Many festivities take birth with the arrival of Autumn. The season is filled with fun and laughter and a lot of bizarre customs. Have a look at 7 of the most baffling festivals that’ll have you question your existence.
The Festival of the Dead, Massachusetts
As the name clearly suggests, The Festival of the Dead is celebrated for almost an entire month for supernatural beings and it ends right before Halloween. The October in Salem is a month filled with an aura of witchiness and mystique!
Rubber Duck Race, Germany
€10.000 worth of prizes for just a ducky race? I’m in! This weirdly interesting duck race takes place every year in October where more than 7000 rubber ducks are left to float in River Necker. Also, the participants write their name and number on their ducks and wait to see whose duck crosses Alleenbrücke and reaches Neckarbrücke first. It might seem simple but it’s not because the yellow rubber ducks have to cross own their own and them not being alive doesn’t help.
Masskara, Philippines
In 1980’s the city of Bacolod became grief-ridden and its people decided to get rid of it by wearing masks with smiley faces and colorful dresses. Even though the grief is no more, the festival has become a permanent celebration in the city. Furthermore, the city of Bacolod is also known as the ‘City of Smiles’ for this reason.
Halloween
Halloween is celebrated as a means to ward off ghosts and spirits that are roaming the world. It originated from Samhain where people lit bonfires and wore costumes to banish the roaming spirits. Over time, it evolved into a festival celebrated worldwide. Many other celebrations have been added into this single festivity. Children run from door to door dressed as scary characters like witches and ghosts, holding baskets asking for treats by saying “Trick or Treat? Nowadays, many people host Halloween parties for adults where they dress up as scary characters from movies or TV shows and enjoy with their friends.
Dark Sky Festival, Alberta
For 10 days of October, the night sky in Jasper offers the best stargazing opportunity followed by a number of scientists and astronauts to guide you about space and future of its exploration.
Oktoberfest, Germany
In 1810, a German prince tied the knot and arranged a large number of festivities for his people to enjoy. However, the people loved it so much that they decided to carry out the celebrations every year. The celebrations are now known as Oktoberfest. It is without a doubt, one of the largest and finest festivals in Europe. Moreover, millions of people from all over the world visit Germany to experience it. The festival caters good food, historical and local cultural aspects, a lot of fun games and much more.
Vegetarian Festival, Thailand
Vegetarian Festival in Phuket came into being due to the beliefs of Chinese community. Moreover, the festivals involves following the vegetarian diet only and restraining yourself from consuming meat. It is done to ensure good health and mental peace. Vegetarian Festival originated because a long ago some Chinese men belonging to an Opera group fell sick with malaria and doing all this luckily helped them in full recovery within a few days. Since then, the people celebrate to thank the gods from saving them from an illness considered fatal at that time.
Author:
Aqsa Butt (@aqsaaa_buttt)
