Lighting Up Christmas – The Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando
The Philippines is home to a variety of Christmas traditions, but particularly famous is the Giant Lantern Festival of San Fernando, the capital of the province of Pampanga, a 1.5 hour ride from Manila. Locally, the festival is known as the Ligligan Parul. It showcases the most popular product of Pampanga – the ‘parol’, or […]
Party Like There’s No Tomorrow – Russian Revelers Pay $1,000 to Celebrate Apocalypse in Soviet Era Bunker
A Cold War bunker in Moscow designed to protect Soviet leaders in case of nuclear attacks will host the ultimate doomsday party. Revelers willing to part with $1,000 will be able to celebrate the coming of the Apocalypse in a safe environment that can withstand nuclear catastrophes and earthquakes. Sure, $1,000 isn’t cheap, but with the world […]
Indian Believers Roll in Food Scraps of Higher Caste to Cure Their Illnesses
A century old ritual in India dictates that those considered low-caste Hindus must roll in the remains of food eaten by members of a higher caste. But it’s not the ritual itself that’s strange. The strange part is that while social activists are actually seeking to outlaw the practice, the ‘low-caste’ Hindus don’t want to […]
Londoners in Need of a Hug Attend Cuddle Workshops
It was only a few months ago that we told you about this professional cuddler in New York who provides snuggles and cuddles for a fee. Now we’ve found out about an entire workshop that’s dedicated to the act of cuddling, this time in London. Organized by 36-year-old Anna Nathan and 42-year-old Neil Urquhart, the […]
Sharp Music at New York’s Annual Musical Saw Festival
Who would have thought that an ordinary carpenter’s handsaw could be used to produce music? But apparently it can, and has been for the past 300 hundred years. And in order to commemorate this bizarre yet unique tradition, the NYC Musical Saw Festival is held in July of every year, in Astoria (Queens), New York City. […]
Controversial Riot Training Experience Teaches People How to Cause Havoc
English company Wish.co.uk has sparked controversy for giving people as young as 16 the chance to take part in an actual riot, during a day-long activity called the Riot Training Day Experience. Organizers promise noise, fire, smoke and fear as the main ingredients. If the name Wish.co.uk sounds familiar, it’s probably because they’re the guys behind […]
Japanese Self-Confessed Geeks Attend Masked Matchmaking Event
Japanese geeks, commonly known as “otaku”, too shy to go out and meet a potential date face to face attended a special matchmaking event where everyone wore anime character masks to conceal their identities. The event called “Ota-konkatsu” took place in Kuki City, north of Tokyo, a “holy place” among anime fans. The city is home […]
Violin Player Is Awarded the Title of World’s Fastest Human
He might not have the superhuman running speed of The Flash, but violonist Ben Lee can play Flight of the Bumblebee note perfect on the electric violin in just 58.03 seconds, which makes him the fastest human alive. Usain Bolt’s not going to like this, but a panel of judges and researchers working on the Discover […]
Liars Face Off in World’s Biggest Liar Competition
Every year, experienced liars from all over the globe gather in Santon Bridge, a tiny village in Northwestern England, to compete for the coveted title of world’s biggest liar. Before you make any suggestions about who should participate in this wacky contest, you should know politicians and lawyers are barred from entry, as they are considered […]
Indian Men Get Trampled by Cattle in Traditional Ritual
In villages around the Ujain region, in India’s central state of Madhya Pradesh, men lay down on the ground and have their cattle trample all over them, as part of a bizarre centuries-old ritual. There are a many things people will do in order to have their prayers answered by their gods, but until today, I […]
Ultimate Trampoline Dodgeball Takes Gym Sport to New Heights
The first trampoline dodgeball court was inaugurated in 2004, and the sport has been growing in popularity ever since. Now, the world’s first Ultimate Trampoline Dodgeball Championship might finally bring it into the spotlight. There are a lot of popular sports played on giant trampolines these days, including basketball and volleyball, but trampoline dodgeball has […]
The Mind-Blowing Installations of Bloemencorso, an Annual Flower Parade in the Netherlands
Held every year in the Dutch town of Zundert, Bloemencorso is the world’s largest flower parade made entirely by volunteers. Millions of flowers are used to decorate giant floats built from steel wire, cardboard and papier-maché. The Netherlands is inextricably linked to tulips, but at the annual Bloemencorso flower parade, it’s all about dahlias, as […]
Muslim Walks 6,000 Kilometers from Bosnia to Mecca
Senad Hadzic, a 47-year-old Muslim from northern Bosnia, has recently completed an epic 5,700 km journey, from his hometown to the to the Saudi city of Mecca, by foot. Making the pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city in the religion of Islam, at least once in their lifetime is obligatory for all able Muslims. Each year, […]
Competitive Horseless Horse Jumping Is Just What the Name Suggests
It’s run just like a regular horse jumping show, only in horseless horse jumping it’s the humans who have to make it through the obstacle course without knocking down too many hurdles. If you’ve always dreamed of imitating a 1,000-pound horse in front of a live audience, there’s no better way to do it than […]
Overnight Werewolf Hunting Experience – The Perfect Warm-Up for Halloween
With the Halloween season fast approaching, there’s probably no better way to get into the holiday spirit than hunting a werewolf in the a pitch black forest of Droitwitch, near Birmingham, along with seven terrified friends. In the last year or so, zombies have dominated the monster charts, but for this year’s Halloween, the folks at […]