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Every year thousands of people gather to take part in, or witness bizarre festivals. Many of these festivals are ancient but some are much more modern. While they are all extremely different, they have one thing in common: they are totally weird. If you wish to mention other festivals that you know of, be sure to do so in the comments. NOTE: Some images may be Not Safe For Work.
On the last Wednesday of August every year in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region of Spain, 9,000 locals and 20,000 – 40,000 foreigners descend on the town to throw tomatoes at each other in honor of the Virgin Mary and St. Louis Bertrand. This tradition has been around since the 1940s, though it was briefly suppressed under the reign of Franco. The festival starts with a person attempting to scale a greased pole to capture a cooked ham. Once the ham is taken down from the pole, water canons are fired at the participants and over 100 tons of tomatoes are dumped into the streets for throwing. Women are expected to wear white and men to wear no shirts. Anyone caught wearing a shirt inevitably has it ripped off – including women and especially tourists who tend to be the main target of locals.
The Cheese Rolling Festival is held every May in Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire in the United Kingdom. The festival involves an official tossing a cheese down the extremely steep hill, after which hundreds of people begin to run down the hill (risking life and limb) in order to catch the cheese. Each year the event results in casualties and for this reason children are not allowed to participate, though oftentimes boys from the local town will join in anyway. For the children, there is an uphill race. Women and men race separately in the main event.
The Bonfires of Saint John is a popular festival in Spain held on the 19th to the 24th of June. The strange festival involves the lighting of bonfires (frequently fueled by old furniture). The locals share hot chocolate whilst watching the bonfires. But then it gets weird. The children of the villages then take turns in running through the fires. The entire week is filled with festivities including fireworks displays and eighty-six women and eighty-six young girls are elected the “Beauties” of the bonfires. These “beauties” preside over the festival as Queens.
The Spanish certainly like their odd festivals. Every year on the fourth Sunday in January, the locals of a small town named Manganeses de la Polvorosa gather together for the goat tossing festival, in honor of St Vincent de Paul, their patron saint. The festival has been around for so long that no one knows when it started. It involves a young man who finds a goat in the village, ties it up, and takes it to the top of the local Church belfry. He then tosses the goat over the side and it falls 50 feet where it is (hopefully) caught by villagers holding up a sheet of tarpaulin. The village officials banned the event but it continues regardless. Various animal rights agencies have complained about it – though their complaints have also been ignored.
Hadaka Matsuri is a Japanese festival in which the participants are all but naked. The festival is celebrated many times throughout the year in various parts of Japan and those involved usually wear a type of traditional loin cloth. Some of those involved go completely naked which is not frowned on at all – in fact it is considered healthy. The festivals often involve the use of mud (for entertainment) and there are often separate women’s and men’s festivals. In some towns special festivals are held for children – as a rite of passage, but sometimes children participate in the adult festival. The festival has its origins as a religious event, but these days the religious aspects are virtually forgotten.
Dating from 1620, El Colacho (or baby jumping) is a festival in Spain held every year on the feast of Corpus Christi. The festival involves the laying on mattresses all babies born in the previous twelve months. The adult men of the village of Castrillo de Murcia then dress up as devils and take turns jumping over the babies. The festival often results in injuries (usually of the adults) and it is believed that the jumping rids the babies of original sin – a bizarre kind of baptism. Pope Benedict XVI has recently asked the local priests to distance themselves from the festival as it is dangerous and contrary to the Catholic religion.
Every year in Las Nieves, Spain, people who have suffered a near death experience in the previous year get together to attend Mass in celebration of Saint Marta de Ribarteme, the Patron Saint of resurrection. But here is the twist: they turn up at Mass carrying a coffin, or being carried in a coffin. After Mass, the coffins all proceed to the top of a nearby hill with a statue of the saint. Despite the somberness of the event, people light fireworks and shopkeepers fill the streets to sell religious objects.
