Some Strangest Festivals From Around The World

Through the years, people have found many ways to celebrate important occasions in their lives. If you’re looking for an interesting and off-the-beaten-path travel place, here are some most wonderful and unusual festivals from around the world.

Boryeong Annual Mud Festival, Boryeong rock

This festival takes place at the beach, with much mud (泥巴) resource from the sea. At this festival, people take part in a number of activities involving (涉及) mud, which not only brings back happy childhood memories but is good for the skin.

World Body-painting Festival, Pörtschach, Austria

This entire festival is not strange because of the activities that occur (发生) during it, but because of the way people look when it’s over. During this time, artists worldwide flood in and hold live body-painting activities. They are painting creative designs on willing participants (参与者).

Underwater Music Festival, Florida, America

Rather than being held at a typical concert hall, the underwater Music Festival takes place on the seabed. This special custom is unlike any others because it featured musicians playing music below water level. 100 feet deep in clear water, talented musicians wear diving (潜水) equipment, performing free concerts for sea creatures and humans alike.

Battle of the orange, Ivrea, Italy

This Italian town hosts one of the most unusual festivals. Each year in February, a battle (战斗) takes place among thousands of participants who have to throw orange at each other during a 30-minute fight. The aim is to try and knock down other participants by attacking them with oranges so that they cannot stand any longer.

Halloween is a festival celebrated on October 31st. The name of the holiday means “hallowed” or “holy evening” because it happens the day before All Saints Day. It is said that Halloween is the children’s New Year’s Eve. They dress up with special costumes (服装), they eat too much, and they stay up too late celebrating.

Children go around the neighborhood wearing make-up, and dress in masks and colorful costumes. The most common costumes are witches (巫师), ghosts, skeletons (骷髅), and popular TV, movie and storybook characters. Some costumes are homemade; others are bought in stores. The children go from door to door saying “trick or treat”. People give them candy, cookies, fruit or money. Sometimes money is collected to help UNICEF, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund.

Homes, stores, and classrooms are decorated in the traditional Halloween colors, orange and black. Usual decorations are witches, ghosts, skeletons, and Jack-o’-lanterns, Jack-o’-lanterns are pumpkins that are carved (雕刻) to look like faces. They are placed on doorway entrances and in windows. Horror movies and ghost stories are shown on TV on this day.

Adults and older children also celebrate Halloween with parades, festivals, and costume parties. Some people create their costumes; other people rent them. Contests are held, where the best costume receives a prize. One of the party events popular with children is dunking (浸泡) for apples. Apples are put in tubs filled with water. People try to get the apples using only their mouths; hands cannot be used.

Family-Friendly Outdoor Festivals

Held in Yosemite National Park, the Strawberry Music Festival, held twice a summer, is famous for its programming, swimming, and hiking at Birch Lake, superb arts and crafts, and more. The program offers activities like arts and crafts, nature programs, dance and music workshops, and storytelling. Free for kids aged 6 and under.

Just 20 minutes outside of Asheville, LEAF is an arts festival that’s super kid-friendly. Families can camp out, go canoeing (划独木舟) and swimming in Lake Eden, and create crafts, and enjoy music and poetry performed on seven stages. Free for kids aged 9and under.

Twice a year, this kid-friendly global music festival draws thousands of families to the Mojave Desert at the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park. There are performances from dozens of musical artists from around the world, while Kidsville is filled with arts and crafts, yoga, dance parties, music workshops, and circus shows. Free for kids aged 10 and under.

Since 1971, Bumbershoot has been one of Seattle’s premier culture and arts festivals, drawing families from all over the Pacific Northwest. The program shows the best of comedy, dance, film, literary arts, performing arts, and theater, but it’s the strong music al program of top act s that makes this festival a must. Free for kids aged 7 and under.