Things can get pretty odd in the happy-go-lucky world of festival-tripping. See for yourself.
Are you boredΒ by the run-of-the-mill celebrations offered at festivals like Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest? Do you sneer at the dull and the unoriginal that flock to these mundane gatherings? Well, donβt despair β the world is full of quirky, colourful, and downright bizarre events, and we’veΒ put together in a list that will let you plunge into the world of odd and wacky to your heartβs content.
1. Baby Jumping Festival
One of the worldβs most bizarre (and frankly terrifying) events is the Baby Jumping Festival (El Colacho) that takes place annually in Spainβs Castrillo de Murcia. An exorcism of sorts β newborn infants are swaddled and placed on mattresses in the street while grown men dressed as Devils jump over them. This act is supposed to cleanse the babies of original sin, but I suppose if βthe Devilβ happens to lose his footing, all bets are off. El Colacho is certainly one of the more controversial celebrations in the ring of festivals, but with bullfighting and tomato throwing also occupying Spainβs corner, I suppose itβs just another addition to the list of the countryβs bizarre customs.
(Image Courtesy:Β cuckoo.ie)
2. Wife-Carrying Championship
Inspired by a gang of thieves that was notorious for stealing women from villages in the late 1800s, the Wife-Carrying Championship undoubtedly boasts some honourable roots. First introduced in Sonkajarvi, Finland β this sport expects competitors to carry their female companions through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. Running downhill with a woman squeezing your head between her thighs probably doesnβt sound like the ideal way to spend a hot afternoon, but when the light at the end of the tunnel (the grand prize) is your wifeβs weight in beer β you will certainly want to βrun for your wifeβ!
(Image Courtesy:Β blogspot.com)
3. Kanamara Matsuri
If you donβt mind putting up with a bunch of dicks, the Kanamara Penis Festival in Kawasaki, Japan promises to be a day of naughty fun. The βFestival of the Steel Phallusβ is an annual Shinto fertility festival where the penis forms the central theme of the event. Probably not an ideal destination for a day out with your grandmother, this festival is nonetheless a worthy pit-stop if only to witness the jaw-dropping penis floats, rather convincing drag queens, and the penis-shaped lollipops being devoured by the young and the old.
(Image Courtesy:Β nipponjava.wordpress.com)
4. Toe-Wrestling Championship
This quirky sport has its origins in 1970s UK, and has gained surprising popularity amongst bizarre sport enthusiasts in the two decades since. Toe wrestling revolves around a fairly simple concept β contestants stick their feet on the βtoediumβ, the umpire yells βtoes awayβ, and the rest is βhistoeryβ. With top players including the likes of Paul βToeminatorβ Beech β this sport is evidently not for the couch potatoes and the faint of heart.
(Image Courtesy: ripleys.com)
5. Boryeong Mud Festival
Originally created in 1998 as a marketing scheme to promote βmud cosmeticsβ β this South Korean festival has since attracted over 2.2 million visitors annually. The mud is taken from the surrounding mud flats and taken to the Daecheon beach area where folks can participate in activities such as mud massages, mud skiing, mud prison, and a mud military training.
(Image Courtesy:Β sacbee.com)
Just goes to show how bizarre, bizarre can get.