Strange Traditions

10 Strange Traditions 1
Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake

A collection of unique and bizarre traditions from around the world that will leave you astonished.

Read More
10 Strange Traditions 2
Sardine's Funeral (Entierro de la Sardina)

Discover more fascinating and unusual traditions that people practice around the globe.

Read More
10 Strange Traditions 3
Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme

Another set of strange and intriguing customs that showcase the diversity of human culture.

Read More
10 Strange Traditions 4
Cascamorras

Explore even more bizarre traditions that highlight the quirks and creativity of different cultures.

Read More
10 Strange Traditions 5
Rosswell UFO festival

A final set of peculiar and fascinating customs practiced in various parts of the world.

Read More
Aperschnalzen
Aperschnalzen

Aperschnalzen is a traditional Bavarian whip-cracking competition held to ward off winter and welcome spring.

Read More
Battle of the Oranges
Battle of the Oranges

The Battle of the Oranges is an Italian festival in Ivrea where participants throw oranges at each other, symbolizing the fight against tyranny.

Read More
Battle of the Queens
Battle of the Queens

The Battle of the Queens is a traditional Swiss event where cows with their horns intact compete in pushing matches to establish dominance.

Read More
Boryeong Mud Festival
Boryeong Mud Festival

The Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea features mud wrestling, mud sliding, and various other mud-related activities, attracting tourists worldwide.

Read More
Cipotegato
Cipotegato

Cipotegato is a Spanish festival where a costumed man runs through the streets of Tarazona while being pelted with tomatoes by the crowd.

Read More
ClauWau
ClauWau

ClauWau is an annual event in Switzerland where participants compete in various challenges dressed as Santa Claus. (Image:illustration)

Read More
Elephant Polo
Elephant polo

Elephant Polo is a sport played in Nepal, Thailand, and other countries, where teams of players ride elephants and use long mallets to hit a ball towards the goal.

Read More
Gioco del Ponte
Leaning tower of Pisa

Gioco del Ponte is a historical game in Pisa, Italy, where two teams compete to push a heavy cart across a bridge to the opponent's side.

Read More
Gurning
Gurning

Gurning is a British tradition where participants compete to make the most grotesque and exaggerated facial expressions, often through a horse collar.

Read More
Hadaka Matsuri
Hadaka Matsuri

Hadaka Matsuri, or the "Naked Festival," is a Japanese tradition where men wear minimal clothing and compete to grab sacred sticks for good fortune.

Read More
Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking
Hare Pie Procession in Hallaton

Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking is an English tradition in Hallaton, where locals scramble for pieces of hare pie and compete in a chaotic bottle-kicking match.

Read More
Haro Wine Festival
Haro Wine Festival

The Haro Wine Festival in Spain involves a massive wine battle where participants soak each other with red wine in a fun and festive atmosphere.

Read More
Jallikattu
Jallikattu (photo by Carlos Gilsobera)

Jallikattu is a traditional bull-taming sport in Tamil Nadu, India, where participants try to grab a bull's hump and ride it for as long as possible.

Read More
Konaki Sumo
Konaki Sumo

Konaki Sumo is a Japanese festival where sumo wrestlers compete to make babies cry, believed to bring good health and fortune to the infants.

Read More
La Tomatina
La Tomatina

La Tomatina is a famous Spanish festival held in Buñol where participants throw tomatoes at each other in a massive, messy food fight.

Read More
Las Bolas de Fuego
Las Bolas de Fuego in Nejapa, El Salvador

Las Bolas de Fuego, or the Balls of Fire festival, is celebrated in El Salvador where participants throw flaming rags at each other in a spirited tradition.

Read More
Maldon Mud Race
Maldon mud race

The Maldon Mud Race is an annual event in Essex, England, where participants race through the thick mud of the River Blackwater.

Read More
Palio della Rana
Fermignano, Italy

Palio della Rana is a unique Italian race in the town of Fermignano where participants push wheelbarrows carrying live frogs.

Read More
Roasted Pig Parade
The Roasted Pig Parade in Bali

The Roasted Pig Parade in Bali is a festive procession featuring beautifully decorated roasted pigs, symbolizing prosperity and celebration. (Image: illustration)

Read More
Rubber Duck Races
The Great British Duck Race

Rubber duck races are charitable events where participants sponsor rubber ducks that are raced down a river, with prizes for the winners.

