To avoid misfortune at the beginning of the year, the Orochi people have devised a peculiar custom of creating fake couples, where they swap spouses with one another. These fake couples are free to engage in sexual relations.
Orochi is a minority ethnic group concentrated in the Sovetskaya Gavan and Vanino districts, located in the western part of Siberia, Russia. Aside from the name Orochi, this group is also known as Nani, which means “indigenous people” in the local language.
To evade bad luck at the start of the year, the Orochi people have formulated a tradition of creating fake couples so that these pretend couples will absorb all the misfortune for the real families in the coming year.
This process is prepared many days before the New Year. The names of all the Orochi couples living in each village are collected. A village council is formed, consisting of older women. Notably, these women are usually single, having missed the opportunity for marriage and children. They take responsibility for creating the fake couples.
Orochi people in Russia. (Photo: Internet).
Once the list of couples in the village is compiled, the council of single women reviews and decides on pairings. The husband from one household is selected to be matched with the wife from another household, and similarly, his wife will be paired with another man.
Engaging in sexual relations between the fake couples is not mandatory, but according to Orochi beliefs, it is implicitly welcomed. The Orochi people place great importance on family and legal marital relationships. Nevertheless, spending the night with a fake spouse on New Year’s Day does not upset the Orochi, as this is an ancient tradition of their people.
Additionally, the Eskimo people, who live in the Arctic region between North America and East Siberia, are considered one of the most liberal ethnic groups in the world. They believe that by swapping wives, they can change their fate and keep away from evil spirits.
Eskimo people living in the Arctic. (Photo: Internet).
Some tribes in this region view homosexual relations as entirely normal. A father may engage with his own child without facing condemnation.
Furthermore, the Eskimo people in Siberia also believe that interacting with women who are menstruating can cause men to… drown in the sea.
