Topping the list for unusual phobias is the modern affliction, nomophobia. The phobia is characterized by feelings of anxiety that arise from being out of a phone’s range of service, not having one’s phone charged, having no credit on one’s phone or misplacing it. It is believed that over 50 percent of cell phone users are affected by nomophobia.
Ancraophobia or anemophobia
Both terms are used to define the fear of wind. People who suffer from ancraophobia tend to become anxious out of doors and near open windows. Anxious feelings can also manifest themselves when passing hand dryers or overhead air vents. It is believed that the fear is triggered by an experience embedded in the person’s subconscious.
The Grishneshwar Temple in Indian state of Maharashtra is the site of a very unusual – and potentially dangerous – religious ritual. As the name suggests, babies between the ages of one and two are thrown from a 50-foot tower, with men positioned beneath to catch the babies on sheets. The 700 year old ceremony is believed to make children more intelligent, luckier and healthier and is practiced by both Muslims and Hindus in the region.
Sky Burials
Sky burials were an exclusive and unusual religious ceremony in Tibet. The practice involved dissecting the deceased’s body and scattering the pieces on a mountaintop to decompose or be consumed by birds. Most Tibetans follow Buddhist traditions, which dictate the human body is merely a vessel and can be discarded, thus why the practice was popular. The practice was ultimately outlawed, but can still be performed with the family’s permission.
