Pratidin Bureau
Imagine a food fight, but instead of stale bread crusts, you're pelting each other with over 100 tons of squashed tomatoes! That's La Tomatina in Buñol, Spain, where streets turn into a slippery, messy battleground every year on the last Wednesday of August. Participants, clad in white T-shirts and goggles, dodge, duck, and dive through a tomatoey deluge, creating a truly unique and exhilarating, albeit messy, experience.
Pamplona's San Fermín festival is synonymous with one heart-stopping event: the Running of the Bulls. Every morning from July 7th to 14th, hundreds of brave souls race alongside six fierce bulls through the narrow cobbled streets of the Old Town. While injuries are common, the thrill of outrunning these powerful beasts keeps adrenaline junkies coming back for more year after year.
In the Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia, a rather unusual ritual takes place during their Baby Jumping Festival. Men dressed as devils leap over babies laid on mattresses in the street, supposedly warding off evil spirits and bestowing good luck. While the practice might seem alarming, it's deeply rooted in local tradition and continues to be celebrated with fervor.
The Yanshui Beehive Rockets Festival in Taiwan sees hundreds of rockets, crafted from bamboo frames and packed with firecrackers, launched towards a temple. The goal? To ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. However, with sparks flying and rockets whizzing through the air, this festival demands a healthy dose of caution and respect for local customs.
Cheese and chaos collide at the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling competition in Gloucestershire, England. Participants chase a 7-pound wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down a steep grassy hill, with the first person to catch it (or at least cross the finish line) declared the winner. Bruises and tumbles are inevitable, but the cheese-fueled fun keeps the crowds roaring year after year.