Trust the Japanese to come up with something like this.
As far as cultural and religious celebrations goes, Japan definitely ranks as one of the weirdest. Take for instance, Hadaka Matsuri or The Naked Festival which is basically a congregation of around 9000 men in just loincloths. The objective of this ceremony is this – the men in the said loincloths are expected to grab a pair of lucky talismans thrown by a priest from the Saidaiji Temple in Okayama. The festival takes place either in the winter or the summer, and sometimes during both.
The talismans will supposedly bring good luck to the men who grab them, which is why it does involve some risk, with minor injuries being part of the process. People who particpate are told not to wear anything valuable on them – like jewellery, watches etc.
This tussle for the talisman can lead to some serious injuries, which is why the men our encourage to write their name, address and blood type on a cloth and keep it in their loin cloths.
The whole festival is a religious ceremony made fun, where men get to indulge their childish nature by playing a really intense form of a scrum fight.
On the other hand Japan has a handful of gorgeous festivals you must check out.