Top 5 Bizarre Festivals In The World !

Monday, February 20, 2012, 14:46

The world is full of bizarre facts and bizarre festivals are just a part of it. As the Fat Tuesday is on it's way early this year we could take that opportunity to discuss some of the weirdest festivals around the world. It is not like strange festivals are celebrated only in remote villages by tribal people. Most of the festivals mentioned here are celebrated in towns and cities by people like us and that makes it more interesting.

Here are what we consider to be the most bizarre festivals you can come across.

The Most Bizarre Festivals From Around The World:

1. El Colacho: This festival from the village of Castrillo de Murcia in Spain has a strange sinister element attached to it. During this festival, it is not the participants who risk their life but small new born babies below the age of one who are put to risk. On the day of the feast of Corpus Christi (the corpse of Christ) all the babies born in past year are layed on a mattress. Now participants dressed as the Devil (usually young men) jump over these babies. It is supposed to protect the babies from the evil eye and be an atonement for the original sin.

2. Cheese Rolling Festival: This is actually a British festival celebrated in May in Cooper"s Hill, Gloucestershire. With all due respect to British propriety it is a crazy festival. As people throw cheese down this extremely steep hill and then chase after it!

3. Fat Tuesday: This festival that is really huge in New Orleans has French origins; it is also called Mardi Gras meaning Fat Tuesday in French. It is celebrated just before Lent (between the 18 February to 8th of March). There are parades and funny costumes with pancake fights in some places!

4. Kanamara Matsuri: Opps this one is the most bizarre adult festival of the world. Celebrated in Kawasaki, Japan this is a festival of fertility and what better way to celebrate it than the symbol of fertility itself, the phallus (penis). Kanamara masuri literally translates to The Steel Phallus from Japanese, so giant sized penises from every possible material like plastic, wood, balloons are erected on this day and carried across the town!

5. Boryeong Or The Mud Festival: Happy Holi but let us play with mud! Yes that is what happens in South Korea on the day of the mud festival. Mud slinging takes a new meaning when Boryeong mud is flung at each other because is beneficial for the skin in this strange festival.

These were the 5 most bizarre festivals in the world, so which one are you celebrating?