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From birthdays to new years every culture has its fair share of
things to celebrate. While in most parts of the world you’ll find that
the celebrations have at least a few things in common (eating, drinking,
dancing) many times the similarities stop there. Where some people like
to complement the festivities with throwing goats out of towers others
prefer driving skewers through their faces. Whatever helps you get your
party on right? Well prepare for some culture shock because these are
the 25 most insane festivals from around the world.
25. The Thaipuism Festival
Every
April, to celebrate New Year, the world’s largest water gun fight takes
place in the country of Thailand. And no, it’s not just some small
isolated village. We’re talking about an entire country drowning itself
with supersoakers. But the fun isn’t limited to water guns, as some
people prefer buckets or even elephants.
Originally
meant to promote Australia’s fledling tuna industry, this festival has
now come to be known for it’s highlight event…the tuna toss.
What
started as something of a street fight between teenagers using tomatoes
from nearby vegetable stalls has turned into the largest tomato fight
in the world. It happens every year in the small Spanish town of Bunyol
and over the course of about 1 hour the town gets so covered in tomatos
that the fire department has to come in and spray everything down.
Taking
place every summer in the town of Boryeong, South Korea this
international mud fight attracts millions of visitors from all over the
world. Strangely enough it was originally intended to be a marketing
vehicle for local cosmetics producers who use the mineral rich mud in
their products.
By
this point you’ve proably noticed that large groups of celebrating
people have a tendency to throw/smear things on one another and while
it’s hard to say whether colored powder feels any better than mud or
tomatos it certainly looks a lot cooler. If this kind of thing strikes
your fancy though, you might want to pay India a visit during the
springtime festival of Holi. At the very least you’ll probably end up
with a pretty cool looking tie-dye shirt!
There
aren’t many things cooler than hanging out with a bunch monkeys…except
maybe hanging out with a bunch of monkeys stuffing their faces at an all
you can eat buffet. That’s exactly what you’ll find, however, if you
visit Thailand around the month of November. Locals celebrate the
festival every year by laying out fruit for thier monkey friends.
Interestingly enough there’s supposedly no real significance behind it
except for an alleged attempt to boost tourism.
Where
some people ask “why?” the French ask “why not?”. That’s about as good
an explanation as your going to get concerning this annual festival held
in the small town of Trie Sur Baise. Ok, that’s not completely true.
The town used to be France’s biggest pig market and although business
isn’t quite what it used to be, it seems the locals are still very
passionate about their swine.
Although
it sounds like some sort of vegan horror film, it’s actually a festival
celebrated every year before Christmas throughout Mexico. Streetside
vendors whip out there specially grown, oversized radishes (don’t ask)
and then proceed to sculpt them into some really cool shapes.
Also
known as the Near Death Festival, this celebration is held annually in
the town of Las Nieves, Spain. Hundreds of people attend mass in honor
of Saint Marta de Ribarteme, the Patron saint of resurrection. Don’t be
surprised, however, if you see a bunch of people being carried there in
coffins. No, they’re not dead, at least not yet. They’re actually in the
coffin because they’ve just had a near death experience in the past 12
months and are now showing their gratitude.
Every
year near Gloucester, England hundreds of people gather to watch as
locals chase a huge cheese off the top of Cooper’s Hill and tumble a
couple hundred yards to the bottom where they are almost inevitably
scooped up by paramedics and taken to the hospital. Supposedly if you
cross the finish line at the bottom first though, you win the cheese.
Definitely worth it.
Every
year in the town of Argungu, Nigeria all the local men compete to see
who can pull the largest fish out of the river using nothing but their
bare hands. Ladies take note, the winner is supposed to be a real catch.
Probably
one of the more popular events on this list, the Pamplona Bull Run in
Spain is actually part of the Fiesta San Fermin which takes place every
July. The only requirements to participate are that you have to be at
least 18 years old and sober.
When
it comes to strange festivals it’s pretty hard to beat the Japanese.
