32 Strangest Festivals People Celebrate Around the Globe

During the annual Aztec festival of Xipe Totec, human captives used to have their hearts cut out, following which they were completely skinned. Priests then wore their skins for a period of 20 days.

There is a festival in Spain called Day of the Geese in which a greased goose is hung above the water and young men jump off a boat trying to rip off the goose head barehanded. The one who outmatches other males will win a young female adoration and he could bring the headless goose back home.

During the Makahiki festival in Hawaii, the chief would go offshore in a canoe. When he came back warriors threw spears at him and he had to deflect them to prove his worthiness to rule.

The annual Hadaka Matsuri festival is celebrated in Kawasaki, Japan. Participants celebrate everything phallic and wear minimum amount of clothing; usually, just a Japanese loincloth or even completely naked. The festival culminates with a massive parade featuring multiple gargantuan dongs on shoulder shrines. Over 9,000 men participate in this festival every year in hopes of gaining luck for the entire year.

The city of Verin in Spain celebrates the annual carnival festival of Entroido. Masked men mocking ancient tax collectors hit the streets, hitting anyone that dares to stand in their way. People throw dirt at them. The town gathers in the center to throw flour and ants at each other. Also a man with a cow’s head lifts women's skirts, among other things.

Up Helly Aa is a Scottish festival where people dress up as Vikings and set fire to a longship.

There is a festival called Eeyore's Birthday Party which is celebrated in Austin, Texas. It is celebrated in honor of the character from Winnie the Pooh, who believes everyone's forgotten his birthday.

The town of Lopburi in Thailand celebrates a festival called the Monkey Buffet festival. People set out a large assortment (buffet) of food for the local monkeys.

The town Guanajuato in Mexico conducts a bizarre festival called the exploding hammer festival, where people strap primers and explosives to the end of sledgehammers and smash them into the ground, sometimes rupturing their eardrums and sending hammers flying through the air.

Tinku is a Bolivian festival which began as a form of ritualistic combat. During this festival, men and women from different communities will meet and begin the festivities by dancing. The women will then form circles and begin chanting while the men proceed to fight each other; rarely the women will join in the fighting as well.