Weird Summer Festivals Around The World

(For much more quirky summer season festivals, take heed to Episode 19 of my weekly journey podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, at my web site, or wherever you take heed to podcasts.)

I’ve collected a few of my favourite summer season festivals. (All the time examine forward to make sure they’re on. Due to the world pandemic, many will not be obtainable this yr, however maintain them in thoughts for the long run, while you’re searching for a unique strategy to have enjoyable within the solar.

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In Tomar, Portugal, The Festival of the Trays takes place each 4 years; the following one in July, 2023. The Procession of the Tabuleiros is heralded by pipers and fireworks, adopted by ladies in headdresses and lengthy white attire with coloured sashes, helped by boys who additionally put on a proper costume. Within the rear are cartloads of bread, meat and wine, pulled by the symbolic sacrificial oxen, with golden horns and sashes.

The tray headdress, which should be the identical top because the woman, is made up of 30 loaves of bread, specifically formed, tied to a wicker basket. On the Crown is accomplished by paper flowers, greenery and wheat sheaves.

On the annual World Body Painting Festival in Klagenfurt, Austria, artists use scantily clad our bodies as their canvases. Strategies embrace brushes, sponges and airbrushes. (I suppose they must airbrush the naughty elements.) Over 30 thousand artists from 50 nations converge.

On the third Sunday of July, 1000’s of Romanians gown in conventional garments, and collect on Gaina Mountain in Transylvania, the place households used to deliver their adolescent kids and organize weddings. The pageant is at all times opened by ladies wearing people costume, who play the wood alpenhorn.

The legend of the Maidens’ Fair says {that a} magic hen (“gaina” in Romanian) who laid golden eggs was dropped at the mountains, by fairies. Yearly, younger {couples} who actually liked one another acquired one in every of these magic eggs as a gift. Locals nonetheless consider {that a} couple may be completely happy provided that their wedding ceremony is completed on Mount Gaina.

For 2 weeks each July, 1000’s flock to Boryeong, South Korea, a small, city on the western coast, for the Mudfest. Mud wrestling, mud sliding and dirt swimming have made this the primary Korean pageant. Pits, fountains, swimming pools, therapeutic massage zones and even a mud jail have you ever wanting a muddy mess, but it surely’s enjoyable. (And this yr— I’m undecided the way it works — it’s on-line.)

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For a cleaner time, The Sinchon Water Gun Festival is held in July in Seoul, South Korea — a moist and wild strategy to escape summer season warmth. Cut up between two days, there’s an umbrella efficiency, a water live performance and even a water gun wedding ceremony (I imply, who wouldn’t need to say they obtained married at a water gun wedding ceremony?) And, in fact, the spotlight of every day is the water-gun combat.

In Maralal, Kenya, a two-day, late-August pageant celebrates dromedaries — the camels with double humps. Worldwide rivals take part within the annual race placed on by the Samburu tribe.

I as soon as watched a camel race in Abu Dhabi— with one-hump beasts. My favourite reminiscence is of the pretend jockeys bobbing on the camel’s hump. There additionally have been races pitting camels towards folks. The camels gained.

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Furano, positioned within the coronary heart of Hokkaido, Japan is understood for its lavender fields and ski resort, but additionally for — the Belly Button Festival, first celebrated in 1969. Throughout this two-day navel-gazing celebration in July, 1000’s of dancers compete for prizes with their bellies painted with humorous faces similar to mustachioed clowns, animals and Japanese characters.

To participate, it’s essential to draw a humorous face in your abdomen and canopy your actual face with a straw hat or one thing related. The pageant committee will present a stomach button dance outfit freed from cost. And I’m undecided if it helps whether or not you’re an innie or outtie!

The Esala Perehera also called “The Competition of the Tooth” is an annual 15-day pageant in Kandy, Sri Lanka, venerating Buddha’s tooth, symbolizing the introduction of Buddhism to this small island nation practically 2000 years in the past. Each night time there’s a parade of elephants accompanied by performers and musicians.

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The festivities culminate with a procession of over 1000 performers and 100 elephants. The bigger elephants have their tusks capped in gold and draped with silk tassels; some even put on ankle bracelets. Animal rights activists gained’t like this one I do perceive— however what a sight.

The Go Blonde Festival in Riga, Latvia is an annual occasion organized by the Latvian Affiliation of Blondes. Truthful-haired ladies, wearing pink, parade down Riga streets. It has turn into the most important blondes pageant on the planet. On this case, blondes actually do have extra enjoyable.

A pageant for one more type of blond — Golden Retrievers, is in July. Goldens and their house owners journey to the Golden Retriever Membership of Scotland, appropriately held on the ancestral house of the breed. The pageant started in 2006 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the group. 

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A whole bunch of canine attend the occasion, together with their people. And naturally there’s a best-of-show occasion. The breed, by the way in which, was created within the 1800s by Scottish landowner Dudley Marjoribanks, also called … Lord Tweedmouth.

Late-August marks the start of the well-known annual La Tomatina. Held within the small Valencian city of Buñol, roughly 40,000 fans come to pelt one another with tomatoes. On the morning of Tomatina, a slice of ham is held on the highest of a greasy pole. The purpose is to retrieve this slice of ham with the gang chanting and singing in encouragement (whereas being showered by water hoses).

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The second the slice of ham is dropped from the pole, vehicles loaded with tomatoes enter and the tomato combat begins.

Later, fire-fighters wash the streets and other people down with hoses, and the acidity of the tomato acts as disinfectant. Nevada, Chicago, Costa Rica and Colombia have had recreations, however the authentic is essentially the most tomato-y.

Australia hosts the Throwing Of The Grape Festival, celebrating the primary wine harvest. There’s wine tasting, grape stomping, dwell music, and naturally, grape throwing in a fenced-off space. Grape squashing is a bunch occasion, the place groups of 4 race towards the clock to see who can squash essentially the most grapes of their wine barrel.

In Sonkajarvi Finland, male rivals throw their wives or feminine teammates over their backs to see who could make it by way of an arduous impediment course and cross the end (Finnish?) line. The fortunate winner of the Wife-Carrying World Championships will get a provide of beer — equal to his spouse’s weight. Cheers!

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The International Highline Meeting Festival is terrifying — don’t do that when you’re a stressed sleeper. Individuals are suspended above the Italian Alps on Monte Piana each September — in only a hammock. They name themselves “slackers” due to the slacklines they’re suspended throughout. The rope is barely flattened, and has extra slack than a tightrope, so it might transfer side-to-side, or bounce. Yikes.

One occasion I can’t neglect is the Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival, close to Cleveland, house of the maker of the Duck Tape model duct tape. I bear in mind floats, garments, and sculptures made solely from duct tape. That is little doubt the one place the place you possibly can see an enormous duct tape Empire State Constructing subsequent to a 350-pound duct tape cheeseburger.

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The pageant attracts greater than 50,000 attendees every year (not this yr, alas); admission is free, and the primary 500 guests every day obtain a free roll of Duck Tape! I nonetheless have mine on a shelf, maybe my oddest journey momento ever.