7 Bizarre Holidays and Celebrations

I was thinking today that there are some really strange celebrations/holidays around the world. This week is Thanksgiving, and despite all of our affinities and traditions for this holiday, one could just as easily argue that it is a quite bizarre and strange spectacle for those not from the States.

First off, most everything we celebrate on Thanksgiving is in some way, shape or form, inaccurate. The traditional story of course is that this was a celebration between Pilgrims and Indians in 1621. There are many sources though that clearly point to the fact that Thanksgiving was first practiced in 1619 in Virginia, or even as early as the late 1500's in Texas. Second of all, the food: Turkey? Cranberries? Pumpkin pie? Probably not, no and no. The only meat we know for sure that was eaten there was deer. Turkeys and cranberries are really an invention of the Victorians who prepared this food starting in the 1860's (along with Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation that actually set aside two dates for the holiday - one in August and the other in November). How about the funky dress then? You know, the Pilgrims in their black, with their big hats and strange shoes. Or the Indians with their feathered headdresses? Again, no, no and no. These are all later renderings by artists, but not historically accurate by any account. Nevertheless, I love Thanksgiving. It's a great day for family, food, and relaxation. I thought I'd post a list of seven of the most bizarre holidays/celebrations that exist elsewhere in the world:

1. Novgorod, Russia: Maslenitsa
This happy holiday centers around Lent, where in many Orthodox countries, the week prior is marked with a series of celebrations.... in this case a free-for-all boxing match in which there are no rules. In centuries past, the fight ended only when the participates were covered with blood and without clothes.

2. Bunyol, Spain: Tomatina
This one, though near and dear to my heart, is the epitome of strange. Near the end of August this city shuts down as the entire population embarks upon the world's largest tomato fight.

3. Brockworth, England: Cheese Rolling Festival
This traditional day, dating back to Roman times, competitors from all over the world run up a huge hill and then chase a 7 kg round cheese back down. The first who gets to it, keeps it.

4. Eastern Island, Chile: Tapati Festival
A week-long festival begun in the 1970s in an effort to drum up more tourism, Tapati includes a triathlon in which native participates run around the lake of the Rano Raraku volcano carrying a large bunch of bananas. Isn't there an easier way to draw tourists to Chile?

5. Several in Turkmenistan....
The once president-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov was a bit odd to say the least. When he wasn't renaming months of the year after himself and his mom, he was creating holidays. In 2005, citizens were given the day off so that they could celebrate melons, and April 27th was chosen as a national holiday to honor horses.

6. Tinku Festival: Bolivia
Each May thousands of Bolivian indians descend on the city of Macha to pick a fight with one another. The 600 year old pre-Hispanic Bolivian festival of Tinku sees villager engage in a slug fest that doesn't stop until blood is spilt on the ground. The blood is an offering to the earth goddess - Pachamama - to ensure a good harvest for the coming year.

7. Antzar Eguna (Goose Day): Lekeitio, Spain
Goose Day dates back at least 350 years, and involves a group of young Spaniards trying to decapitate a dead goose hanging from a rope in the middle of the town's harbor. No wait, it gets better.... the contestants have to behead the goose using only their hands and arms. They try this by approaching the dangling goose in a rowboat, grabbing its neck, then falling into the harbor waters. If one of the guys manages to hold on to the bird despite the best efforts to shake him off (by bystanders pulling on the rope) and also manages to wrench the head off, he wins, and the prettiest girls in town flock into his arms. Totally awesome.