Until recently, an annual festival was held in Germany in which a goose was tied by its feet to a post and then clubbed by the local men until its head came off. As a result of complaints from animal rights activists, the festival-goers now hit a goose which has previously been killed. A very similar event occurs in Spain (surprise surprise) every year in which a man hangs from the goose until the head comes off. Again the goose is killed prior to the event which dates back 350 years. The Spanish festival is called Antzar Eguna.
Every year in spring, the festival of Kanamara Matsuri (The Steel Phallus) is held in Kawasaki, Japan. It is a Shinto fertility festival and, as you would expect, it involves a rather large penis statue. During the festival, people can buy candies, vegetables, and gifts in the shape of a phallus. The festival was very popular amongst prostitutes who thought that participation would help to prevent them getting sexually transmitted diseases.
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival (celebrated mostly by Tamils) held in January/February each year to celebrate the birth of Murugan (the son of gods Shiva and Parvati). The participants shave their heads and perform a pilgrimage, at the end of which they shove very sharp skewers through their tongues or cheeks. Some of the practitioners put hooks into their back and pull heavy objects like tractors. The aim is to cause as much pain as possible – the more you endure, the more “blessings” you receive from the gods. The festival is popular in India, but the largest celebrations take place in Singapore and Malaysia, where it is a public holiday.
Contributor: JFrater
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February 18th, 2009 at 1:19 am
Number two is just strange.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Mmmm….The Japanese got a lot right with those festivals. SEX = Good.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Aww crap Im not first. Close though.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:24 am
cool
February 18th, 2009 at 1:34 am
Spanish people have some free time on their hands huh????
February 18th, 2009 at 1:38 am
For some reason I knew the Spanish would dominate this list before I even read it.
But I didn’t expect them to dominate it so thoroughly. They appear 5 1/2 times (counting#3 as one half)!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:48 am
I think #7 symbolizes the abandonment of pagan gods by throwing the goat out the window..
February 18th, 2009 at 1:52 am
The poor babies what if they get squished :O Haha interesting list I had no idea about most of these.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:54 am
#5 Are you serious?! I wouldnt take a chance with my child like that. I dont care how good of a jumper there is. And I have actually pretty much heard of all of these other festivals except for #2 I thought the Japanese were more sexually secretive. Besides the fact that they sell used panties in vending machines, I thought they were more conservative.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Good list… Sure the Spaniards know how to have fun; strange that the run with the bulls in Pamplona isn’t listed though. Does that non qualify as a festival? Anyway we have our share of weird festivals here in Italy too, for instance in Ivrea there’s an annual battle of the oranges, during the traditional carnival days. Works exactly like the Spanish Tomatina, but the projectiles used are oranges, which I suppose must hurt much more than tomatoes. And to think they used apples in the olden days…
February 18th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Carlos, I totally understand what you’re saying… but at the same time, do you put your kid in a car?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:08 am
The number 3 isn´t spanish, it is a basque tradition from Lekeitio (Bizkaia-Basque Country, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lekeitio). The name of the festival (Antzar eguna) in Euskera (basque language) means “The day of the goose”.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Ouch to no. 1!
Oh and Carlos, I think you got the Japanese end of the stick mixed up… they just have a different kind of social morality =).
February 18th, 2009 at 2:10 am
This list was dope I had heard of some these festivals, but I wasn’t surprised there was a few I did not know about man those Spanish people really know how to get down word! Shout out to my homeboy Rascalian sup gangsta. Here in Alaska we don’t have any bizarre festivles lame
February 18th, 2009 at 2:11 am
My boyfriend is Spanish, I now spend all my holidays travelling to Spain for these festivals. Believe me… there are a thousand more and they get weirder. Lot of fun though.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Interesting list, though several do(or use to)treat animals poorly. Not to mention the babies.
On the good side, I guess we won’t be hearing any boring cracks about the list being to American, will we?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:38 am
huh for #5?!?!?!?
February 18th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Redcaboose: maybe we can start a new meme: “this list is too spanish!”