Although this “naked festival” seems like little more than a bunch of
guys running around in diapers it’s actually considered to be fairly
sacred by some people and can be traced back hundreds of years.
Every
year the town of Laza in northern Spain holds a festival that involves
people throwing muddy rags at one another. That’s not the worst part
though. While everyone is in the town making a mess of themselves
several young men will go up into the mountains and collect fire ants.
After shoveling them into dirt filled sacks they bring them back to the
town where they douse them in vinegar to rile them up a bit. After this
the only thing left to do is take the angry fire ants around town and
throw them into people’s faces.
In
celebration of the state’s official animal, the small Alaskan town of
Talkeetna holds an annual festival in which the highlight involves
dropping loads of moose poop onto targets from hot air balloons. We kid
you not.
Occuring
once a year in the Shetland Islands, Up Helly AA is a fairly intense
ordeal that involves lots of fire, viking helmets, and lifesize replicas
of longships being burnt to the ground…or the ocean for that matter.
Ever
since Bredo Morstol’s body was brought to the United States by his
grandson in the late 80′s his body has been cryogenically frozen in a
shed located in the small town of Nederland, Colorado. Although
initially the townspeople were opposed to the idea of keeping frozen
dead people in their backyards, they’ve chilled out quite a bit (pun
intended). Today they even hold an annual festival that includes coffin
races, a slow motion parade, and a Frozen Dead Guy lookalike contest.
Each
year on Shrove Tuesday in various towns throughout Germany and the
Netherlands villagers take part in a very old and very controversial
activity. Basically a goose is hung from either a wire or a pole
afterwhich participants take turns trying to pull its head off. Of
course, the head can only take so much and before long somebody is
successful. Don’t get too worked up though, the animal rights activists
already beat you to it. These days only dead geese are allowed to be
used in the festivities.
In
1996 when the Olympics were held in Atlanta, some locals took offense
to the fact that the international media portrayed them as a “bunch of
rednecks holding a sporting event.” As a result they ended up doing just
that. Some of the events include toilet seat throwing, hubcap hurling,
and the armpit serenade.
Although
no is quite sure why anymore, for hundreds of years people in the town
of Devon, England have been running through the streets carrying burning
battles of tar. As soon as the sun goes down on the 5th of November
(Guy Fawkes Night) barrels are lit and placed upon the back of a
carrier. When he can bear it no more he’ll hand off the load to the next
willing soul and so and so forth.
Staying
on the topic of fire, this festival takes us halfway around the world
to San Salvador. Around the turn of the 20th century a volcano almost
completely destroyed the small town of Nejapa. Every year since then
residents have gathered together in the town square for very a
appropriately themed celebration consisting of throwing flaming rags at
one another. Makes the fire ants and tomatos look a little more
appealing doesn’t it?
Once
again we find ourselves in Japan, and once again the Japanese have
managed to outdo themselves. This time the festival involves two things –
sumo wrestlers and lots and lots of babies. Every April the wrestlers
face off while holding the babies to see who’s will cry first. May the
man with the most baby friendly hands win.
There
are few things in the world stranger than what happens in the small
Spanish town of Manganeses de la Polvorosa every fourth Sunday of
January. Essentially it consists of a young boy finding a goat, tying it
up, and then throwing it from the top of the church belfry after which
is supposedly caught by villagers on the ground.
Also
known as the baby jumping festival, this cringe worthy celebration
occurs every year on the feast of Corpus Christi in the Spanish village
of Castrillo de Murcia. Any baby that was born in the previous 12 months
is placed on a mattress in the street while all the adult men of the
village take turns jumping over them. Although there are usually at
least several injuries (surprise!), word has it that they typically only
involve the jumpers.
25. The Thaipuism Festival
Not
for the faint of heart, this Hindu festival is typically celebrated in
southern India and involves some of the most intense body piercings
known to man. According to practitioners, the more pain you can endure,
the more you will be blessed and some even try pulling tractors or other
heavy objects with the hooks in their skin.
