Sex might feel universal, but when you take a step back, you realize how differently it’s understood across cultures. What feels intimate and private to some can be ritual, duty, or even public spectacle to others. Some traditions are so jaw-dropping, you can’t help but ask: “People actually do that?”
Here are eight sexual customs from around the globe that show just how strange, fascinating, and wildly creative human intimacy can be.
1. A Shocking Coming-of-Age in Papua New Guinea
Forget birthday parties or bar mitzvahs some tribes in Papua New Guinea once had a very different way of preparing young boys for manhood. At around age seven to nine, boys were expected to ingest semen from older warriors. The tribe believed this ritual transferred masculine strength and spiritual power, transforming children into men.
Disturbing to us, yes. But for them, it was a sacred rite of passage, tied to survival and tribal identity.
2. Early Sexual Lessons on Mangaia Island
On the quiet, tropical island of Mangaia in the South Pacific, children received a very “hands-on” kind of education. By the time they were 10–13 years old, boys were paired with experienced older women, and girls with older men, to learn about sex directly.
The belief was simple: by the time they reached adulthood, nobody should stumble through intimacy unprepared. They valued skill and confidence in the bedroom as much as strength in the fields.
3. Sleeping With the Brother-in-Law Among the Comanche
In Comanche tribes, women in late pregnancy often abstained from sex. But instead of leaving the husband frustrated, there was a cultural workaround: the wife’s sister was expected to step in. Yes, you read that right the brother-in-law and sister-in-law would share a bed until the pregnancy was over.
It was less about passion and more about fulfilling duty, ensuring harmony in family and tribe.
4. Revenge in Ancient China
In old Chinese law, adultery came with deadly consequences. If a wife discovered her husband had cheated, she was legally allowed to kill him with her bare hands. The mistress, however, could be killed in any way the wife chose.
As extreme as that sounds, it reflected the seriousness with which loyalty and honor were taken. Fidelity wasn’t just personal it was tied to family reputation and social order.
5. Sex Only in Underwear on Inis Beag
On a tiny, remote island off Ireland, the Catholic faith shaped intimacy in unusual ways. For generations, locals avoided any kind of open affection kissing, touching, even talking about sex was frowned upon. Couples were expected to have intercourse only with their underwear still on, and usually only in the missionary position.
It’s almost hard to imagine, but for them, modesty outweighed pleasure.
6. Stranger Sex Pilgrimages in Java
On Indonesia’s Gunung Kemukus mountain, pilgrims traveled not just to pray but to engage in ritual sex. The belief was that sleeping with a stranger at the top of the mountain after washing in sacred springs would bring good fortune.
Over time, the ritual turned into a tourist-driven sex industry, raising concerns about exploitation and disease. What started as tradition became something much darker.
7. The Sweaty Apple Ritual in Austria
Dating customs in rural Austria once included… apples. Women would tuck slices of apple under their armpits while dancing, letting them soak up sweat. At the end of the night, they offered the fruity “perfume” to men they fancied. If the man ate the apple slice, it was a sign of mutual attraction and usually a prelude to sex.
Strange? Sure. But it was a quirky way of mixing scent, desire, and tradition.
8. The Marquesas Islands’ Family Sex Education
Of all the customs, this one is perhaps the most shocking. On the Marquesas Islands, children didn’t just get “the talk.” Parents demonstrated sex in front of them as part of their education. Kids were expected to observe gestures, sounds, and movements, learning by watching.
While deeply disturbing from our modern perspective, in their society it was normalized an unfiltered way to pass on knowledge from one generation to the next.
So, What Do We Take From This?
Looking at these traditions, one thing becomes clear: sex has never been just about biology. It’s wrapped in ritual, belief, taboo, and identity. What feels outrageous in one culture can be perfectly normal in another.
And while many of these customs would never fly today, they remind us of one truth human sexuality is as diverse and unpredictable as the people who practice it.
