We have decided to take a look at some of the weird and wonderful festivals and celebrations across the world. In no particular order, here are our picks of the strangest events to tempt you to travel.
Cow Painting Festival
Moooove over for the Cow Painting Festival. This is hosted by the often over-looked country of Luxembourg. The months of April – September sees the capital city overrun by an array of fake cows. Made of everything from concrete, wood, metal and fibreglass, the lifesize milk-maker models act as a canvas for many local artists. They are decorated in multi-coloured patterns or detailed murals and landscapes. Placed surreptitiously around the city, keep your eyes peeled for this rather random art exhibition.
The Monkey Buffet Festival
This annual festivity is all in honour of the noble long tailed macaque monkey. The local population of monkeys, almost 2,000 of them to be precise are wined and dined at the Pra Prang Sam Yot Temple in Lopburi, Thailand. The event is held to thank the monkeys for drawing tourists to the area. Monkey statues are placed outside the Temple holding trays of food, drinks, and sweets allowing the monkeys to pick and choose what they want to eat.
Wife Carrying World Championships
Steeped in tradition like so many other strange events, the Wife Carrying World Championships in Finland carries on from a 19th century tradition of ‘Wife Stealing’. Finnish men would visit local villages and quite literally steal females which took their fancy. To enter these days, you don’t necessarily need to have a wife, any female over the age of 17 will suffice. This is not just a race however. Man and wife must make their way along a 254-metre long course over asphalt, sand and grass with water obstacles thrown in to add to the difficulty. If you drop your wife, you lose 15 points. The winner is rewarded with his wife’s weight in beer, in addition to a selection of electrical goods. Around 6,500 spectators turn out to watch this highly humorous event.
Night of the Radishes
The 23rd December each year sees the town of Oaxaca in Mexico celebrate the Night of the Radishes. Believed to have originated in 1897, this festival is one of the most highly anticipated celebrations in the Mexican calendar. It sees radish artists transform this modest vegetable into intricate statues and works of art. Don’t be surprised to see radish animals, saints, dancers, kings and anything you can think of. Sculpting begins on the 20th December. The winner of the best sculpture receives a cash prize, so there is at least some sort of incentive to celebrate radishes…
The Redneck Games
A comment made by the media before the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta stated that the event would be hosted by a bunch of rednecks, thus The Redneck Games was born. Some of the events held during the Redneck Games include bobbing for pig’s trotters, the mud pit belly flop, the armpit serenade, hubcap hurling, dumpster diving and more. Each winner receives a trophy; a half crushed, mounted beer can of course!
Have you been to any of these festivals? If so, share your experience in the comments below.
