The most beautiful women in Africa are the Himba tribe. The most beautiful African tribes: Himba

The guy passed away for 20 minutes.

He was in heaven for just 20 minutes. What was happening to him all this time? How could he come back to life? This story may seem incredible, but life gave this 17-year-old a second chance. In fact, no one can say reliably what happens to a person when he dies.

But the people who lived through clinical death, they tell approximately the same thing. So, they claim that they saw a bright light at the end of a long dark tunnel, and at the same time they flew, feeling peace and tranquility. And now you can find out this amazing story of the resurrection of an ordinary teenager named Zach.

Doctors can go into great detail about what happens to the body when a person dies. But no one can say for sure what is happening to human soul when the heart stops beating. Experts are always trying to avoid this question, because it is indeed very difficult to give a reasonable answer.

But again and again there are cases where people start talking about it. Many of those who were near death claim that they saw some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. They also report a feeling of peace and calm as the light gets closer.

We would like to present to you another story of a person who was on the verge of death for a long time.
Zach Clement is a teenager awaiting his 17th birthday on May 5th.
Zach is an ordinary teenager from Brownwood, Texas, a player on the local football team who really likes video games. Victoria Academy was holding its usual football training that day.

Everything was going absolutely fine until one of the team's players knocked Zach to the ground. Gary Bey, who was a volunteer ambulance that day, was fortunately not far from the incident.

The ambulance crew and team coach rushed to take Zack to the emergency room. According to them, “this was the most difficult case in their practice.”

Zach was taken to Central Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Zach's parents, Teresa and Billy Clement, were in the hospital when they received ominous information. “Zach has been dead for 20 minutes. The cause is irreversible brain damage.” But a miracle happened: the teenager’s heart suddenly began to beat.

The teenager was put into an induced coma. His body temperature was lowered to allow his brain to cope with the heart injury. A day after the tragedy, Zach woke up in his hospital room. Even the doctors were shocked: they thought that the teenager, as happens with such severe injuries, would never wake up. His heart stopped beating due to rhythm problems, inflammation and an abnormal coronary artery.
Doctors admitted that they had never had such a severe case. After the patient's pulse disappeared, they could only hope for a miracle. Three days after the incident, Zach told his parents about what he saw while unconscious. The guy said that he saw a man with a thick beard, blue eyes and with long hair. The teenager says that Jesus was surrounded by angels.

Zach also noted that the man did not give his name. But he is sure it was Jesus. “He put his hand on my shoulder and told me everything would be okay. It seemed to me that he was looking through me.” His mother says he said he saw angels and Jesus.
Many strangers believed this family. But there were also those who were distrustful. Some critics even noted that the parents may have given their son a pill that could have stopped his heart. “People can argue with science and logic, but you can’t argue with human experience,” says the boy’s father.

Zach returned to school, but doctors forbade him to play sports or be active in any way. physical activity. He is wearing a special defibrillator that measures the condition of his heart. Doctors note that the risk of cardiac arrest still remains.

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY!
A man in a neighboring house saw a thin thing through the window, pale face. It's hard to believe what the police found inside...
American police officer Mark Holst will probably not forget that call he received on July 13, 2005. The caller reported a mystical, pale little girl looking out into the street from the window of a nearby abandoned house.

The strange thing was that no one had lived in the house for a long time. And seeing a living child inside seemed crazy.
Officers immediately began an investigation.
Mark Holst knocked down the door after knocking and getting no answer. What he saw plunged the experienced police officer into complete shock: rats feasted on the garbage on the floor, the rooms were infested with cockroaches and spiders, and the old furniture and bathroom seemed to be covered with centuries-old layers of dirt.

The strangest and very scary thing is that in the midst of all this hell a child was sleeping! A pale 6-year-old girl in a torn shirt and dirty diaper sat on the floor, and seemed not to notice the hungry rats around her.
“When I walked in, she opened her eyes. Then she opened her mouth - apparently she tried to scream - and crawled like a crab into the corner. With her arms wrapped around her knees, she suddenly began making very strange sounds,” says the policeman.
The baby's name was Daniel. Officers immediately took the girl to the hospital. At 6 years old, Danielle could neither walk nor speak - in terms of development, she was more like a 6-month-old baby. Needless to say, this unfortunate girl never knew maternal love.
We also managed to find out who Danielle’s mother is. The woman was preliminarily imprisoned for 26 hours, her property was seized and her parental rights were deprived.