24
The Songkran festival
Every
April, to celebrate New Year, the world’s largest water gun fight takes
place in the country of Thailand. And no, it’s not just some small
isolated village. We’re talking about an entire country drowning itself
with supersoakers. But the fun isn’t limited to water guns, as some
people prefer buckets or even elephants.
23
Tunarama
Originally
meant to promote Australia’s fledling tuna industry, this festival has
now come to be known for it’s highlight event…the tuna toss.
22
La Tomatina
What
started as something of a street fight between teenagers using tomatoes
from nearby vegetable stalls has turned into the largest tomato fight
in the world. It happens every year in the small Spanish town of Bunyol
and over the course of about 1 hour the town gets so covered in tomatos
that the fire department has to come in and spray everything down.
21
Boryeong Mud Festival
Taking
place every summer in the town of Boryeong, South Korea this
international mud fight attracts millions of visitors from all over the
world. Strangely enough it was originally intended to be a marketing
vehicle for local cosmetics producers who use the mineral rich mud in
their products.
20
Holi
By
this point you’ve proably noticed that large groups of celebrating
people have a tendency to throw/smear things on one another and while
it’s hard to say whether colored powder feels any better than mud or
tomatos it certainly looks a lot cooler. If this kind of thing strikes
your fancy though, you might want to pay India a visit during the
springtime festival of Holi. At the very least you’ll probably end up
with a pretty cool looking tie-dye shirt!
19
The Monkey Buffet Festival
There
aren’t many things cooler than hanging out with a bunch monkeys…except
maybe hanging out with a bunch of monkeys stuffing their faces at an all
you can eat buffet. That’s exactly what you’ll find, however, if you
visit Thailand around the month of November. Locals celebrate the
festival every year by laying out fruit for thier monkey friends.
Interestingly enough there’s supposedly no real significance behind it
except for an alleged attempt to boost tourism.
18
Festival of the Pig
Where
some people ask “why?” the French ask “why not?”. That’s about as good
an explanation as your going to get concerning this annual festival held
in the small town of Trie Sur Baise. Ok, that’s not completely true.
The town used to be France’s biggest pig market and although business
isn’t quite what it used to be, it seems the locals are still very
passionate about their swine.
17
Night of the Radishes
Although
it sounds like some sort of vegan horror film, it’s actually a festival
celebrated every year before Christmas throughout Mexico. Streetside
vendors whip out there specially grown, oversized radishes (don’t ask)
and then proceed to sculpt them into some really cool shapes.
16
Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme
Also
known as the Near Death Festival, this celebration is held annually in
the town of Las Nieves, Spain. Hundreds of people attend mass in honor
of Saint Marta de Ribarteme, the Patron saint of resurrection. Don’t be
surprised, however, if you see a bunch of people being carried there in
coffins. No, they’re not dead, at least not yet. They’re actually in the
coffin because they’ve just had a near death experience in the past 12
months and are now showing their gratitude.
15
Cheese Rolling Festival
Every
year near Gloucester, England hundreds of people gather to watch as
locals chase a huge cheese off the top of Cooper’s Hill and tumble a
couple hundred yards to the bottom where they are almost inevitably
scooped up by paramedics and taken to the hospital. Supposedly if you
cross the finish line at the bottom first though, you win the cheese.
Definitely worth it.
14
Argungu Fishing Festival
Every
year in the town of Argungu, Nigeria all the local men compete to see
who can pull the largest fish out of the river using nothing but their
bare hands. Ladies take note, the winner is supposed to be a real catch.
13
The Running of the Bulls
Probably
one of the more popular events on this list, the Pamplona Bull Run in
Spain is actually part of the Fiesta San Fermin which takes place every
July. The only requirements to participate are that you have to be at
least 18 years old and sober.
12
Hadaka Matsuri
When
it comes to strange festivals it’s pretty hard to beat the Japanese.