Read More
San Fermin
encierro

San Fermin is a famous Spanish festival in Pamplona, known for the Running of the Bulls, where participants run in front of a group of charging bulls.

Read More
The World Coal Carrying Championships

The World Coal Carrying Championships in England is a race where participants carry heavy sacks of coal over a set course, showcasing strength and endurance. (Image: illustration)

Read More
The Flyers of Papantla
Los Voladores de Papantla

The Flyers of Papantla is a traditional Mesoamerican ceremony where participants climb a pole and then descend, spinning around the pole tied to ropes.

Read More
Tunarama
Tunarama in Port Lincoln, SA

Tunarama is an Australian festival in Port Lincoln, featuring the famous tuna toss competition where participants throw a frozen tuna as far as possible.

Read More
Weighing the Mayor
High Wycombe

Weighing the Mayor is a traditional ceremony in High Wycombe, England, where the mayor is weighed each year to ensure they haven't gained weight at public expense.

Read More
World Pillow Fighting Championships
High Wycombe

The World Pillow Fighting Championships is a fun and competitive event where participants engage in pillow fights to win the championship title. (Image: illustration)

Read More
World Sauna Championships

The World Sauna Championships in Finland challenge participants to withstand extreme heat in a sauna for as long as possible. (Image: illustration)

Read More
Bone House
Skull chapel in Czermna, Poland (photo by Merlin)

Bone houses, or ossuaries, are structures used to store human skeletal remains, often decorated with intricate patterns made from bones.

Read More
Buzkashi
Buzkashi

Buzkashi is a traditional Central Asian sport where horseback riders compete to grab and hold onto a goat carcass.

Read More
Firewalking Traditions
Sanghyang Jaran

Firewalking is a ritualistic practice where participants walk barefoot over hot coals as a test of faith, endurance, and strength.

Read More
Foot Binding
foot binding in China

Foot binding was a Chinese custom where young girls' feet were tightly bound to alter their shape, symbolizing beauty and status.

Read More
Harikuyo

Harikuyo is a Japanese festival where broken needles are honored and laid to rest in a soft piece of tofu or jelly.

Read More
Inukshuk
Inukshuk

Inukshuk are stone landmarks built by the Inuit, often used as navigational aids, markers, or to communicate messages.

Read More
La Chiesa dei Morti
Mummified body of Vincenzo Piccini

La Chiesa dei Morti, or the Church of the Dead, in Urbania, Italy, houses naturally mummified bodies displayed as a reminder of mortality.

Read More
La Pourcailhade

La Pourcailhade, also known as the Festival of the Pig, is held in Trie-sur-Baïse, France, featuring pig races, piglet chases, and various pig-themed activities. (Image: illustration).

Read More
Leprechaun
Leprechaun or Clurichaun

Leprechauns are mythical Irish creatures known for their trickery, often depicted as small, bearded men with a hidden pot of gold.

Read More
Life on the Moon
The Moon

Life on the Moon refers to various historical and cultural beliefs and myths about the existence of life on the lunar surface.

Read More
Navajo Sand Paintings
Navajo sand painting

Navajo sand paintings are intricate designs created using colored sand, used in healing ceremonies and considered sacred art by the Navajo people.

Read More
Silbo Gomero

Silbo Gomero is a whistled language used by the inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands to communicate across the island's deep ravines and valleys.

Read More
Stilt Walking
Mellans and Avresses

Stilt walking is a traditional practice in many cultures, used for festivals, performances, and practical purposes such as harvesting fruit from tall trees.

Read More
The Night of Radishes
Noche de Rabanos

The Night of Radishes is an annual event in Oaxaca, Mexico, where participants carve large radishes into elaborate scenes and figures for display and competition.

Read More
Trauco and Fiura
Trauco

Trauco and Fiura are mythological figures from Chilean folklore; Trauco is a dwarf who seduces young women, while Fiura is his fearsome female companion.

Read More
Well Dressing
Well dressing in Yougreave, Derbyshire

Well dressing is a tradition in Derbyshire, England, where wells are decorated with intricate designs made from natural materials like flowers and leaves.

Read More