Danielle was incredibly lucky - after some time she was adopted by Diana and Bernie Learous, who had always dreamed of a little girl. Baby who never knew parental love, took root incredibly quickly in new family, became friends with her half-brothers. She just accepted it very successfully and joined the family.
Despite the joys of her new life, Danielle still has to cope with her old psychological wounds.
“She has panic attacks 7-8 times a day,” says Bernie. “She eats all the time until she vomits.”

And this was the reason for the lock on the refrigerator - otherwise Daniel would immediately empty everything.
Now the baby, who was once found in an abandoned house, is already 15 years old. She goes to a special school and has a very close relationship with her new father. But still, seeing women who are somewhat similar to her biological mother, Danielle rushes into panic. "She's like a 2-year-old in a 15-year-old's body," Bernie says.
Danielle's adoptive parents believe that one day she will be able to start a full life, get married and have children. However, until now, every step towards the maturation of this unusual girl comes with great difficulty. “It’s like a roller coaster. You never know where it’s going to take you,” the Lirous couple say.
One cannot help but admire the patience and love of Danielle’s adoptive parents! We can only hope that their care will one day help this poor girl start a new life.

At a tattoo and piercing studio in Las Vegas, she "suffered" for several hours to break the previous world record of 3,100 piercings in one day.
The piercer only pierced the girl on one side because at some point she fainted. Immediately after setting the record, the piercer refused to continue.

A wedding ring is a ring made of precious metal, which is worn in some countries on the ring finger of the left hand (in the UK, USA, Brazil). In most other countries of the world, this ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand.

A wedding ring symbolizes the bond of marriage: spouses wear it as a sign of their commitment to be faithful to each other. This European custom spread far beyond Europe.
According to customs, wedding ring is the latest in a series of gifts that may also include an engagement ring. IN Lately, appeared not without the participation of jewelers new tradition give a promise ring when courtship becomes serious, an eternity ring, symbolizing the rebirth or immortality of an ongoing marriage (sometimes this ring is given after the birth of the first child), as well as a trilogy ring, which is three rings, each with a sparkling round a diamond that symbolizes the past, present and future of marriage.

According to European traditions, the name of the surrogate and the wedding date are engraved on the inside of the ring, which enhances the symbolism and sentimental feelings associated with the rings, which are then passed on to generations.

Among Orthodox and Catholics, the exchange of rings is not part of the wedding ceremony, but rather a betrothal ceremony. Here two rings are always used. Usually the groom's ring, made of gold, and the bride's ring, made of silver, are blessed by the priest with holy water. He blesses the groom with the bride's ring and puts it on him ring finger right hand, then blesses the bride with the groom's ring and also puts the ring on her.

Then the priest or witness on the groom's side exchanges the rings of the bride and groom three times. While engagement ceremonies now often take place right before the wedding (or nuptials, as it is more correctly called), the true act of marriage is not the exchange of rings between the bride and groom, but the holding of crowns over their heads, and they drink three times from the wedding cup.

Traditions of the wedding ceremony.
In Britain, the groom's witness keeps the bride and groom's rings and presents them during the traditional wedding ceremony. At weddings with a more elaborate ceremony, the ring bearer (usually a boy relative of the bride or groom) ceremoniously brings in the rings, lying on a special cushion.

In ancient times, wedding rings not only served as a sign of love, but were also associated with the act of giving “serious amounts of money.” In the prayer book of Edward VI we find: after the words “with this ring I betroth you” come the following: “this gold and silver I give you,” and at the same time the groom had to give the bride a leather wallet with gold and silver coins.

Not only in England, but also in many other European countries, the wedding ring was more associated with the act of exchange of values ​​at the time of marriage, which served as a symbol eternal love and dependencies on each other. Sometimes the exchange of rings was carried out under special conditions, as, for example, in Germany: “I give you this ring as a sign of the marriage bond between us, on the condition that your father gives me 1000 Reichsthaler together with you.”