February 18th, 2009 at 2:46 am
Oh and don’t you love the expression on the face of the lady in item 1? That would make a brilliant caption competition.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:49 am
Wow! I definitley have to experience No.10 before I die!
Maybe i’ll just do a local version of it by throwing tomatoes at my lil bro in the back garden…
February 18th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Gloucestershire also has another EXTREMELY odd festival, or contest if you will. It is the shin kicking contest where two people are tied together at their hands and they kick at each others shins until one or the other cannot take it any longer. I had actually read about both contests at the same time one day and when I read about the cheese rolling I just couldn’t say nothing about the shin kicking contest.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:57 am
Good morning to all. I’ve been “silent” for more than a year, but don’t think I don’t visit Listverse everyday.
San Juan’s night (June 23rd) is believed to be a very magical night, and jumping over a bonfire is believed to give you good luck for the rest of the year.
There are variants, like throwing cream buns or just water.
This time my spaniard-ness pushes me to post
First of all, the “goat toss” is a shameful tradition, and it has already been outlawed. It is fined with about 2000 euros, but (sigh) the whole village agrees to pay it together, and the goat gets tossed anyway.
These “festivals” involving hurting or scaring an animal (like other one in which they tie a ring of fireworks to each of a bull’s horns, or bullfighting itself) are gradually losing popularity, and it is no longer wanted to be a spanish “trademark”. For a long time Spain has been the country of “bulls and tambourine”, and that is why many people think that’s how we have fun here. You don’t come across a herd of bulls on your way to your hotel, nor get hit by a falling goat if you step out of a church.
As for San Juan, you jump over the flames, and not through them
Tomatina is just fun!
As for the rest… yes, they are bizarre. Usually related to religion, sin-forgiveness and the like.
Finally, I would personally add “San Antón’s day”(I think January 22nd or 28th, the patron saint of animals), when pet owners dress their dogs, cats, birds, snakes… whatever, with the regional dress of Madrid and take them to San Antón’s parish church in Madrid, to get them blessed by the priest.
Anyway, I think you could go to each rural village and find a different (and more bizarre) tradition every time…
February 18th, 2009 at 3:16 am
good list Frater! I had seen #1 on a tv program about a year ago…hard to watch…shudder.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:19 am
Oh come on…you forgot the most gruesome…the Shia Muslim celebration of the martyrdom of Ali or something like that where the men take chains and knives and cut themselves all up….very gross…and typcial of the religion of peace…ha ha ha….
February 18th, 2009 at 3:27 am
My caption for #1 would be: “And no more lip from you, right?”.
And I wasn’t going to make any comment beginning with the words “This list is too …” but I’m glad that someone else did.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:32 am
La Tomatina is very similar to a festival held each June in my Texas hometown, only there it is referred to as “The Battle of San Tomato”
February 18th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I forgot!
The greased pole stuff is called “Cucaña”, and it’s quite famous in every kind of festivals. What hangs on its top is a delicious cured ham (jamón serrano), and the one who manages to climb to the top and touch it, keeps it.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:45 am
The baby jumping this is quite interesting. I hope no babies have been injured during this. Love the cheese rolling tradition.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:05 am
Haha, I went to cheese rolling a few years ago, it’s a brilliant brilliant holiday.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:10 am
In France there’s this pretty popular festival in some villages (it might not happen only in France) kind of like the tomato throwing one, except we don’t throw tomatoes but flowers (“fête des fleurs” or “flower party”)… the festival starts out with dozens of very elaborate sculptures made out of flowers which parade through the town and when its finished everyone tears the flowers off and throw them at each other.
When I was a kid I’d go to this awesome town in the Pyrenees called Luchon during the holidays, and it was pretty fun, though not too extreme.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:25 am
In England (dunno where) they have WORM CHARMING!
You have to try and ‘charm’ the worms out the ground without digging to find them. You can try anything method from singing to them to hitting the ground to try and get them out. The person with the most worms at the end wins.
