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Fertility rites and rituals are nowhere near scientific, but there’s still fun to think about (and perhaps participate in). From throwing your underwear on the roof to putting dragon statues in your bedroom, read on to learn about six fun fertility rites and rituals from across the globe!
#1: Throwing your underwear on the roof
This might sound pretty bizarre, but the Yansi people of the Congo believe that whipping off your underwear and throwing it on the roof helps boost fertility. You can’t do this as and when you like, though… your underwear has to land on the roof during a waning moon in order for the ritual to work, and you can’t take it off until there’s a new moon.
#2: Sitting in a miracle chair
Would you travel all the way to Naples, Italy to sit on a “miracle chair”? Here’s the back story: there’s a chair in Naples that was previously owned by Saint Maria Francesca of the Five Wounds of Jesus, and the chair supposedly helps to make women more fertile.
Interestingly enough, the walls of the apartment (where the chair is located!) are covered with birth announcements and pictures of babies who were born after women travelled to Italy to sit on this miracle chair.
#3: Having sex in a field
We’ve heard of folks having sex in unconventional places to spice up their routine, but what does having sex in a field got to do with fertility? Apparently, certain Pagan farmers believe that making love in a freshly-ploughed field helps to increase the fertility of their wives and crops. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
#4: Girl-watering
What, exactly, is girl-watering? As it turns out, this is a pre-Christian cleansing ritual that’s practiced in Hungary and other Easter European countries. The ritual is meant to boost fertility in ladies of marriageable age, and it involves men pouring water on women dressed in traditional attire on the Monday after Easter.
#5: Putting dragon statutes in your bedroom
Fun fact: dragons symbolize male virility in the world of feng shui. According to practitioners, one of the best ways to boost your sex life and improve fertility is to place a dragon statue on your bedside table.
Other methods of boosting fertility (according to feng shui!) include not blocking your front and back doors, and placing a piece of hollow bamboo in your bedroom.
#6: Japan’s Kanamara Matsuri
The last fertility rite we’ve got for you is actually an event – it’s the Japanese penis festival that’s held every spring in Kawasaki, Japan.
The festival is said to have been established by “ancient courtesans”, and it apparently boosts the fertility of participants and protects them against STIs. This year’s Kanamara Matsuri is already over, but if you happen to chance across the festival in Kawaski next year, expect to see plenty of cross-dressing, penis-shaped snacks and sweets, and a parade of giant phalluses.
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