We live in a very diverse society full of cultures and traditions and with it thousands of celebrations and festivities. Many of them are out of the conventional and can surprise and sometimes even frighten people. Still, all of them are unique and have a great story behind them, so we must show respect for them and their people. Below we will be discovering some of the most curious and interesting festivals around the world.
La Tomatina is one of the biggest food fights in the world. It has been celebrated in Buñol, Spain since 1945. People throw tomatoes at each other and to avoid injuries there are some rules, such as smashing the tomatoes before throwing them. The fight usually lasts one hour and starts with the “Palo Jabon”. It is a game that consists of the players having to climb a soapy stick with a ham on top, when they catch the ham, the Tomatina starts.
In Finland, wife-lifting is a race with obstacles in which men run with their wives carried on their backs and face down. Some of the rules for the race are very curious, such as that the participants have to drink a liter of beer before starting. The origin of this celebration comes from the past when women used to run away from their homes on the shoulders of their sweethearts.
The Lopburi Monkey Festival, as the name suggests, is held in Lopburi, Thailand. Monkeys are very common and sacred there. Due to the large number of these animals, in November, a sort of buffet or feast is held for them. 
The buffet starts with a dance of people dressed up as monkeys and at the end, all the food for the animals, which was previously covered with clothing, is revealed. The monkeys eagerly jump up to eat, devouring and enjoying the hundreds of fruits and viands that the villagers leave for them. Meanwhile, the people enjoy their grace and spectacle with music and laughter.
In a town in the northwest of Spain, the Near Death Experience Festival is celebrated on July 29th. It is a festival in which the villagers are carried in coffins during a procession through the town. It is a form of thanksgiving to the Virgin, for making those in the coffins or their families overcome serious illnesses.
In a desert in Nevada, US, the Burning Man Festival is held in the last days of August and the beginning of September. It is a celebration in which tons of people and international artists live together and they participate by showing their works. It focuses on freedom of expression and participation in the community, everyone is welcome to participate in this adventure and no one is turned away. One of its objectives is for people to connect with their deepest creativity more easily and even produce a spiritual change in themselves and their lives. Finally, to close and end the event, a large sculpture called The Man is burned, hence the name of the festival.
A muddy weekend is what you experience in South Korea in July. The Boryeong Mud Festival is famous
as its name suggests, for all the activities it has related to the mud such as fights, pools, slide races, or even beauty contests. It is said that the clay is very good for the skin and has many useful properties, as it moisturizes and exfoliates. The festival originated only 27 years ago and it aimed to promote a range of cosmetics made from mud.
In short, the peculiar festivities around the world are a great opportunity to learn about cultural diversity and human creativity. Moreover, for travel lovers, these unique celebrations invite and help us to explore and appreciate the traditions, beliefs, and lifestyles of different places in interesting, fun, and not-so-boring ways.
