1. Songkran, Thailand:
The Thai New Year is most likely the world’s biggest water gun fight. Songkran started out as sprinkling water over people’s shoulders to purify them and wish them a good, happy, and blessed start to the new year. But over time, locals have taken the washing away of bad luck and grievances to the next level with water guns, buckets, and fire hoses. Since water fights are the best kind of fights, it should come as no surprise that Songkran attracts people from around the world. The Thai New Year festival is celebrated in April, usually the hottest month in Thailand, so the festival comes at the perfect time. If you happen to be celebrating Songkran (aka getting soaked) in Bangkok, make sure to check out the famous floating markets, countless temples, and visit an elephant sanctuary.
2. Up Helly Aa, Scotland:
For a hot trip down memory lane, you must visit Lerwick, on the Shetland Islands of Scotland, and celebrate Europe’s biggest fire festival: Up Helly Aa — the event that marks the end of the yule season. Hundreds of local men dress up as Vikings and march through the streets holding torches that will eventually set a galley ship on fire. After the sizeable bonfire, it’s drinking, partying, and celebrating. In case you are wondering how wild and crazy the one-day festival is: the day after the main event is a recovery-boosting public holiday.
3. Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, England:
One thing is clear by now: the most unusual festivals are based around a simple idea — and Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake is no exception. During an afternoon in spring, people from all over the world stand on Cooper’s Hill in the southwest of England and have their eyes on a nine-pound, round Double Gloucester cheese. Then, the cheese gets rolled down the steep hill, and the participants run and tumble after it. The first person who catches the cheese is the winner of the event — and the cheese. The end. It all sounds like fun and games, but the cheese rolling is a serious event: many of the runners injure themselves and get scooped up by the ambulance once they reach the bottom of the hill. But despite the dangers, nothing can dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd and the cheese chasers. Post-festival, soak up your surroundings on a scenic tour of the southwest.
4. La Tomatina, Spain:
If we told you that a one-hour unsual festival attracts people from all corners of the world, you’d probably think we’re crazy, but let’s talk about La Tomatina, everyone’s favorite tomato-themed celebration. The world’s biggest tomato fight brings thousands of people to Buñol, Spain. In the middle of summer, around noon, hoards of people paint the town red and throw more than 150,000 tomatoes at each other. Apparently, the tomatoes are over-ripe and of very low quality, so food waste isn’t a concern. And according to locals, the tomato sauce can just be hosed down from the buildings. They’ve thought this through! The reason for the festival? Well, it’s neither an ode to the tomato nor celebrates the tomato harvest — La Tomatina apparently started as a food fight in the 1940s. The year after, the same people just met again, armed with tomatoes — and the rest is history.
5. La Battaglia Delle Arance, Italy:
Southern Europe seems to like food fights, so Italy’s La Battaglia delle Arance (Battle of the Oranges) fits right in. Every year, the people of Ivrea in northern Italy throw more than 500,000 oranges at each other. The festival has nothing to do with battling the winter flu with an overdose of vitamin C. Instead, it dates back to medieval times when Violetta, a miller’s daughter, took things into her own hands after a local nobleman made unwanted advances toward her. The young woman inspired the citizens to rise up, storm the palace, and free their town. Pretty dramatic, right? So, to this day, the citizens of Ivrea commemorate the occasion by dressing up as either townspeople (on foot) or dukes (on floats) and have at it with oranges. Visitors of the juicy carnage can either stand behind safety nets or wear a red hat for protection — either way, it’s a messy three days.
