Hi, I’m John Green, and welcome to Mental Floss on YouTube! Did you know that every year in Gloucestershire, England, thousands of people gather to chase a 7-pound wheel of cheese down Cooper’s Hill? The person who catches it wins the cheese, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. The cheese can roll at speeds up to 70 miles per hour, which can lead to some serious injuries!
In Lopburi, Thailand, there’s a unique festival called the Monkey Buffet Festival. Here, a huge buffet is prepared, not for humans, but for monkeys! Around 2,000 monkeys come to enjoy the feast, and they even drink from soda cans. In 2011, the cost of all this food was about $16,000!
You’ve probably heard of the Running of the Bulls, which started in the 13th century. It’s now held worldwide, with the most famous event in Pamplona, Spain. Thousands of people run through the streets alongside real bulls. Originally, this was a way to move the bulls to the bullfighting ring, but now it’s more of a party—though a dangerous one!
In the Spanish village of Castrillo de Murcia, there’s a tradition called Baby Jumping. During the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, a man dressed as the devil jumps over babies who are less than a year old. No one knows exactly why this started, but it’s been happening since 1620.
In Japan, the Namahage Festival involves people dressing up in scary masks to look like Namahage, a kind of demon. They knock on doors and ask, “Any crying kids out there?” It’s meant to encourage children to behave, and it’s all in good fun.
Back in Spain, there’s La Tomatina, or the Tomato Throwing Festival, in Buñol every August. The day starts with people trying to grab a ham from a soap-covered pole. Then, trucks bring in thousands of tomatoes, and everyone throws them at each other. If you think that’s wild, check out the Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea, Italy, where people throw oranges at each other in teams!
In Austin, Texas, there’s a festival for Eeyore’s Birthday Party. It began at the University of Texas to honor a story where Winnie the Pooh and friends throw Eeyore a surprise party. Now, it’s a citywide charity event.
In 1945, a rooster named Mike was decapitated but lived for 18 more months because the ax missed his jugular vein. The town of Fruita, Colorado, celebrates this with the Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, featuring a 5K run and a peep-eating contest.
Every October, thousands gather for Bridge Day in West Virginia to celebrate the New River Gorge Bridge. It’s the only day people can walk on the bridge, and many base jumpers leap 876 feet into the gorge.
If you’d rather stay on the ground, check out the World Toe Wrestling Championships in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Competitors lock their big toes, and there’s a hygiene check beforehand!
In Oaxaca, Mexico, there’s a competition called the Night of the Radishes, where artists carve radishes into amazing figures. It’s a fun and creative event!
The Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea started in 1998 to promote the benefits of mineral-rich mud for cosmetics. Now, it attracts over a million people who enjoy mud wrestling and other activities.
In Wales, the World Bog Snorkeling Championships challenge participants to race across a 60-yard bog without using traditional swimming strokes. It’s a muddy adventure!
The Straw Bear Festival in Whittlesey, England, dates back to the 1800s. A man dressed in straw would dance for money or food. It was banned in 1909 but revived in 1980.
Wife-carrying is a sport celebrated worldwide, with the World Championships held annually in Finland. Men carry women through an obstacle course, and the winner’s prize includes the wife’s weight in beer!
In Fort Bragg, California, Paul Bunyan Days celebrate the legendary lumberjack with activities like axe throwing and chainsaw bucking.
In Jaipur, India, there’s an elephant festival featuring activities like elephant polo and a beauty contest, though it has faced cancellation due to animal rights concerns.
The Kinetic Sculpture Race in Humboldt County, California, is a triathlon of the art world, where participants cover 42 miles over three days with their creative sculptures.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a fiesta has been ongoing since 1712, with the highlight being the burning of Zozobra, a 50-foot tall marionette representing last year’s problems.
Pörtschach, Austria, hosts the World Bodypainting Festival, where artists compete in various categories, showcasing their incredible skills.
The Ukulele Festival in Oahu, Hawaii, started in 1971 and now attracts around 20,000 people annually, celebrating music and culture.
Sapporo, Japan, saw its first Snow Festival in 1950, which has grown to feature around 200 snow statues, some reaching up to 50 feet high. It’s a winter wonderland!
