5 Sexual Practices From Around the World That Will Make You Question Everything
By the Naughty Nectar Wellness Team | 3-minute read
Think your sex life is adventurous? The world has been at this for thousands of years - and some cultures have taken things in directions that will genuinely make your jaw drop. Here are five of the most fascinating sexual practices from across history and the globe.
1. The OG Self-Love Ceremony
In ancient Egypt, the god Atum was believed to have created life through a solo act. Taking this very literally, Egyptian pharaohs would ritually masturbate into the Nile to ensure the river kept flooding and the crops kept growing. Not a metaphor. An actual religious ceremony.
2. May the Best Flirt Win
Every year, the Wodaabe tribe of Niger holds the Gerewol festival - where men spend hours in elaborate makeup and costume, competing to lure women away from their husbands. If a woman is charmed enough to leave, it is considered a testament to the man's togu, his innate magnetic power. Polygamous unions formed this way are fully recognised.
3. All in the Family Business
In parts of the Himalayas where land is scarce, families with multiple sons have historically found one wife for all of them to share. The logic is economic - divide the land and everyone starves. Keep it together, and the family survives. Fraternal polyandry, as it is called, has been practiced in parts of Nepal and Tibet for centuries and is still documented today.
4. Mud, Sweat and Desire
Every July, thousands of Vodou practitioners travel to the Saut d'Eau waterfall in Haiti to honour Erzulie Freda, the spirit of love and desire. The ritual involves stripping down, bathing in the waterfall, and rolling in mud - along with animal offerings. It is loud, physical, communal, and completely devoted to the erotic.
5. Ingesting Strength from Your Elders
The Sambia people of Papua New Guinea believe semen carries masculinity, strength, and the essence of what makes a man. As part of their coming-of-age rituals, boys from around age seven are separated from women and, during initiation, required to ingest the semen of elder tribesmen. The belief is that masculinity cannot develop on its own - it must be passed down. Boys eventually transition to heterosexual life, marry, and the cycle continues.
Normal is a moving target. It always has been.
What every one of these practices has in common is that they made complete sense to the people doing them. Shaped by religion, survival, beauty, and belief - human sexuality has never been one thing. It has always been everything.
At Naughty Nectar Wellness, we believe the same. Pleasure is personal. It does not need to look a certain way or follow a certain rule. It just needs to feel right - for you. Whether you are just starting to explore or you have always known exactly what you want, we make products for every kind of curious.