The bride can place the engagement ring on the ring finger of her left hand, and the groom places her wedding ring on the same finger. Or the bride can wear an engagement ring on the ring finger of her right hand. After the wedding, the bride can continue to wear both rings different hands, thereby protecting them from scratches. Another option is that the engagement ring is kept by the bridesmaid in a special bag, on a plate, etc. After the ceremony, the ring can be put back on either the right or left hand.

Post-wedding customs.
In some Western cultures (USA, UK, Italy, France, Sweden), wedding rings are worn on the left hand. The tradition of wearing a ring on the ring finger dates back to very ancient times, when it was believed that the “vein of love” (vena amoris) passes through this finger of the left hand, and a married couple, putting rings on the ring finger, symbolically declared their eternal love for each other . Currently, this custom has become a tradition and standard of etiquette in these countries.

In other countries such as Greece, Germany, Russia, Spain, India, Colombia, Venezuela and Chile, the wedding ring is worn on right hand. Orthodox Christians and Eastern Europeans also wear a wedding ring on their right hand. Jews wear it on the left hand, despite the fact that during the wedding ceremony the ring is worn on the right hand. In Holland, Catholics wear a ring on their left hand, everyone else wears it on their right; In Austria, Catholics wear a ring on their right hand. In Belgium, the choice of hand depends on the region. Greeks, many of whom are Orthodox, wear a wedding ring on their right hand in accordance with Greek tradition. The reason for this lies in the Roman custom of wearing a wedding ring on the right hand, because... in Latin the word for "left" is "sinister", which is English language means "evil, sinister." In Latin, "right" is "dexter", from which in English the word "dexterity" comes from, which means "agility, dexterity, skill." Hence, left hand is associated with negative feelings, and the right one is associated with positive feelings.

Traditions associated with the funeral ceremony.

Although according to the law and norms adopted in many religions, a marriage ends with the death of one of the spouses, the customs and symbolism of wearing wedding rings in this case vary greatly: the widower or widow continues to wear his wedding ring, but on the other hand; some remove their wedding ring and put on and wear the ring of their deceased spouse.

In many cultures, the duration of wearing and the custom of how to wear a ring depend not on the norms accepted in society, but on family traditions and from the choice of the spouse himself. Sometimes a widow or widower adds the deceased spouse's ring to hers and wears two rings on the same finger.

Modern traditions.
In the UK and US, it was a common belief among older people that wedding rings should mostly be worn by women. Nowadays, it is common for both spouses to wear rings, but may remove them from time to time for reasons related to the nature of the job, comfort or safety. Some people don't like the idea of ​​using precious metals or they do not want to declare their legal status through jewelry. There are people who prefer to wear their wedding ring on a chain around their neck.

The tradition of using two rings, i.e. for both spouses, is relatively young. Its origin is unclear and it was never widespread. In the late 19th century, the American jewelry industry began a marketing campaign to encourage the use of two rings. This tradition was not widespread at that time, although an etiquette book published in 1937 recommended that both spouses wear rings. The lessons of the 1920s, the changing economic situation and the impact of World War II led to a second, more successful marketing campaign, and as a result, by the end of the 1940s. The “two rings” tradition was used by 80% of those getting married, compared to 15% before the Great Depression.

There are many interpretations of ways to wear rings. Thus, it is argued that a woman should wear her wedding ring lower than her engagement ring, thereby placing it closer to her heart. Other rules require that the wedding ring be placed above the engagement ring in order to maintain an engaged atmosphere in the marriage. Some people believe that you should only wear your wedding ring. In the US, you can see a set of three rings in stores: a man's wedding band, a woman's engagement ring and a thin ring that is attached to the engagement ring before the wedding and turns it into a permanent wedding ring.

Materials for making rings.
In many religions it is allowed during marriage ceremony use rings of any material as a symbol of the marriage vow, and in unusual circumstances, even use unusual substitute rings.