The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island is a colorful event where over a thousand people dress as mermaids. After Hurricane Sandy, a Kickstarter raised $100,000 to keep the parade going.
If mermaids aren’t your thing, you might enjoy the Parade of a Thousand Clowns in Vincennes, Indiana, honoring comedian Red Skelton.
In Riga, Latvia, there’s a “Go Blonde” parade aimed at cheering people up during tough economic times. It’s a fun and lively event!
Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube, where we answer your mind-blowing questions every week. If you have a question, leave it in the comments. And remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Choose one of the local traditions mentioned in the article and research more about it. Prepare a short presentation to share with the class, including interesting facts, history, and any recent developments related to the tradition. Use images or videos to make your presentation more engaging.
Imagine you are starting a new local tradition in your community. What would it be? Write a short description of your tradition, including the activities involved, the purpose behind it, and how it would bring people together. Share your ideas with the class and discuss the potential impact of your tradition.
Engage in a class debate about the balance between preserving local traditions and ensuring public safety. Use examples from the article, such as the Running of the Bulls or Baby Jumping, to support your arguments. Discuss whether some traditions should be modified or discontinued for safety reasons.
Choose one of the traditions from the article and create an artistic representation of it. You can draw, paint, or create a digital illustration. Focus on capturing the essence and excitement of the tradition. Display your artwork in the classroom and explain your creative process to your classmates.
Write a fictional short story inspired by one of the local traditions mentioned in the article. Develop characters and a plot that revolve around the tradition, exploring themes of community, culture, and adventure. Share your story with the class and discuss how the tradition influenced your narrative.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is Mental Floss on YouTube. Did you know that every year in Gloucestershire, England, thousands of people gather to chase a 7-pound wheel of cheese down Cooper’s Hill? Whoever catches it wins the cheese itself, but it’s harder than it appears. The moving cheese can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, which can lead to serious injuries.
That’s just the first of many unbelievable local traditions I’m going to share with you today. Every year in Lopburi, Thailand, a Monkey Buffet Festival is held where an elaborate buffet is made—not for humans, but for monkeys. In fact, up to 2,000 monkeys show up to eat delicious food and even manage to drink from soda cans. Apparently, in 2011, buying and preparing all this food cost around $16,000.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Running of the Bulls, which began in the 13th century. It now takes place all over the world, with the most popular event in Pamplona, where thousands of people run through the streets alongside actual bulls. Originally, this was just a way of getting them from the corral to the bullfighting ring, but now it’s more of a party—albeit a dangerous one.
Another risky local Spanish tradition is Baby Jumping in the village of Castrillo de Murcia. For the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, a man representing the devil jumps over babies who are less than a year old. No one quite knows why this tradition started, but it has been going on since 1620.
In Japan, there’s the Namahage Festival, where people dress in scary masks to look like Namahage, a sort of demon who knocks on doors and asks, “Any crying kids out there?” This is meant to keep children from being disobedient—it’s all in good fun.
Back to Spain, La Tomatina, or the Tomato Throwing Festival, takes place every August in Buñol. The day begins with people trying to get a ham off a soap-covered pole. Eventually, trucks arrive with thousands of tomatoes, and people throw them at each other. If mass tomato throwing sounds dangerous to you, you might want to avoid Ivrea, Italy, where the Battle of the Oranges takes place. The exact origins of this orange-throwing war are unclear, but it symbolizes some kind of rebellion against noblemen. Unlike La Tomatina, orange throwers are divided into teams.
Moving on to something a little less dangerous, in Austin, Texas, there’s an annual festival for Eeyore’s Birthday Party. It started in the English department at the University of Texas in honor of a story where Winnie the Pooh and friends throw Eeyore a surprise party. The idea has spread and become a citywide charity event.
In 1945, a rooster named Mike was decapitated but went on to live for 18 more months because the ax missed his jugular vein. The town of Fruita, Colorado, now has an annual Mike the Headless Chicken Festival, which includes a 5K run and a peep-eating contest.
