From The Strange to the Endearing

Humanity has had traditions since the very beginning, whether it’s something as rudimentary as burying those who pass or celebrating anniversaries. But around the world, some traditions take a life of their own and become much bigger and bolder. This list covers cultural superstitions to some of the craziest festivals around. Would you participate in these traditions?

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1. Tomato Fight

Tomatoes have a variety of uses; they work great in sauce and are a colorful addition to any garden. You can also throw them at each other, which is what the Valencian town of Buñol focuses on during La Tomatina. In this festival, the people all gather around and fling tomatoes at each other, kind of like a food fight.

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2. Shoe Sweets

You know how, during Christmas, you leave a stocking on the mantle, and it gets filled with treats? Well, this is sort of like that. In Spain, children leave out their shoes at night on the 5th of January. The next day, their shoes are filled with sweets as a way to celebrate the Three Kings and the birth of Jesus.

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3. Freezing the Wedding Cake

Weddings are already complicated enough as it is, from arranging flowers to finding the perfect dress, and let’s not forget all the money you have to scrounge up for one day. Well, in the U.K., it’s a tad more complex as couples traditionally freeze the top tier of their cake and eat it a year later for good luck. Kind of wholesome!

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4. Tossing Teeth

In the West, there is a concept that the tooth fairy will come and collect baby teeth, leaving money in her wake. In Greece, they do things differently. Here, the kids are encouraged to throw their baby teeth onto the roofs of their houses for good luck.

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5. Midsummer’s Eve

In Sweden, Midsummer’s Eve marks the longest day of the year. To celebrate it, the people participate in a yearly festival where they dance around maypoles, pick flowers, and enjoy the nature around them. Plus, there are incredible traditional foods and drinks to try too.

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6. Red Brides

In South Asian countries like India and Pakistan, white isn’t the color for brides and weddings. Instead, they dress their brides in rich and bright reds. You can find plenty of brides decked out in extravagant red and gold, and it’s quite a sight.

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7. Wife Carrying

There’s something so romantic about a newly married couple carrying each other over the threshold. Well, in Finland, they’ve turned it into an entire sport. During Eukonkanto, couples would participate in competitive wife-carrying, and there’s even a championship!

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8. Cheese Rolling

You might have heard of this tradition, as it sounds pretty fun and cheery. In the United Kingdom, people gather in Gloucestershire to race cheese wheels down Cooper’s Hill. The best part is the winner gets a cheese of their own as an award.

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9. Oktoberfest

Most of the world is familiar with Oktoberfest, a traditional German festival that begins in late September and involves everything from dancing to drinking. It originated as a celebration of a royal wedding but has since evolved into a large-scale party focused on food and music. As far as festivals go, it’s quite cozy and is known for its cheerful atmosphere.

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10. Orange Fights

For some reason, throwing fruits at one another is just fun. That’s probably why Italy also participates in a food fight of its own. The city of Ivrea has a traditional festival where they hurl oranges at one another instead.

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11. Fear the Magpie

In some cultures, seeing a black cat on your path might insinuate bad luck. In the United Kingdom, this applies to magpies too. Seeing one by itself is considered bad luck, so people are recommended to say good morning or salute it to mitigate the misfortune.

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12. Cake in the Face

You’ve probably seen people get their faces shoved into cakes and wondered where it all started from. Well, this tradition began in Mexico. The reasons vary, with some believing it’s a way to humble the celebrated, or alternatively, just a bit of good fun.

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13. Holi

Millions of people around the world flock to India to witness the Hindu festival Holi. Also known as the Festival of Colors, this event involves throwing colored powder at one another and plenty of dancing. Plus, there’s delectable food from sweet dumplings to spiced milk.

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14. Red Envelopes

You might have heard of the red envelopes in China. It’s very popular around New Year’s, where friends and family would give red envelopes with money inside. This was especially common as a gift to kids to make them feel included in the celebration.

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15. Obon Festival

Sometimes, spirits can get lost, but luckily, the festival of Obon is there to guide them back. During this Japanese festival, Buddhists would gather around to dance. They would use lantern lights to connect with their ancestors and guide them to the next world.

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16. Royal Divinity

For ages, humanity has been worshipping kings and queens, some even going as far as comparing them to personifications of divine beings. This is still the case in the Yaohnanen village, where the people believe Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, is much more than a man. To that end, they hold an extravagant feast on his birthday.

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17. Thanksgiving

Many Americans are familiar with this tradition, but it isn’t celebrated all around the world. In North America, however, Thanksgiving means coming together as a family, sharing a dinner, and experiencing gratitude. It’s all about being thankful, with a side of eating turkey and pumpkin pie.

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18. Cherry Blossom Festival

Millions of tourists flock to Japan for their cherry blossom season. These trees bloom only once in a while, and to celebrate it, the country hosts Sakura Matsuri. Just be warned, this is probably the busiest Japan gets in terms of tourism.

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19. Carnival

You might have heard of Carnival, as it’s a massive, colorful festival held in Brazil. During this festival, street vendors would offer traditional foods and drinks, and attendees would dress up in elaborate costumes and dance. Countries like Rio de Janeiro, in particular, are known for their extravagant Carnival parties.

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20. Ramadan

People around the world participate in the traditional practice of Ramadan. It’s usually a month long, and for this duration, Muslims will fast from sunrise to sunset as a means to cleanse themselves and empathize with the less fortunate. Impressively, this is a dry fast, meaning they won’t even drink water, and some begin this practice as early as 12 years old.

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