Although this “naked festival” seems like little more than a bunch of
guys running around in diapers it’s actually considered to be fairly
sacred by some people and can be traced back hundreds of years.
11
Entroida
Every
year the town of Laza in northern Spain holds a festival that involves
people throwing muddy rags at one another. That’s not the worst part
though. While everyone is in the town making a mess of themselves
several young men will go up into the mountains and collect fire ants.
After shoveling them into dirt filled sacks they bring them back to the
town where they douse them in vinegar to rile them up a bit. After this
the only thing left to do is take the angry fire ants around town and
throw them into people’s faces.
10
Moose Dropping Festival
In
celebration of the state’s official animal, the small Alaskan town of
Talkeetna holds an annual festival in which the highlight involves
dropping loads of moose poop onto targets from hot air balloons. We kid
you not.
9
Up Helly AA
Occuring
once a year in the Shetland Islands, Up Helly AA is a fairly intense
ordeal that involves lots of fire, viking helmets, and lifesize replicas
of longships being burnt to the ground…or the ocean for that matter.
8
Frozen Dead Guy Days
Ever
since Bredo Morstol’s body was brought to the United States by his
grandson in the late 80′s his body has been cryogenically frozen in a
shed located in the small town of Nederland, Colorado. Although
initially the townspeople were opposed to the idea of keeping frozen
dead people in their backyards, they’ve chilled out quite a bit (pun
intended). Today they even hold an annual festival that includes coffin
races, a slow motion parade, and a Frozen Dead Guy lookalike contest.
7
Goose Pulling Festival
Each
year on Shrove Tuesday in various towns throughout Germany and the
Netherlands villagers take part in a very old and very controversial
activity. Basically a goose is hung from either a wire or a pole
afterwhich participants take turns trying to pull its head off. Of
course, the head can only take so much and before long somebody is
successful. Don’t get too worked up though, the animal rights activists
already beat you to it. These days only dead geese are allowed to be
used in the festivities.
6
The Redneck Games
In
1996 when the Olympics were held in Atlanta, some locals took offense
to the fact that the international media portrayed them as a “bunch of
rednecks holding a sporting event.” As a result they ended up doing just
that. Some of the events include toilet seat throwing, hubcap hurling,
and the armpit serenade.
5
Burning Tar Barrel Festival
Although
no is quite sure why anymore, for hundreds of years people in the town
of Devon, England have been running through the streets carrying burning
battles of tar. As soon as the sun goes down on the 5th of November
(Guy Fawkes Night) barrels are lit and placed upon the back of a
carrier. When he can bear it no more he’ll hand off the load to the next
willing soul and so and so forth.
4
Bolas de Fuego
Staying
on the topic of fire, this festival takes us halfway around the world
to San Salvador. Around the turn of the 20th century a volcano almost
completely destroyed the small town of Nejapa. Every year since then
residents have gathered together in the town square for very a
appropriately themed celebration consisting of throwing flaming rags at
one another. Makes the fire ants and tomatos look a little more
appealing doesn’t it?
3
Konaki Sumo
Once
again we find ourselves in Japan, and once again the Japanese have
managed to outdo themselves. This time the festival involves two things –
sumo wrestlers and lots and lots of babies. Every April the wrestlers
face off while holding the babies to see who’s will cry first. May the
man with the most baby friendly hands win.
2
Goat Tossing Festival
There
are few things in the world stranger than what happens in the small
Spanish town of Manganeses de la Polvorosa every fourth Sunday of
January. Essentially it consists of a young boy finding a goat, tying it
up, and then throwing it from the top of the church belfry after which
is supposedly caught by villagers on the ground.
1
El Colacho
Also
known as the baby jumping festival, this cringe worthy celebration
occurs every year on the feast of Corpus Christi in the Spanish village
of Castrillo de Murcia. Any baby that was born in the previous 12 months
is placed on a mattress in the street while all the adult men of the
village take turns jumping over them. Although there are usually at
least several injuries (surprise!), word has it that they typically only
involve the jumpers.
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