Different annual festivals are celebrated around the world; a big component of a country's culture and are most always fun and inviting. Some originate from tradition, while others come from a religion. However, there are some festivals around the world that are so unusual, seeing them in person makes you want to double take.
The Baby Jumping Festival - Castrillo de Murcia, Spain. This festival literally is about jumping over babies. Celebrated annually 60 days after Easter in Spain, locals call it "El Colacho". During this holiday men dress up as the Devil and run through the streets of Spain while jumping over babies laid on pillows on the streets. Babies who participate in this tradition must be born 12 months prior to the year so that they will be absolved of sin. This practice originated from the 1600s, to mark the feast of Corpus Christi.
Boryeong Mud Festival - Boryeong, South Korea. First practiced in 1998, locals and tourists who join the festivities endure mud splashed and thrown in their faces. Since the mud from Boryeong mud flats is said to be good for the skin and full of vitamins and minerals, locals made it an annual event where truckloads of Boryeong mud are delivered in Daechon Beach where people can enjoy activities such as mud pool, mud slides, mud body painting and mud "flat training."
Cheung Chau Bun Festival - Cheung Chau, Hong Kong. This is a traditional Chinese festival also celebrated in Taiwan, Sichuan, Fujian, and Guangdong. 60-ft high towers of buns are made in this event, and participants must race to get the highest bun so that they will be rewarded with good fortune. For 40 years, Kwok Kam Kee has been the supplier of buns for this event, and every year they make about 60,000 buns for this festival.
La Tomatina - Buñol, Valencia, Spain. The Spanish are not only famous for their food and being the world's oldest world navigators, they are also famous for their weird festivals. Aside from the El Colacho, another unusual tradition they have is the La Tomatina, where over 20,000 locals and tourists alike throw tomatoes at each other for hours in the streets. This is celebrated annually in Buñol on the last Wednesday of every August.
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