This document summarizes some strange traditions and festivals from around the world. It discusses the Konaki Sumo festival in Japan where sumo wrestlers compete to make babies cry first. It also describes the La Tomatina festival in Spain where participants throw tomatoes at each other. Another festival discussed is the Monkey Buffet Festival in Thailand where thousands of kilograms of food are offered to monkeys. The document also briefly mentions the wife carrying competition in Finland and the Thaipusam festival in India involving body piercings and burden carrying. In conclusion, it states that different cultures have different values and festivals help people find happiness and satisfaction in new ways.

1. In the name of ALLAH The Most Beneficent & The Most Merciful.

2. STRANGE TRADITIONS &
FESTIVALS
A brief look into some of the strange traditions from around the world
Presented by:
Mazhar Iqbal
PIEAS University Islamabad

3. OUTLINE
 Topic introduction
 Events & festivals
Konaki Sumo
La Tomatina
The Monkey Buffet
Wife Carrying
Thaipusam
 Concluding remarks

4. INTRODUCTION
Strange Festivals
 7 billion people – diversity in cultures
 Each culture has its own set of norms and values
 Festivals and traditions in each culture
 Some of these traditions come across as strange for outsiders

5. KONAKI SUMO
Japan

6. KONAKI SUMO
 Temples across the country
 Two Sumo wrestlers, both holding
a baby, wait to see whose baby
cries first.

7.  If both babies cry at the same
time, they see which baby cries
louder.
 When a baby refuses to cry, a
priest shouts and waves at the
baby to make him cry.

8.  There is a Japanese proverb
"crying babies grow fast“
 As a result of this
 good health and fortune.

9. LA TOMATINA
Spain

10. LA TOMATINA
 Participants in the festival
throw tomatoes
 Held on the last Wednesday
of August

11.  A fun festival
 Origins of Tomatina(1945)
 animals were eating all the
watermelon

12.  Considering its popularity, the
event was legalized in 1957
 Organized by the
administration itself from that
year on.

13. THE MONKEY BUFFET FESTIVAL
Thailand

14.  Celebrated Thailand on every
November 25th
 Monkeys bring good fortune to
the visitors.

15.  4000 KG of food and
drinks are offered
 Ranging from desserts to
fruits, vegetables, and
sodas is offered to the
monkeys

16.  Monkeys drinking right out of
the cans
 Young people dressed in
monkey costumes

17. WIFE CARRYING
Finland

18.  Male competitors race while
carrying a female teammate.
 Through a special obstacle
track in the fastest time.

19. Fireman’s StyleEstonian Style Piggyback Style

20.  Practiced in the
Australia, USA, Hong
Kong etc.
 Category in Guinness
Book of Records.

21. THAIPUSAM
India

22. THAIPUSAM
 A Hindu festival celebrated
mostly by
the Tamil community.
 Several acts are performed
to show devotion to gods.

23.  Devotees carry out
various acts of kavadi
(burden)
 Mortification of the
flesh by piercing the
skin, tongue or cheeks
with vel skewers is
common

24.  Pulling a bullock
cart or tractor with
hooks stuck into the
back of the devotee.

25. FINAL REMARKS
•People invent new ways to achieve happiness and satisfaction
and new festivals come into existence for that purpose.
•Different cultures – different values
•Acts deemed inappropriate in one culture
•Not been exposed to those traditions.

26. REFERENCES
• http://inglesmonkeybuffetfestival.blogspot.com
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1268867/The-crying-sumo-contest-
Japanese-wrestlers-compete-make-baby-first.html
• http://blogs.bettor.com/The-Strange-Sport-of-Wife-Carrying-a15233
• http://www.guy-sports.com/months/jokes_wife_carrying.htm
• http://www.tourism-mauritius.mu/discover/festivals.html

27. THANKS