MORE INSANE FESTIVALS
Added on: 24th Jan 2015
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.
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