Any excuse will do for a celebration. And for any, read literally anything and everything. Animal, mineral or vegetable – you name it – and someone somewhere in the world is throwing it, eating it, chasing it…all in the spirit of a good party.
Some of these weird and wonderful festivals have roots going back centuries, while others are more recent excuses for letting your hair down and having a good time. But whatever the reason, one thing’s for sure: A good time is guaranteed.
This is a guest post from the fine folks at Holidaylettings. Here’s their pick of the best:
What: A Double Gloucester is rolled down a steep hill pursued by local men, who roll, stumble, and dive their way down the 200 meters after the cheese. First to cross the finish line gets the cheese. No prizes for broken bones or muscle sprains.
Where: Cooper’s Hill in the village of Brockworth, Gloucestershire, UK
When: Spring Bank Holiday (May)
What: The Wife Carrying World Championships involve carrying your wife along the 253-meter track. Competition is fierce, and the world record is currently 55 seconds. So, choose your burden carefully – the rules specifically state that she doesn’t have to be your official wife.
Where: Sonkajarvi, Finland
When: Early July
What: 125 tons of tomatoes and 40,000 people come together for a morning of intense throwing and squashing. It’s so popular that you need a ticket to attend; rules include squashing the tomato before you throw it, and no t-shirt ripping. Goggles are recommended.
Where: Buñol, Valencia, Spain
When: Mid-August
What: Lots of grey mud with cosmetic and medicinal properties make the perfect excuse for a fortnight of wallowing, wrestling, and sliding. For the competitive mud-bather, there are photo competitions, marine-style training, and survival games. Fewer wrinkles are not guaranteed, though.
Where: Boryeong, South Korea
When: Mid- to late July
What: Instead of going in a salad, these giant radishes (weighing up to 3kg) are turned into sculptures on a nativity theme. Local farmers carve the humble red vegetable into figures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other Christmas characters, as they compete for the cash prize. Freshness for salad isn’t guaranteed, as the radishes are prepared a week before hand.
Where: Oaxaca, Mexico
When: December 23rd
What: Giant bamboo structures (up to 20 meters high) are covered in homemade buns during the week-long festival. At midnight on the last day, competitors race to climb the bun towers and grab as many buns as they can in three minutes. Held in honor of the God Pak Tai, celebrations also include a lion parade and marching bands. Only for the sweet-toothed.
Where: Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong
When: Early May
What: Medieval costumes and horse-drawn carriages do battle in this small Italian town, where the weapons are oranges. And thousands of boxes of them – the orange-throwing reaches such intense levels that snow plows are used to clear the way through. It’s all pretty harmless, because oranges can only be thrown at ground level, but expect the odd bruise and some very scented clothing.
Where: Irvea, near Milan, Italy
When: During Lent (usually mid-February)
What: The team of three would-be worm charmers choose a plot in the designated field and are allowed five minutes to prepare their terrain (but no digging or forking). There then follows 15 minutes of charming and enticing as many worms as possible to make their appearance. The Worm Master enforces strict rules and charmers caught cheating are put in the stocks or publicly humiliated. Pre-festival practice is permitted though.
Where: Blackawton, Devon, UK
When: Early May
So, if you are visiting any of these locations in near future, make sure you don’t miss out on these weird and wonderful festivals. Whether you want to participate or enjoy as crowd, these events are totally worth it.
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Have you ever attended an offbeat celebration? If so, what’d you think? If not, what say ye? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Crazy! But some of these really look fun. :)
Agreed! Thanks for stopping by, Dawn. Hope all is well!
What fun! Of these, I’d heard only of the tomato festival in Spain, but I will definitely be looking into these others.
Thanks for putting these together!
There are certainly a lot more as well…always something interesting out there! Thanks for stopping by, Patricia!
There are so many crazy festivals some of which I don’t fully understand (if there is anything to understand). I haven’t attended any of the above, but I remember once accidentally being in Singapore for the Tambusan which is an Hindu festival, very intense. People pierce their bodies with lot of different objects, it’s really interesting to watch.
So you’re saying that it’s not normal for you to profess your dedication to your spiritual beings by piercing yourself with all kinds of sharp objects? No? Well, that’s strange. =P
I’ve never been to any of these, either. The weirdest festivals we’ve ever been to probably involve rural America and carnies. Haha.
Some of these looks crazy – like crazy fun! The tomato one looks like my kind of fun!