I really want to try that lol
February 18th, 2009 at 4:29 am
Jfrater – Tonsuring or shaving the head and offering it to God isn’t a very bizarre practice in India. In fact, there are rules that are followed in various communities. The FIRST Tonsure cannot be on Tuesdays; The first tonsure has to be done in odd months or odd years. So tonsure is held in the 7th (rare)/9th/ 11th month for a baby or in the 3rd / 5th / 7th / 9th year, though it is very rare to go so late for tonsure. Tonsure is very famous practice in Tirumala (World’s richest religious organization – idea for a list!) and Palani. In fact, TTD that runs the Tirumala temple earned Rs 2.3 bn ($46 million) from the sale of hair offered by pilgrims. No small matter. Is it?
The practice of tonsure stems from the belief that Hair contributes to one’s physical beauty. By offering the hair to God, one is ready to give away his physical beauty to seek / receive spiritual beauty.
With respect to piercing, that’s quite a bizarre site. I live 5 kms from a famous Muruga temple and i see it much often and i get shivers when i see people pierced in their mouth, lips and the back.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:32 am
Can you all imagine if the Japanese and the Hindu’s collaborated to celebrate 1 & 2 together????
Now THAT would be a bizarre event!
Disappointing that shroveball (or street football) played across Europe for hundreds of years: and has a written and oral history of over 1,000 years in Workington, Cumbria wasn’t included. It’s a game played every Easter / Lent in towns where one half of the town plays the other half (which side you are on is usually determined by a geographical or municipal feature – in Workington it’s the River Derwent) in a game of “football”. The ball is a rag-stuffed leather ball (traditional) – though some now use a soccer ball, and the object is to get the ball and kick/hit/throw it against a feature in the other half of the town: again, in Workington, the Uppies (one half) try to hit a capstan in the northern side of town while the ‘Downies’ attempt tp get the ball to the park wall in the south.
The beauty of this gme is that it is played from around 2 in the afternoon until dusk and THERE ARE NO RULES: htough as one long-time rsident has been quoted as saying – though outright killing of an opponent is “frowned upon”
February 18th, 2009 at 4:32 am
I’m not sure what it is called but there is a festival in Mongolia I think, where all the villages in the area come together to have a big punch-up. Everyone is standing in the town square, then without warning they start throwing punches at each other, male and female. When it’s all over they all get drunk. Sounds like the local bar but there they drink first, then start the fight.
Another one is in the pacific, where the men bungie jump with vines instead of a rope, if it’s too long or not strong enough, OUCH.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:40 am
JFrater – The most bizzare one that i ever encountered was the religious practice of burying babies under sand in Tamil Nadu for a few minutes. That practice is outlawed in India. A few years back, a state minister was present in one such ritual and public opinion forced him out of office.
I shall try and find the weblink of this ghastly ritual.
The one bizare ritual that you missed is walking on fire / red-hot coal. That’s a fairly common one in India or at least in movies. hero woos the heroine by walking on fire. The heroine starts loving the hero after the incident. A love song follows. yeah, yeah – that’s dumb. I know.
February 18th, 2009 at 4:56 am
My most bizare one is living with my mother. Every year on her B-day a kiss YUCK…..
February 18th, 2009 at 5:19 am
Carlos… have you not realised that Japanese people are the most sexually fucked up on the entire planet?
as an example of one of the slightly more tame (but still horribly screwed up) japanese sexual practices of, look up ‘Bukkake’ on wikipedia, i would advise not to google it
February 18th, 2009 at 5:35 am
What about Whacking Day. The residents of Springfield, each year, round up all the snakes in the town square and beat them to death with clubs.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:54 am
I gotta start partying with the Japanese.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:03 am
Every year my mother-in-law goes to a festival in Southern Illinois, a town called Metropolis holds the largest Superman “party” in the world every summer.
