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Six Fascinating Festivals from Around the World
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Six Fascinating Festivals from
Around the World
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BY Kate Lohnes
© Zilli Roberto/Dreamstime.com
Festivals are culminations of cultures. Take a look at six of the world’s
most fascinating examples!

Battle of the Oranges: Ivrea, Italy
Amid the historical Carnival of Ivrea, Italy, there is an unusual
element that time and time again turns heads: oranges. The
Battle of the Oranges is exactly what it sounds like; it consists of
three days of orange-inflicted violence. The entire festival, which
is celebrated before Lent and culminates on Shrove Tuesday, is
rooted in the rich history of Ivrea, centering on uprisings of the
townspeople against past tyrants. The Battle of the Oranges and
the events surrounding it are very symbolic. The affair begins
with a free breakfast of beans, a tradition that dates back
to medieval times, when, it’s said, religious or charitable groups
distributed beans to the poor. Thousands of townspeople are
divided into nine historical teams, and they dress accordingly.
Ten children, fully dressed in Renaissance clothing, are meant to
represent the five parishes of Ivrea. Each holds a sword on which
an orange is impaled, representing the severed head of a tyrant.
A married woman is elected to be the Mugnaia, or “miller’s
daughter,” a heroine who symbolizes the unification and triumph
of Ivrea upon the death of a tyrant. The main event, the Battle of
the Oranges, commences on the Sunday before Lent, and it uses
over a million pounds of oranges.
But why oranges? Well, with the invasion of Italy by Napoleon’s
French troops in 1796–97 and 1800 came foods then considered
exotic in Ivrea, including oranges. A few of the townspeople
began to throw oranges playfully at one another during the
Carnival parade, and, by the mid-1800s, the game had become
competitive. Thus the Battle of the Oranges was born. Over the
years, the festival has gotten far more complex, only growing in
historical symbolism.

Frozen Dead Guy Days: Nederland, Colorado
Though a bit less symbolic than the Battle of the Oranges, Frozen
Dead Guy Days is just as fascinating. In 1989 a Norwegian man
named Bredo Morstoel died of a heart condition. His daughter,
Aud, and her son put Bredo on dry ice and sent him
to California in the hopes of putting him in a cryonics facility.
Bredo’s body was then placed in liquid nitrogen, keeping him
preserved for four years. Aud then decided to move Bredo to
Nederland, Colorado. The Morstoels planned to start
a cryonics facility for Bredo upon their arrival. In 1994 the secret
got out: the Morstoels were housing a frozen dead guy. Aud and
her son later returned to Norway without their frozen kin, but
the town of Nederland continues to care for dead Grandpa
Morstoel—a feat that requires 1,600 pounds of dry ice a month.
Every year for three days in March, festivities meant to celebrate
this strange situation engulf the town. Coffin racing, frozen Tshirt contests, parades of hearses, and a grandpa costume contest
are just a few of the eccentric events that have become known as
Frozen Dead Guy Days.

Blackawton International Festival of Wormcharming:
Blackawton, England
Cryonics might seem like an unusual basis for a festival, but not
quite as unusual as this. On a wet Sunday afternoon in 1983,
Dave Kelland relieved himself in a field. Kelland was perplexed
after realizing that this action caused numerous worms to
surface, and he decided to create a competition around his
newfound “wormcharming” abilities. Thus the Blackawton
International Festival of Wormcharming was born. The first
competition was held in 1984 at the Normandy Arms, a pub in
the village of Blackawton frequented by Kelland. The main event
takes place outside. Teams composed of three people (a
Charmerer, a Pickerer, and a Counterer) are each given a plot
measuring one square meter. They are then given 5 minutes for
“worming up,” which entails getting the ground and any worms
in it ready for charming, all without digging or using harmful
liquids. After worming up, the teams are given 15 minutes to
charm as many worms to the surface as possible. As of this
writing, the world record is held by a team named the Dartmouth
Round Table, which in 1986 charmed 149 worms. All worms are
safely returned to their homes after counting.
While the worms are important, the Blackawton International
Festival of Wormcharming also prides itself on supporting local
causes. It raises money to meet various needs of the community.

Guisachan Gathering: Guisachan Mansion, Scotland
Imagine a beautiful Scottish field filled to the brim with golden
retrievers: that’s what this adorable festival consists of. In 1868
Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks (later called Lord Tweedmouth)
bred a Tweedmouth water spaniel with a wavy-coated retriever.
The result was a litter of three beautiful golden retriever puppies.
Lord Tweedmouth bred his dogs in the Guisachan Mansion, the
location for the festival of golden retrievers. During the event
hundreds of goldens from across the world return to their roots.
The festival consists of a breed championship as well as
numerous events centered on the rich history of Guisachan and
the golden retriever.

AfrikaBurn: Tankwa Karoo, South Africa
AfrikaBurn is a cousin festival to the Burning Man festival in the
U.S. It strives to encapsulate the human experience in a week of
art, culture, and fire. During this week a temporary city of art is
created in the desert, and people from around the world gather
to celebrate art installations. The festival sells nothing but ice, so
participants are responsible for supplying all their own food and
water. No motorized vehicles are allowed unless they have been
deemed “mutant vehicles,” meaning that they themselves must
be art projects. Many people ride bikes instead. During the event
some of the installations on display are burned. The festival
prides itself on leaving no trace when it ends: everything taken
into the desert is taken out.

Nakizumo Baby Crying Festival: Tokyo, Japan
In this festival a crying baby means you’ve won.
Two sumo wrestlers enter a ring, each holding a baby with the
goal of causing his opponent’s baby to cry. This 400-year-old
event is rooted in the idea that a long cry will ensure good health
for the babies. That idea is expressed in an old Japanese saying,
“Naku-ko wa sodatsu,” which translates to “The crying child
grows up.” In some regions of Japan it is also believed that the
crying of an innocent will scare malevolent spirits away. Because
the festival tends to have a light atmosphere, many of the babies
will not cry readily. In that case, the sumo wrestlers will don
scary masks to ensure that the babies do cry. If both babies start
to cry at the same time, the loudest is named the victor.
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