually led to the near-total eradication of the practice by the mid-20th century.

4. Mellification (Honey Mummification)
Though largely historical and confined to ancient medical folklore, the practice of mellification—where individuals voluntarily underwent a process of self-mummification in honey—stands out as a particularly bizarre and fatal ritual. Practiced in some accounts of ancient Arabia or possibly China, the subject consumed only honey until death, after which the body was sealed in a honey-filled container for several decades. The resulting human-honey mixture was then allegedly used as a medicinal salve. While there's limited archaeological evidence to support the widespread practice, the concept has been cited in medical and anthropological texts as an example of extreme ritual sacrifice for the benefit of others. The practice is now extinct, abandoned for both its lethal nature and lack of empirical efficacy.

5. Human Sacrifice – Various Cultures
Human sacrifice has been documented in numerous civilizations, including the Aztecs, Mayans, ancient Chinese dynasties, and early Celtic societies. The ritual killing of humans, often for appeasing gods or ensuring agricultural fertility, was deeply embedded in these belief systems. With colonization, legal reform, and religious shifts, such practices were largely eradicated by the 16th century. In the modern era, human sacrifice is illegal worldwide, but isolated reports still emerge. In India, for example, rare cases involving occult practitioners or criminal cults—sometimes attributed to fringe Aghori sects—have led to sensational headlines and swift law enforcement responses. These incidents are not mainstream religious rituals but isolated acts that violate human rights and are prosecuted under criminal law.

6. Firewalking – Global
Firewalking, which involves walking barefoot across a bed of hot embers or stones, has been practiced in various spiritual traditions from Polynesia to Greece, India, and Japan. The act is often framed as a demonstration of faith, purification, or mental focus. While not outright banned in most places, the practice is now regulated in certain regions due to safety concerns. In tourist-heavy areas like Fiji and Reunion Island, firewalking events are often overseen by safety personnel, and participants are sometimes required to sign waivers. In cases where injuries have occurred—such as corporate events in the U.S. involving motivational firewalks—organizers have faced legal liability, prompting more careful oversight.

7. Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic – United States (1980s–1990s)
Though not an actual ritual in practice, the Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) panic that gripped the United States during the late 20th century led to real legal and cultural consequences. Fueled by unfounded claims of widespread occult abuse in preschools and homes, this moral panic resulted in numerous wrongful accusations, arrests, and child custody disputes. The phenomenon was amplified by suggestive questioning techniques and unreliable recovered memory therapies. As a result, courts and medical associations have since discredited these methods, and laws were changed to prevent their future misuse. While no ritual ban was required in this case, the fallout led to professional restrictions and a more cautious approach to claims of ritual abuse.

From ancient burial rites to modern symbolic performances, rituals have long shaped the way people experience the world and relate to one another. Yet as societies evolve, so too do their standards of safety, ethics, and legitimacy. Some rituals are reformed; others vanish entirely. What remains is the understanding that while ritual is a powerful force, it must adapt to the changing frameworks of law, medicine, and human rights.