This article highlights 10 strange and fascinating festivals from around the world that attract visitors from all walks of life. From the tomato-throwing La Tomatina Festival in Spain, to the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea, where participants engage in mud fights, and the Monkey Buffet Festival in Thailand, which is dedicated to the city’s monkey population and involves a lavish feast, these festivals are truly unforgettable experiences. Other unique celebrations include the Up-Helly-Aa Festival in Scotland, which involves the burning of a Viking longboat, and the Kanamara Matsuri Festival in Japan, which features a parade of phallic-shaped objects. These festivals shed light on the creativity and diversity of cultures across the globe.
10 Weird and Wonderful Festivals From Across the Globe
Festivals are an integral part of culture and tradition worldwide. Some festivals are celebrated to mark the changing of seasons, while others are religious in nature. But some festivals are simply just weird and wacky, yet they attract a large number of people from all over the world. Here are 10 offbeat festivals that are a must-visit for any adventurer looking to experience something out of the ordinary.
1. La Tomatina Festival, Spain
The La Tomatina Festival is celebrated every year in the town of Buñol, near Valencia in Spain. It is an annual tomato fight that has gained international popularity over the years. Participants hurl ripe tomatoes at each other, creating mass pandemonium on the streets. The event lasts for an hour and attracts thousands of people from around the world.
2. Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea
The Boryeong Mud Festival is celebrated every year in July on the Daecheon Beach in South Korea. The festival involves swimming, body painting, and engaging in mud fights. The mud is believed to be rich in minerals and is said to have therapeutic properties for the skin.
3. Monkey Buffet Festival, Thailand
The Monkey Buffet Festival is celebrated every year in November in Lopburi, Thailand. The festival is dedicated to the monkeys that reside in the city, and thousands of kilograms of fruits, vegetables, and cakes are laid out in a buffet style for them to feast on. The event attracts tourists from around the world to witness the spectacle of the monkeys enjoying a lavish feast.
4. Up-Helly-Aa Festival, Scotland
The Up-Helly-Aa Festival is celebrated every year on the last Tuesday of January in Lerwick, Scotland. The festival is a celebration of Viking culture and involves the burning of a Viking longboat. The event also includes a procession of people dressed in Viking costumes, and the lighting of torches to create a spectacular fire display.
5. Hadaka Matsuri Festival, Japan
The Hadaka Matsuri Festival is celebrated every year on the third Saturday of February in Okayama, Japan. The festival involves men dressed only in loincloths and socks, competing to grab a sacred object from a temple. The event attracts thousands of spectators who watch the men jostle for the object, with the winner believed to have good luck for the year.
6. Songkran Festival, Thailand
The Songkran Festival is celebrated every year in Thailand in mid-April. The festival is a celebration of the Thai New Year, and involves water fights on the streets. People soak each other with water guns and buckets, and the event is considered a symbol of purification and new beginnings.
7. El Colacho Festival, Spain
The El Colacho Festival is celebrated every year in Castrillo de Murcia, Spain. The festival involves men dressed as the devil jumping over babies that lie on the streets. The event is believed to cleanse them of sin as the devil leaps over them. The festival also includes parades, dancing, and music.
8. Krampusnacht Festival, Austria
The Krampusnacht Festival is celebrated every year on December 6th in Austria. The festival involves people dressing up in Krampus costumes, a half-goat, half-demon figure from Alpine folklore. The Krampuses roam the streets scaring children and punishing those who have misbehaved.
9. Kanamara Matsuri Festival, Japan
The Kanamara Matsuri Festival is celebrated every year in Kawasaki, Japan. The festival is a celebration of fertility and involves a parade of phallic-shaped objects, including a large pink penis shrine that is carried through the streets. The event attracts thousands of people, and the proceeds from the festival go towards HIV research.
10. Battle of the Oranges Festival, Italy
The Battle of the Oranges Festival is celebrated every year in Ivrea, Italy. The festival is a reenactment of a historic uprising against a tyrant in which oranges are used as the weapon of choice. Participants divide into teams, and the battle rages on for three days, with those hit by oranges considered to have cleansed themselves of sin.
These festivals demonstrate the diverseness of traditions and culture around the world. From throwing tomatoes to battling oranges, or even dressing up as a half-goat, these festivals are a unique way of celebrating the weird and wonderful, and should be experienced by all adventurous travelers.