Strange Holidays

Graphic+by+Miranda+Baez

Graphic by Miranda Baez

Sophia Woods, Sports Editor

At the Boryeong Mud festival the Daecheon beach is covered with mud from the Boryeong mud flats for paying attendees to experience. The mud is used for events such as mud slides, pools, and different sports. It is also used for cosmetic use and booths selling products and massages are available at the same time. 

To mark the beginning of spring, citizens of Bosnia celebrate Cimburijada, also known as the Festival of Scrambled Eggs. The egg is a representation of a new birth of life. Residents celebrate through cooking scrambled eggs in large pans and partaking in a city- wide BBQ and celebration. The holiday also marks the first day of swimming season, and some take this as an invitation to jump into the River Bosnia. 

In the UK, their celebratory food of preference is pancakes especially on Shrove Tuesday.  Different games and traditions take place on this day, but the most intriguing has got to be the various activities with the popular breakfast food. During one event, women hold a pancake on a frying pan and must flip it three times before crossing the finish line. At Westminster school, kids also get a chance to participate in such activities, and the school cook throws a pancake over a five- meter- high bar. Whichever student tears off the largest piece of it receives a cash prize. 

Tomb Sweeping Day in China is celebrated on April 4 or 5, depending on the calendar and is a day for families to visit and honor their deceased loved ones. The celebrations often include burning money at their graves, cleaning their tombs and leaving food. Oftentimes, the families will plant willow trees and wear willow twigs on their heads to keep ghosts away. 

The air guitar world championships in Finland is almost too good to be real. The competitor must first go through the national qualifying rounds before making it to the championships. The competition attracts thousands of spectators. The official rules the artists must abide by include: no real instruments , you must have an air guitar and no background music. 

Being single in Denmark isn’t a joke, especially if you are 25 or 30. On both birthday celebrations, singles can expect to get covered in cinnamon or pepper while tied to a tree and covered in water. Singles are advised to wear goggles during the ceremony. The humiliating tradition is taken very seriously.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Concerts are held everywhere from theaters to parks to even coffee shops. However, Florida takes it to a whole new level by holding a concert underwater. The Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival is held every year at the Looe Key reef and raises money for the protection of coral reefs. Participants are given the chance to dive under the waves and “play” underwater instruments while speakers blast music underwater. 

Real life food fights become real at the Carnival of Ivrea. The citizens celebrate their ancestors’ rebellion against their tyrannical leader by participating in a 3- day orange fight spanning from the end of February to the beginning of March. Nine teams and horse drawn carriages all partake in the juicy fight. 

A friendly neighborhood water gun fight, but you have the entire block and it’s not so friendly. At the Water Gun Festival in South Korea, water gun lovers have the chance to participate in a full blown battle in July where roads are closed off. The fight gets so intense certain areas are reserved for families and children.