MORE INSANE FESTIVALS

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

honour 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 shovelling 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.

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.

UP HELLY AA

Occurring once a year in the Shetland Islands, Up Helly AA is a

fairly intense ordeal that involves lots of fire, Viking helmets, and

life size replicas of long ships being burnt to the ground…

or the ocean for that matter.