Top 10 Weird Drinking Traditions Around the World

If you were in a fraternity during college, it’s possible that you drank from a shoe as part of a ritual. You wouldn’t expect to see this kind of behavior at a wedding, however. In Ukraine, wedding guests will sometimes wait for the bride to sit down and then swipe her shoe out from under the table. The groom’s bestie is traditionally tasked with getting the shoe back, which can entail a few different challenges. The shoe-napper can request that the best man do a striptease or let the bridesmaids ride him like a horse. Most notably, the best man may have to drink vodka from the shoe. It’s not exactly a Cinderella story, but we’d totally attend that wedding.

Poland and Russia are widely considered two of the birthplaces of vodka. So, when it comes to this beverage, both countries are very passionate about certain traditions. For starters, warm vodka simply won’t be tolerated, almost guaranteeing that there’ll be plenty of ice in any bar to chill the bottles. While most drinkers around the world prefer their vodka cold as well, many like to take things one sip at a time, or in a mixed drink. But in Poland and Russia, as well as other countries in their geographical regions, it’s customary to down vodka neat in a single gulp. Doing a shot of vodka is already pretty intense, but Poles, in particular, believed that size doesn’t matter. Whether the glass is big or small, they’ll down it in one gulp. We wouldn’t recommend chugging a whole bottle, however, for very, very obvious reasons.

We all love a good water balloon or Super Soaker fight, but have you ever considered using wine as a substitute? Probably not since wine is more expensive - not to mention stickier - than tap or pool water. At the Haro Wine Festival in Northern Spain, though, guests show up with jugs, buckets, and other containers filled with wine for a fun-filled “battle.” While this summer festival has officially been taking place since 1965, the inspiration can be traced back to the 13th century when Haro started putting up purple banners on San Pedro’s Day to separate the town from the neighboring Miranda de Ebro. One year, this resulted in a celebratory wine war, a tradition that’s upheld today with the Batalla de Vino, or the Battle of Wine.

Although Paris is known as the City of Love, this ritual will probably spoil your romantic fantasy. Back in the old days, guests at French weddings would gather all the leftover champagne, other libations and even food, in an — ostensibly unused — chamber pot, which the bride and groom were expected to drink from. Why? Apparently to boost their performance when they consummated the marriage. We can’t imagine that anyone would want to get busy after drinking from a toilet… except for maybe a dog. Oh, and the newlyweds couldn’t just lie and say that they drank the toilet concoction. Friends were encouraged to check-in and make sure that they had their fill. These days, sometimes a toilet or chamber pot may be used, but often not. But still.

Some cultures go out for a round of beers or shots of tequila when they want to party. In Kazakhstan, the go-to drink for most celebrations is Kumis. This alcoholic beverage is comprised of fermented mare’s milk, which might sound like an odd stand-in for wine or champagne to tourists. Kumis has a rich history, however, dating back to ancient times when horses were domesticated. Since the nomadic people of Kazakhstan and Mongolia had such a strong connection to their horses, Kumis and mare’s milk inevitably became traditional drinks. Kumis remains a major cultural facet of Kazakhstan and other parts of Central Asia.

When some people have one too many alcoholic beverages, they’ll typically order a cup of coffee to snap them back into sobriety. In Palermo, Italy, a special beverage was created to revitalize people when they drink or eat more than they probably should’ve. It’s known as traditionally made of lemon juice and either sparkling soda or baking soda. If you’re a true party animal who wants to take an even bigger bite out of Sicily, your night won’t end with this sobering drink. It’ll just refresh you enough to order another shot of grappa. We suppose this tradition is one way to drink responsibly . . . actually, come to think of it, definitely 100% not.

Devil in a bottle is just a figure of speech, right? Well, in Venezuela, it’s taken in a slightly more literal sense. When someone finishes off a bottle of liquor, it’s tradition to drop a lit match inside. You can also use a long lighter. Whatever little liquor is left in the bottle will be consumed by the flame in the blink of an eye with a “whoosh” sound. It’s believed that this custom will take the devil out of the bottle. Some might call it superstitious, but watching that “demon” exit the bottle certainly makes for a cool party trick.

What do Winnie the Pooh and Dracula have in common? Believe it or not, there’s a ceremonial drink in Tanzania that they both could toast with . . . sort of. A Maasai tribe reportedly likes to spice up their fermented honey wine with a little something extra: cow’s blood! Preparing this drink is quite the escapade. After snatching some honey from the bees, these warriors have to shoot a cow with an arrow to collect its blood. Don’t worry, they patch the cow’s wound up with a little dung. The honey mead and cow blood are then mixed together, creating a most unique beverage. The drink is mainly saved for special occasions, which is good news for the bees and the cows.

Studies have shown that if you drink excessively, you may experience some problems in the bedroom. According to a few superstitious traditions, your love life could be doomed before the liquor even touches your lips. In the Czech Republic, it’s believed by many that if you toast with your arms crossed, bad sex is on the horizon. If you think that’s a nasty curse, some countries take it several steps further. In France and Germany, it’s customary to toast while maintaining eye contact. Otherwise, it’ll result in seven years of bad sex. In Spain, it’s been said that toasting without alcohol will have a similar effect on your libido. Just to be safe, let’s all toast with our arms unfolded, eyes focused, and no H2O.

Stealing the bride’s shoe is one thing, but stealing the bride is another. Just to clarify, we’re not talking about horrific atavistic “bride kidnapping” where a man abducts a woman and forces her into marriage. This is very different. Instead of just one day, weddings span a three-day period in Germany. On the third day, it’s a tradition for the best man and/or groomsmen to playfully kidnap the bride. It’s all in good fun as they hop from bar to bar. The best men will customarily leave clues behind so the groom can decipher their whereabouts. After the groom tracks her down, he purchases drinks for the wedding guests. It’s like a bachelor party, a bachelorette party, and a wedding all rolled into one. What’s not to like?