There is a huge statue of Superman in the town square, along with many other shops and litle novelties. This festival draws people from all over the United States.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:04 am
This list is too Spanish. And where’s Dazed and Confused?
February 18th, 2009 at 6:14 am
NOW, IF YOU COULD COMBINE THE GOATS AND BABIES–Jump over the goats and toss the babies out the window–I suppose it would be too AMERICAN of a list then.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:02 am
#34 Stevek: America has a ritual similar to what you’re talking about, except it’s called a mosh pit.
Heh, the “Running of the Bulls” reminds me of the one bit in Borat where in his country it was the “Running of the Jews”
February 18th, 2009 at 7:03 am
number one would suck so bad
February 18th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Funny list. Heard of the tomatoes and cheese one. #1 was……interesting. Gotta love the Japanese…I did get a kick out of the 10 foot phallus!
Anyone heard about the baby tossing? Can’t remember where its from but for the last 500 years this town tosses their babies from a 50 foot wall to be caught by those below….now what was going through their heads to come up with something so stupid?
February 18th, 2009 at 7:10 am
the spanish are weird
February 18th, 2009 at 7:18 am
I’m waiting for bucslim’s jokes here, as the ground is just oh so fertile.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Songkran in Thailand is pretty nutty as well…although it doesn’t include any animals or phalluses (sp?), its a water festival where entire cities are overrun by people with super soakers and buckets full of water that they pour on anyone and everyone. It’s insane how much fun it is.
I recommend everyone go check it out!
February 18th, 2009 at 8:02 am
lol Spain
February 18th, 2009 at 8:11 am
I guess the Burning Man Festival isn’t bizarre enough to make the list any longer, but 20 years ago it was certainly strange enough! Now it’s just pretty much an Arts Festival, then, it was a “get as messed up as you can before the burning of the giant straw man”.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 am
Crazy Spaniards
Crazier Japanese!
February 18th, 2009 at 8:36 am
wow. some of these are just really retarded. lol
February 18th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I believe festivals have religious backgrounds and I was not surprised at all to see Spain conquer all the slots considering they influenced the Philippines with these events under their Catholic religion.
February 18th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Crazy Japanese. Crazy, yet creative Spaniards.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Wow, I guess the running of the bulls in Spain was just the tip of the iceberg.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:26 am
I am Spanish, live in Spain and have never heard of these except:
1. La Tomatina: totally safe and I guess fun for some (not my style, though)
2. The Goat Thing: I actually believed it was banned. In any case it is considered repulsive by most of us, the exception being the ones that toss the goat I imagine.
3. San Juan Bonfires: every year my friends and I make a bonfire at the beach, most people do. No one jumps through it, I have never seen anyone jump through any.
I guess this list is slightly biased against Spain. Reminds me of the US being the 3rd most dangerous country in the world….
February 18th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Thaipusam is not a public holiday in Singapore. I live in Singapore, people go to work and school as usual. Not sure in Malaysia.
But interesting list. =)
February 18th, 2009 at 9:45 am
This struck me funny about # 2.
“It is a Shinto fertility festival and, as you would expect, it involves a rather large penis statue”
Well of course, I mean why would anyone expect anything else than a large penis statue?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Ya know. There are just so many reasons to never go to Spain.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:49 am
i wanna go cheese rolling
February 18th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I found a video of the fight festival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fEzWMtokXU
February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 am
How about Bolivia´s Tinku Festival where this guys beat each other until they bleed:
*Viewer discretion advised*
February 18th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I always wondered, is it “but naked”, “butt naked”, or “buck naked” ?
February 18th, 2009 at 10:37 am
The question arose after reading # 6.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:43 am
Excellent list Jamie. The weirdest festivals around here involve bathtubs used as boats or potatoes. We’re pretty boring, that’s for sure.