Every October, to celebrate the anniversary of the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia, thousands gather for Bridge Day. It’s the only day of the year that people are allowed to walk on the bridge, and many base jumpers take the opportunity to jump 876 feet into the gorge.
If you’d rather stay on the ground, you might consider attending the World Toe Wrestling Championships in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, which have been going on since the 1970s. Competitors interlock their big toes, and there is a hygiene check beforehand.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, there’s a sculpture competition known as the Night of the Radishes, where artists carve radishes into figures. What started as an attempt to show citizens that the mineral-rich mud in South Korea was a good ingredient for cosmetics resulted in the Boryeong Mud Festival, which began in 1998 and now attracts over a million attendees.
The World Bog Snorkeling Championships take place in Wales, where participants race across a 60-yard-long bog without using traditional swimming strokes.
The Straw Bear Festival in Whittlesey, England, has roots all over Europe. In the 1800s, a man dressed in straw would dance for money or food. This tradition was outlawed in 1909 but was revived in 1980.
Wife-carrying is a sport celebrated worldwide, with the World Championships held annually in Finland. Men carry women through an obstacle course, and the winner’s prize includes the wife’s weight in beer.
In Fort Bragg, California, Paul Bunyan Days celebrate the legendary lumberjack character with various activities, including axe throwing and chainsaw bucking. In Jaipur, India, there’s an elephant festival featuring activities like elephant polo and a beauty contest, although it has faced cancellation due to animal rights concerns.
The Kinetic Sculpture Race in Humboldt County, California, is considered the triathlon of the art world, where participants cover 42 miles over three days.
In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a fiesta has been ongoing since 1712, with the best-known tradition being the burning of Zozobra, a 50-foot tall marionette that represents last year’s problems.
Pörtschach, Austria, hosts the World Bodypainting Festival, where artists compete in various categories. The Ukulele Festival in Oahu, Hawaii, started in 1971 and now attracts around 20,000 people annually.
Sapporo, Japan, saw its first Snow Festival in 1950, which has grown to feature around 200 snow statues, some reaching up to 50 feet high.
I’ll finish by mentioning some parades, like the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island, where over a thousand people dress as mermaids. After Hurricane Sandy, a Kickstarter raised $100,000 to keep the parade going.
If you’re not interested in mermaids, you might enjoy the Parade of a Thousand Clowns in Vincennes, Indiana, honoring comedian Red Skelton.
Finally, in Riga, Latvia, there is a “Go Blonde” parade, aimed at cheering people up during tough economic times.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss here on YouTube, made with the help of all these wonderful people. Every week, we endeavor to answer one of your mind-blowing questions. This week’s question comes from BFYO Brian12, who asked what a deaf person’s thoughts might be like if they were born deaf and never heard anyone speak. The short answer is that it varies from person to person. Some think in sign language, while others visualize themselves signing or think in written language.
If you have a mind-blowing question you’d like us to answer, please leave it in the comments. Thank you for watching, and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Traditions – Customs or beliefs passed down from generation to generation within a group or society. – Every year, our family follows the traditions of our ancestors by celebrating the harvest festival with a big feast.
Festival – A special occasion or event, often with cultural or religious significance, celebrated by a community. – The town hosts an annual music festival that attracts visitors from all over the country.
Culture – The shared beliefs, customs, arts, and way of life of a particular group of people or society. – Learning about different cultures helps us understand and appreciate the diversity in our world.
Community – A group of people living in the same area or having a particular characteristic in common. – The community came together to organize a clean-up day at the local park.
Celebration – A joyful occasion or event where people gather to honor or commemorate something special. – The school held a celebration to recognize the achievements of its students at the end of the year.
Event – An occurrence or happening, especially one of significance or importance. – The charity run was a major event that raised funds for local hospitals.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – In history class, we learned about the important events that shaped our nation.
Activities – Tasks or actions that people engage in, often for enjoyment or to achieve a specific purpose. – The summer camp offered a variety of activities, including hiking, swimming, and arts and crafts.
Fun – Enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure. – The school carnival was full of fun, with games, rides, and delicious treats for everyone.
Food – Substances consumed to provide nutritional support and energy for the body. – At the international fair, we tasted food from different countries and learned about their culinary traditions.