Jewelers mainly make wedding rings from a precious yellow alloy of gold, copper, tin and bismuth. Platinum and white gold alloys are also used, although light yellow alloys were previously used white gold, are now increasingly being replaced by cheaper nickel-gold alloys, coated with a thin layer of rhodium, which must be reapplied after a few years.
Titanium has recently become very popular as a material for wedding rings due to its durability, affordability, and the gray color associated with gun material. Tungsten carbide was also used, often with gold or platinum inlays.
The cheapest material for wedding rings is nickel-plated silver - for those who prefer this metal over others for its appearance or cost. Increasingly, couples are buying rings made of stainless steel, which is as durable as platinum and titanium, and its polishing is of a higher quality than that of the latter.
Silver, copper, brass and other cheaper metals are not often used because... they are susceptible to corrosion over time and thus cannot symbolize permanence. Aluminum or toxic metals are never used.

Contrary to popular legend, titanium rings can be easily removed using a special jewelry tool and ring pliers.

Styles and fashion trends.

Jewish wedding ring from the 14th century.

Gladkoe Golden ring- This is the most popular example. People associated with medicine often wear such rings because... they are easy to wash. Women usually wear narrow rings, men - wider ones.

In France and French-speaking countries, the most common ring consists of three rings intertwined. They symbolize Christian virtues: faith, hope, love, where “love” is equated to a special type of beautiful sublime love, denoted by the ancient Greek word “agape”. However, such rings are used less and less, because they fall on top of each other.

Women in Greek, Italian and Anatolian cultures sometimes receive and wear so-called puzzle rings - a series of interlocking metal rings that must be joined together to form one ring. Men give such rings as a witty test of their women's monogamy: even if a woman can easily solve the puzzle, she still cannot quickly remove and replace the ring.

In North America and some European countries, many married women wear two rings on the same finger: an engagement ring and a wedding ring. Couples often buy a set of two rings - one for the groom and one for the bride - where the ring designs complement each other. In addition, some women who have been married for many years wear three rings on their finger (from palm to fingertip): a wedding ring, an engagement ring, and an eternity ring. This three-ring combination is especially common in the UK.

In the United States, the tradition of engraving rings is becoming increasingly popular.

In the USA, Canada and other English-speaking countries, the Celtic style has become popular among people of Irish and Scottish descent. Rings of this style are distinguished by the presence of an engraving or embossing of the Celtic Knot on the ring, symbolizing unity and continuity. The Claddagh design is sometimes used to symbolize fidelity.

10 Creepy SEXUAL traditions that are practiced in Africa nowadays!

1. The Himba tribe annually holds a kind of beauty contest among girls from 8 to 12 years old, but for the winner there is little joy in this. The thing is that the winning girl has to have group sex with gorillas for a month.

If the girl refused, then any man has the right to rape her as much as he wants.

2. In Kenya, the virginity of brides is honored like nowhere else. If a girl loses her virginity before marriage, she is unlikely to be able to get married. It is for this reason that, on the eve of the wedding, anyone can check whether the bride is innocent or not.

3. Some tribes in Oceania, Central Africa and Indonesia have a pre-wedding ritual of giving away the bride for temporary use best friends future husband and if the men found her unsuitable for their friend, then the wedding was called off.

4. In Tanzania, women steal shoes and a hoe from their chosen ones - these things are considered the most expensive, which no self-respecting man can do without. Hoes are passed down from generation to generation - from father to son, and if the chosen one wants to return his property, he will have to marry a thief.

5. In Africa, as in Russia, there is a custom of ransoming a bride, but with a small difference: as a ransom, the applicant for the girl’s hand must satisfy her mother; if he fails in this task, it means no luck and the bride will go to the next applicant, who will be able to pay off mommy. By the way, the father of the family selects candidates for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

6. I found this custom on one of the forums and thought it was complete bullshit. For the sake of decency, I googled and came across the Discovery website, where this unusual ritual was exactly described.

In some tribes of equatorial Africa it is believed that a man should not suffer when making love to a virgin. They prefer to send girls into the jungle so that the unpleasant duty can be performed by... a male gorilla. It is believed that a lady who is unable to corrupt a poor animal can never become a good wife.