Jade; buck naked like in buckskin. At least that’s the origin that I’ve always understood to be true. I think there are a few other proposed roots of the phrase, but this is the one that makes most sense to me and the one I favour.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I was sickened by the ones regarding animals, especially the goat tossing crap! How can people be so heartless and cruel? And have the nerve to think it’s not wrong? They ought to be ashamed!
February 18th, 2009 at 10:54 am
I have no respect for those who practice the celebration mentioned in #5. How can people be that insane to risk a baby that has no say in being involved in the stupid ritual.
It just proves again the disrespect for humanity!
February 18th, 2009 at 10:58 am
Correction: Thaipusam is NOT a public holiday in Singapore. Only the Hindus who have to attend the festival are excused from school/ work. xD
February 18th, 2009 at 11:01 am
number one isnt so bad, i mean loads of people pierce themselves for vanity reasons, whats so bad if Tamils do it for religious purposes?..i have been to a temple during thaipusam before, its not so bad..i think that the animal festivals where they toss goats or pull off duck heads are just twisted and inhumane…but i am sure that there is a purpose and meaning for everything they do..too bad for the animals though…
February 18th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Where’s the Saint Fermin festival held in (surprise, surprise) Spain?? that has to be one of the most bizarre and stupid festivals of the world….those crazy spanish people!!!
P.S: i’m not against spanish people, at all, if i were i’d be a complete hypocrite since my mother’s family is spanish.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
In Bali Matatah or a toothfiling ceremony, probably classed as a festival as families and clans get together to share the festivities and cost. Toothfiling is usually done at puberty on both boys and girls to release evil desires.
The Henley-On-Todd Regatta held every year in Alice Springs, Australia is much more fun, no water necessary.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Fascinating list. I sort of expected craziness from the Japanese, but not this much from the Spaniards!
But it sure is weird you left out the FESTIVAL of San Fermin in Pamplona, which is the one and only Running of the Bulls! (And yes, it IS a festival, just like the other ones on the list.) I sort of expected it would be #1 after seeing so much Spanish wackiness, but instead you totally left it out??? Now that’s bizarre!!
February 18th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Festivals aren’t stupid. A festival is a good excuse to play and have fun – long live festivals – no matter how bizarre.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
20. Ani x
Maybe there’s a tomato festival in your area? I know Milwaukee supposedly has one. I say supposedly because I walked over (when I lived there) and it just looked like a huge block party – not a single tomato in sight. Of course, in the summertime, there’s dozens of festivals and outdoor events so there’s a strong likelihood I walked in on the wrong one. I don’t regret it though because there was also a pool tournament and a majority of them were not good at all. I placed fairly high even though I hadn’t played in a couple months.
A number of these are backed by religious beliefs. Philippines has a number that could fit in this list, particularly Roman Catholic celebrations. Volunteers (they are chosen beforehand – it’s not ‘oh hey, let’s stand in this line and see where it leads me’…) recreate The Crucifixion…down to the nailing onto the cross. Ouch!
February 18th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
hey very interesting list. it was dominated by the spanish but it i think it would be interesting if it was a little broader… like lets see what weird stuff they do in finland or australia or something? you know what im saying?
February 18th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
#1 makes me thankful I am a scientologist and yes you guys Xenu does exist, he is in my bed right now doing all sorts of sordid things to my two brothers who are also in bed with me.
February 18th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Animal rights activists always have ruin my fun.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
This is one they do in Singapore. I only know because my brother was there went it was happening. I believe it lasts all month
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festival
February 18th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Very interesting list. Most of these made me laugh.
MorbidAngel7: I cpmpletely agree.
I would love to participate in some of these!
By the way, the baby one is hilarious!
February 18th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
** completely
February 18th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I somehow knew that there would be a penis festival
February 18th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
always wanted to do #10
February 18th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
er, little correction for my last comment: The San Fermin Festival is only one of the festivals in Spain that have runnings of the bulls; so it’s not the only one with bull running, but it’s certainly the most popular one.
