What is a bizarre tradition from your country that is surprisingly still practiced today?

6 comments

1. I think one of the weirder traditions is perhaps the erection of the Maypole at Pentecost. Each year at Pentecost, towns and villages across the country erect [large phallic symbols](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Majstang_14_068.jpg) which are then danced around, while singing hymns. The tradition has obvious pagan-fertility origins, and is known across Europe, but the weird Danish twist, is the Christianisation of it; the association with Pentecost, and the singing of Christian hymns. This, in my book at least, makes it weirder than the weird Swedish midsummer-version, where they sing a song about jumping like frogs, simply because of the sheer contrast between what is obviously a giant penis, and then the singing of hymns from an evangelical-Christian tradition.

2. This fucked up enough for you?

   [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHRGY2vwZFA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHRGY2vwZFA)

   Basel’s vogel gryff festival that takes place in January on the north side of the Rhine in the Kleinbasel part of the city. The so-called ‘Vogel Gryff’ (Eagle), the Lion and the Wild Man are the heraldic symbols of the three Honorary Societies of Kleinbasel. At about 11 a.m. the Wild Man boards a river raft. Floating down the Rhine, he pays homage to Kleinbasel with a special dance. He carried a large tree and swings it at the crowd. His back is always turned away from the gross Basel side of the river. Canons are fired into the air from his boat as a fife and drum band plays. Below the Mittlere Rheinbrücke (the old bridge crossing the Rhine) he is met by the Vogel Gryff and the Lion. The three then parade and dance through the streets of Kleinbasel with a military type drum and fife band and some jesters. They cross the bridge to gross Basel. They make a ceremony of turning their backs to the Lalle König head statue in gross Basel, presumably as an insult to the gross Basel side of the river. The Lalle König is just a head of a fictional king attached to the corner of a building. His tongue is sticking out, again for reasons no one really knows. Basel has never had a king.

   This has happened pretty much every year since the 1600’s…and no one alive knows *why* or *what it is intended to convey.*

   There are plenty more of these weird traditions from all over the country, but this one is from where I live.

3. Basque dude here.

   In the municipality of lekeitio, during the patron saint festivities, groups of young men would gather in the port, jump to the water and try to rip a goose’s head off. Everything is allowed. The winner team gets a prize.

   Until very recently, this was done with an alive goose. Now it’s a dead one.

   Spain and animal cruelty… Classic pairing

4. We have a very old pagan tradition of killing Marzanna, the goddes of death and winter.

   An effigy is made out of straw, and at the end of winter, it’s either thrown into a lake or a river, or set on fire (sometimes both). That way you kill the evil spirit of winter and welcome spring.

   I’ve not participated in this in over a decade, but it’s by far my favourite tradition which somehow managed to survive since the pagan times. You can read more about it here:

   https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morana_(goddess)

5. A tradition that I find bizarre, not in the sense of funny, but very peculiar, is the carnival in Mamoiada, Sardinia. They parade the [Mamuthones](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/MAMUTHONE_%282%29.jpg): men with their faces covered by a black mask with rough features, dressed in dark furs and with cowbells hanging from their backs; and the [Issohadores](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Issohadore.jpg): men dressed in red bodice, white mask, *sa berritta* (traditional Sardinian headgear), *cartzas* (or *cartzones*, white trousers) and *s’issalletu* (small shawl), who escort the *Mamuthones*.

   This is a very ancient tradition, which goes back in time.

   [This is a video](https://youtu.be/6hpvYmSrnW0).

6. Fireworks at new year’s eve. The Nethelands turns into a goddamn war zone the last day of the year. Scares the hell out of pets, makes going out during the day a danger due to kids throwing fireworks about, and there’s always a lot of fingers, hands and eyes blown off and out. And officially you’re only allowed to set of fireworks on the last day of the year, but it starts days, weeks before the 31st. And for what? Just to hear a big and loud bang?

   Edit: Oh, and the annual discussion about Black Pete. Starts in about August, lasts until December. Great fun for the whole family.