This is what alarmed me: gorillas are so big, which means they must have an impressive economy, but no, it turns out that an adult male’s penis length in an erect state does not exceed 3.5 centimeters, and the thickness is even less. Among the tribes of equatorial Africa there is even such an offensive expression: “hangs like a gorilla.”

7. All African families have many children; it is difficult to find a family with less than 6 children. This is not explained by the love of Africans for babies or the lack of means of contraception, everything is much simpler: the duty of every offspring is to take care of their parents. And the more children there are, the better life is for the elderly. So they give birth to 20 children, suffer, raise them to their feet, but then live like kings. Beauty!

10. Many people have heard about the female harems of the sultans, but in the African state of Malaya, women maintain harems of men.

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In the north of the country, near the border with Angola, lives the amazing Himba tribe.
Lately, they have begun to allow people from the “outside” world to visit them from time to time.
One thing attracts guests: the amazing beauty and special, strange grace of Himba women.

The Himba actually lead a semi-sedentary, semi-nomadic tribal existence in areas of almost completely lifeless desert, in conditions of severe water shortage.

The Himba live by raising cattle. In essence, the only thing they have is skinny, but very unpretentious and tenacious cows of a special breed, ready, almost like camels, to go without water for weeks.

They don't need any clothes, other than plastic flip-flops, which will come in handy in this rocky desert. They do not use any utensils - except for gourd vessels, which are sometimes replaced by large plastic drinking water bottles. And in general, it seems that they do not suffer at all from the lack of all these attributes of civilization.

There could be dozens of new Naomi Campbells out of Himba girls. And where do modeling agencies look?

There are only two items that have become essential for them. Firstly, this various kinds combs and combs with which Himba women spend hours combing the special kind of “pom-poms” that crown their intricate and complexly structured hairstyles.
And secondly, multi-colored plastic rustling bags from the supermarket, with which they are ready to decorate themselves and their amazing toilets, and store all their belongings in them, and tie their children to their belts, and use them in a thousand ways, sometimes quite unexpected.

The Himba have almost no water at all: every drop that can be obtained will be carefully preserved and drunk. To also wash with water is unimaginable here.
The Himba have been helped to survive since time immemorial by a magical ointment, to which they owe their now famous red skin tone: a mixture of butter churned from the milk of their skinny cows, various plant elixirs, as well as bright red volcanic pumice “okra” ground into the finest powder.
Himba women apply this mixture to their entire body and hair several times a day. The ointment helps maintain the necessary level of hygiene, protects against sunburn and insect bites.
Surprisingly, Himba women have absolutely perfect skin.
And they smell quite pleasant - just a little bit of melted butter.
The same super cream serves as the basis for a traditional hairstyle. Long "dreadlocks", however, are grown approximately twice as long with someone else's hair: usually male, most often respectfully accepted from the father of the family.

By the way, every resident of a Himba village has, in addition to the one received at birth, also a “European” name. Children receive it when they study in mobile free schools organized by the state: almost everyone goes to study, so almost everyone knows how to count, can write their name, say a few English words and phrases.
After the first two or three classes, very few continue to study. Only a rich family can afford to send a child to the city, to a “big” school: education, housing, clothing, food in the city cost an average of seven cows a year. But sometimes it happens.

From there, from the city, comes the most terrible problem of the Himba: AIDS. In Namibia, almost 20 percent of the population is infected with AIDS, and the Himba have a purely philosophical attitude towards the danger of becoming infected: God gave, God takes away. Of course, they are not talking about any kind of prevention. But if you’re lucky and don’t catch AIDS in childhood or youth, the Himba live for quite a long time: often longer than 70 years, and sometimes they live up to 100.
However, the old people are not visible in the village: either in distant pastures, with cattle, or in huts, where we are not allowed.

The main difference between the Himba and other peoples of Namibia is that they still retain the full weight of their traditions and beliefs. Christianity had no influence on the life of this people. The life of the Himba, their customs have hardly changed. Today there are no more than 10 thousand of them.