February 18th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
all these are not just weird, but plain stupid. omfg, people are sick…
February 18th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Kreachure: I left out the running of the bulls because it is so well known that it is losing its bizarreness
February 18th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
In the japanese one do the just run around naked?
February 18th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Shouldn’t #6 read “all butt naked”??
I loled when I read that.
C’mon, I know I wasn’t the only one who thought that.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
i’ve been to number 2 and it is so fun!! they march a giant penis in a shrine up and down the city streets, there’s beer and food and bands, men dress as women in kimono’s and run around, there are contest’s to carve the best penis out of a daikon radish and you can wear papier mache penis’ on your head and bonk into people. all in all a fun day!! i still have my penis lolly.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Judging from the comments, it looks like More Bizarre Festivals lists could easily follow.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Why is #2 so strange PlasmaTwa2? It’s what religion is ultimately all about, those Japanese guys just stripped all the crap.
February 18th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
JFrater: Oh, obviously… I mean, how could being chased by wild dangerous bulls down a closed street be able to compare with all the baby jumping, and giant phallic paraphernalia, and cheek skewering going on in the world nowadays!
February 18th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Evel Knievel still holds the world record for baby jumping.
February 18th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
No Burning Man?
February 18th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Got back from a Spanish wine tasting not too long ago and I tell you…if goat-tossing, baby-jumping, crowd surfing in a coffin while being chased by a tomato-throwing bull is what it takes to make such a wide range of delicious wines, then I say bring on the next baby jumper!
February 18th, 2009 at 10:26 pm
people are weird
February 18th, 2009 at 10:30 pm
nice to see the money the EU sends to spain is being spent well ! lol !!! I traveled round spain a few years ago most towns seam to have some sort of festival every weekend, any excuse 4a party ? great country !
February 18th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
#75 guy
In Alice Springs, Australia, we have a regatta in a dry riverbed. The only year it hasn’t been run was when the river actually had water in it.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:37 am
Yeah I realize that the japanese are sexually bizarre but I didnt realize that they had sexually explicit social events. My friends dad was in the Military and did alot of traveling and he said that when he was there every one was just like going from point A to B. With no interaction with any one. He said he bumped into a couple people on the crowded streets and they acted like he wasn’t even there. I just figured since they are portrayed as non-social people outside of their own group of friends and home on TV and thats the way they appeared to my freinds dad that thats the way they were. By the way Maelstrom, I do know what Bukkake is lol. And downhighway61 I dont have a kid, I was just saying if I did, I wouldnt do that.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Comment#100: As far as i know, Thaipusam isn’t even a regional holiday in India. I lived in Tamil Nadu where Thaipusam is very popular but don’t think it is a holiday
February 19th, 2009 at 9:41 am
I live in Malaysia. Thaipusam is a public holiday in certain state in Malaysia
February 19th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Festivals are cathartic experiences… help to escape from everyday social control.That is why sports events are so popular nowadays; people can shout, swear and get drunk… and happily go back home.
ps: holi festival in India… people smearing each other with colours. the best part? you get to drink “bang”, a mixture of milk and marijuana… legally!
February 19th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
94. Kelly: No Burning Man?
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If you’d bother to read the posts above your own, you’d have seen the Burning Man Festival was already referenced in post #50!
February 19th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I love this list. It’s so funny.
Some people are just too bizarre.
The comments are hilarious, as usual.
I love listverse.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Yo in Pittsburgh we have these awesome crazy riots when we win super bowls (which is pretty damn often)
February 19th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
what about the Burning Man Festival? http://www.burningman.com/
February 19th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
No mention of Kentucky’s World Chicken Festival? For crying out loud- we have the world’s largest frying pan! My best friend kicked ass in the clucking competition…
February 19th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
i think one ones that involve generally physically harmless “messiness” sound amazing. —ones like la tomatina, or similar events mentioned in the comments such as a giant water, paint, flower, or orange throwing party. i’ve heard of a similar one that was the throwing of milled grain flour -but maybe it was a mistranslation of the flower festival?
