From fake weddings to deadly stunts: 3 shocking facts about India (10 photos + 2 videos)

India is a country of contrasts, where ancient traditions collide with crazy modern trends.





Here they celebrate weddings without grooms, declare war on onions and play roulette with trains. Are you ready to find out how Indians turn everyday life into an extreme show?

1. In India, a tent can be torn down because of onions in food



In India, food is not just food, but a religious manifesto. If you think that the most heated debates here are about beef (which Hindus really do forbid eating), here's a surprise: shopkeepers can be beaten up for onions in a dish.





Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Shiva devotees known as Kanwariyas

Recently, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 20 pilgrims (Shiva devotees) destroyed a snack bar, suspecting the cook of adding onions. For Jains - followers of the religious and philosophical teaching of Jainism (and there are 5 million of them in India), onions and garlic are taboo, because by digging up root vegetables, you kill worms and microorganisms. And in Hinduism, strong odors are considered "unclean". The deities want the scent of sandalwood, not the smell of garlic.



Kanwariya visitors smashed the snack bar

But here's the problem: onions and garlic are damn tasty. Many believers eat them secretly, and then blame the seller for their sin. They say, it was he who slipped the forbidden stuff, so I got carried away. Of course, the police detain such troublemakers, but the tradition lives on: in 2022, a stall was also smashed in Delhi for "illegal" onions in curry.

2. Fake Weddings in India - A Game of Marriage That Has Become a Trend



Indian weddings are noisy, bright, beautiful

An unusual party format is gaining popularity in India - weddings without marriage. Young people now arrange lavish ceremonies with all the attributes: dresses, mehendi, dancing and a feast, but without officially registering the relationship.

In Mumbai, such events have already become a business. Organizers rent halls, hire photographers and sell tickets at a price of 999 rupees for girls and 1499 rupees for guys or couples.



Guests come in traditional outfits (lehenga, sherwani), which are rarely worn in everyday life, take bright photos for social networks and have fun without the obligations of a real wedding.

Why is it cool? No unnecessary and unfamiliar relatives, only friends and peers are present, without a dowry and obligations.



Now it's not just a party, but a new way to celebrate even birthdays. All you need to do is choose a bride and groom from the guests and pick out an outfit that will look great in the photos.

3. Indian Russian Roulette



A deadly hobby is gaining momentum in India: people lie down between the rails to film a multi-ton train rushing over them. This crazy challenge is already being called a new epidemic. In the last month alone, the police have detained dozens of such daredevils.



In the state of Odisha, three teenagers almost died while repeating a trick from TikTok. In Uttar Pradesh, an adult man filmed a dubious feat to the music of the film "Badshah".



The problem is that each such video provokes hundreds of imitators: Indian youth do it for likes and to feel like a Bollywood star.



"Badshah"

The root of the problem is the cult of heroism (in Indian cinema, heroes regularly perform unrealistic stunts with trains) and selfie mania. India leads in deaths while taking extreme selfies. In addition, many Indians have been riding on the roofs of trains for years, considering it the norm. The police are sounding the alarm. But the wave of dangerous entertainment is only growing.