Himba women wear only a loincloth. In addition to the body paint, Himbu women wear so many things that you quickly stop noticing the lack of clothing: luxurious necklaces made of leather, iron and brass, pendants, belts, bracelets, ankle jewelry. They do all this with their own hands.

All Himbas over ten or twelve years of age are missing four lower teeth. Himba marriages are polygamous: a man can have several wives. Hence the large number of children. When they reach a certain age, they go through a rather brutal initiation rite. This procedure is very painful. A person’s healthy teeth are deprived of them using simple objects - a burnt stick from the “sacred” fire and a stone. Each tooth is knocked out individually, and the wounds are then cauterized with a hot iron. If you want to be an adult, then be patient.

You can tell a boy from a girl by their hairstyle. Girls wear two pigtails hanging over their eyes. Boys - alone, in the back, or do without her at all. A girl who has reached the age of 14 is considered a bride. As a sign of this, she has many braids braided so that they almost completely cover her face. U married women the hairstyle is the same, but the face is open. The hair is supported by an intricate headdress made of leather.

The Himba have this order - if a husband kills his wife, this happens in family life, then he pays compensation to his wife’s family in the amount of 45 cows. If a wife kills her husband, this also happens, then nothing goes to the husband’s family. The authorities do not punish those responsible for the incidents or put them in prison. They believe that this is an internal matter for the Himba and do not interfere.

Himba weddings do not happen often. You need to pay a large ransom for the bride, and not every man is able to do this.

The Himba still have a custom: during holidays, they exchange wives.
This kind of moral freedom worries the government.
After achieving independence, the Namibian authorities launched an offensive against Himba customs. Officials are calling on people to abandon ancient traditions due to the threat of AIDS. The Himba believe that their ancestors were distinguished by enviable health because they religiously observed traditions. And it is not good to abandon traditions, although each time has its own dictates.

In civilized countries they differ from each other only in details. Girls love well-groomed men who take care of themselves and know how to dress well.

And even though ladies also want to evaluate handsome men, in our society women’s appearance is more often judged. Another thing is the Nigerian Wodabe tribe. This nomadic people is famous for the annual male beauty contest held during the Vorso festival. It takes place at the end of September and lasts a week. The most interesting thing is that the competition is judged by women!

Here it’s the other way around: boys spend a lot of effort, time and money to dress up, and girls choose the brightest and prettiest. The tournament is so important that all representatives of the tribe come to it.

Participants thickly smear their faces with multi-colored paints. Red represents courage and bravery, yellow ocher speaks of mystical powers, and white is equated with death. Well, black paint better highlights snow-white teeth and pupils. It is made from the ashes of animal bones.

For extra elegance, guys adorn themselves with colorful toe-length cotton togas and massive beads. Participants cover their heads with turbans or wide-brimmed straw hats. Some men dress up so cleverly that they can hardly be distinguished from pretty young ladies.

At the beginning of the competition, the contenders walk in a line across the Sahel savannah. The girls from the jury evaluate them by height, breadth of smile, physique and endurance. Men show the latter in competitions: they saddle camels, catch game, sing, cast magic and dance the ritual dance Gerevol.

While dancing, they bare their teeth, roll their eyes and go into a trance. To endure such dancing under the hot Saharan sun, participants often drink a special drink made from fermented bark, which has a hallucinogenic effect.

Any girl can approach the favorite and slap him on the shoulder. This means that she chose herself... a husband! At the same time, she can officially be married, and the new relationship will be considered a “marriage for love.” After such short romances, children appear, thanks to which the gene pool of the village is renewed.

The winner of the tournament can choose any number of girls and stay with them for a whole month. Interestingly, the ladies of this tribe also love to dress up and are considered one of the most beautiful women in West Africa.

The Wodabe value three things: beauty, livestock and family. The tribe is a livestock breeder and supplies meat to hundreds of villages from Lake Chad to the Atlantic coast of Senegal. Without knowing it, these amazing people are challenging gender beauty stereotypes. They do not really like contact with foreigners, and even in their native language, “Wodabe” means “people of taboo.”

This beautiful, distinctive culture is a true treasure of our world. Would you like to witness the famous ritual tournament? What do you think about this tribe? Tell us in the comments and share with your friends.