also, i’ve never been to carnival in brasil (yet i somehow picture it to be more like mardi gras in new orleans,) but when i was last in iquitos peru (a large amazonian city close to brasil) there was a version of carnival going on (i was told it was the only part of peru to celebrate it this way.) it was a version of the “water festival” it involved people erecting giant decorated festival “trees” at seemingly random points in the street and hanging around them with drinks and neighbors and music, but the real event was everyone throwing water from buckets, balloons, whatever at everyone. sometime water with fish in it, paint, motor oil, (cold) cooking oil, almost anything. it was really fun! (people seemed less likely to chuck something nastier than water at you if they could see you were in good spirits -grumpy people got more disgusting liquids chucked their way.)
February 20th, 2009 at 12:06 am
For some really messed up rituals read Joseph Campbell’s “Primitive Mythology.” Australian tribe-men do some things to their own “Kanamara Matsuri” that made me cringe.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:07 am
rituals, festivals… whatever…
February 20th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I’m glad this one is not too “America-centric” as people like to complain.
Says a lot for those crazy Spaniards
February 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
106. El_Seed: what about the Burning Man Festival?
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You mean the same Burning Man Festival that has already been mentioned TWICE in the posts?
February 20th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Haha.
I agree with segue. I REALLY hate it when people repeat comments. Take the time to read the ones above, please, and spare us the crap.:D
February 20th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Why so much hate for the Japanese festivals? Honestly they’re not that crazy. So they involve nudity and giant phallus’. There’s been plenty of festivals all over the world, and throughout history that have involved these things, as an example, Tyrnavos Greece has a phallus festival. The phallus is a pretty common fertility symbol, so as one can imagine it pops up quite a bit in fertility related festivals (no pun intended).
February 20th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
114. Tulip:…The phallus is a pretty common fertility symbol, so as one can imagine it pops up quite a bit…
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Yeah, gotta love those phallii, always popping up when you need one.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Personally, I am a big fan of naked men.
February 21st, 2009 at 8:47 am
i submit for your approval, the fish sandwich festival in bayport, michigan, usa…not a large scale or truly bizarre…but come on…who has a festival for a deepfried fish patty?
February 21st, 2009 at 3:21 pm
My cousins live right near the hill in gloucestershire that they roll the cheese down, we visit them everyone year and go see it together
March 8th, 2009 at 5:23 am
I’m recommending the masochists to go celebrate festival no. 1.
April 11th, 2009 at 1:40 am
see wackynation.com for more bizarre events
June 11th, 2009 at 10:48 am
In my city we have a festival called “The Jalapeno Festival” and as you probably guessed…its all about jalapenos. There’s people dressed as jalapenos and almost all the food sold has something to do with jalapenos or is spicy. The main thing of the festival is the Jalapeno Eating Contest where people eat as many jalapenos as they can and the winner winning some sort of prize like money or something. lol
June 28th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I must go to at least one of these before I die.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I am surprised to see “charak mela” not mentioned in this list. It is very similar to the number one entry here, but majorly involves people hanging themselves from trees, etc. using hooks directly piercing their flesh.
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:26 am
How does throwing tomatoes at each other honor the Virgin Mary? Was she a tomato lover. On the same note, is St. Louis Bertrand the patron saint of tomatos?
August 13th, 2009 at 4:47 am
they never go naked to the japanese festivals, ive lived there for 30 years and been to hundreds of them. study more
August 17th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I really dont like any of the animal cruelty ones, I love the bonfire one that one is awsome lol as for number 4 they really must think coffins rock
September 6th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Here in Quebec we have bonfires for St-Jean-Baptiste, although they have been suppressed ever since someone jumped in the fire and died
October 6th, 2009 at 5:49 am
baby jumping!!!?!?!?!?? why?
October 8th, 2009 at 3:23 am
surprised cheese rolling isn’t higher up on the list, have you seen the videos on youtube!?