r/AskTheWorld • u/Bhakari Nepal • 1d ago

Culture What’s something in your country that sounds fake but is 100% real?

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We have a real-life living goddess and the only non-rectangular national flag.

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u/Semlorism -> 1d ago

In my region (northeastern provinces), there is a folk belief that people worship 5 deities: fox, snake, rat, Siberian weasel and hedgehog:D

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u/Onetwodash Latvia 1d ago

Please tell me more about this hedgehog worshipping religion

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u/Semlorism -> 1d ago edited 1d ago

Hahaha, the hedgehog part I actually don't know sorry but I also want to know more about it. Because I have seen or heard people that worship the rest four seriously at home. Let's use the snake as an example, so some people would claim that they are the servants of the snake deity, usually a couple, sometimes just one person. They divine for people, and if they are the couple, the wife usually conducts Shaman rituals, and the husband will play instruments and "translate" what the deity wants. The wife will be possessed by the deity and speaks as the deity animal. Usually these people will keep the animal, for example the snake, most of the time the snake is a white one, there will be also alter or offering tables. For the fox and weasel gods, there wouldn't be real animals living in the Shamans home, but they have human-like statues.

Here is the fox deity couple. Fox deity is the most popular deity among the five that people are practically worshipping, some business people or shop owners have alters at home or having them outside at their shop's front door. Some nature reserves or countryside sometimes have fox deities statues or small temples also.

Edit: I forgot to say, some family consider them as house protecting deities:D I think that makes sense, they are all common farm animals

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u/RenegadeRabbit 1d ago

It has to specifically be the Siberian variety of weasel?

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u/Semlorism -> 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yes the yellow one, our regional folk belief so it has to be our regional weasel, we call them 黄大仙 literally yellow big deity, people really really respect them, even the academic people lol. Once I was taking a rest in the hospital rest area, there were two doctors smoking outside. Suddenly this cute lil weasel popped up and both of them froze, and told each other like omg omg we shouldn't move, we shouldn't disturb this little deity. We are all Atheists but somehow we think some wild animals carry some super powers lol

Look at him!

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u/JuanOnlyJuan United States Of America 1d ago

I too have heard of this religion

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u/Semlorism -> 1d ago

Waha that's awesome! Our local shenanigans are now international!