Africa’s Most Bizarre Traditions

Cattle Jumping

Young boys from the Ethiopian Hamer tribe are required to run, jump, and land on the backs of several bulls – while nude – to prove their manhood. Before a boy undergoes this ritual, his female friends must dance through a parade of elders who will whip them with sticks until their bodies are completely bruised. The girls believe that the vicious whipping is a show of loyalty to their friends.