Top 10 Weirdest Traditional Festivals in The UK Today

21:29 | 26/03/2023 Print

Top 10 Strangest Traditional Events in The UK
Top 10 Strangest Traditional Events in The UK
Table of Content
♦The Most Unusual Festivals and Events in the UK:
Top 10 Strangest and Popular Traditional Festivals in The UK
1. Cheese Rolling
2. The World Hen Racing Championship
3. Egg Throwing World Championships
4. World Snail Racing Championships
5. World Bog Snorkelling Championships
6. World Gurning Championships
7. ‘Obby ‘Oss
8. Maldon Mud Race
9. Haxey Hood
10. The Flaming Tar Barrels
Conclusion

Even in this day and age, the UK still hosts hundreds of extremely bizarre traditional festivals. These strange traditional festivals have always had an odd allure, drawing tourists from abroad as well as the British.

Numerous internationally acclaimed festivals draw hundreds of thousands of music fans to the UK each year. These oddball events, which frequently can't be found elsewhere, promise to make upcoming adventures full of laughs and entertainment.

These eccentric festivals can add a new dimension to your upcoming trip to Britain, whether you want to watch more than 200 snails compete in the World Snail Racing Championships or want to shoot at the World Hen Racing Championship.

♦The Most Unusual Festivals and Events in the UK:

Top 10 Strangest and Popular Traditional Festivals in The UK

1. Cheese Rolling

Photo: visitcheltenham
Cheese Rolling - Photo: visitcheltenham

Even though the spectacular flaming tar barrels event can't compete with the yearly cheese-rolling down Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire for sheer jaw-dropping theatrical drama, it still merits a spot in the dangerous category.

As you are undoubtedly among the majority who might find it difficult to combine the words "cheese" and "danger" in the same sentence, this age-old custom may require some explanation. Cheese-rolling entails chasing a large round of cheese down a hill while attempting to catch it before it hits the bottom. The danger is added by the hill portion of the scene because Cooper's Hill is so steep in some places that it is more cliff than hill.

In reality, the race is more about thwarting a spectacular series of human flight phases than it is about catching the Double Gloucester cheese. These inevitably come to an end once gravity takes over with numerous, painful collisions with the ground, each one being accompanied by a chorus of sympathetic oohs and aahs from onlookers.

Injury is a common occurrence in this situation, and even watching the event carries some risk. If an 8lb hunk of cheese ricochets off course while moving at any speed up to 70mph, it becomes a dangerous missile.

Modern-day killjoys have attempted to outlaw the celebration, but so far the ardent "cheesers" have always prevailed, preserving a long-standing custom. Ironically, more would-be cheese-chasers travel from all over the world to try their luck as the event gains more attention due to the injuries.

2. The World Hen Racing Championship

Photo: calendarcustoms
The World Hen Racing Championship - Photo: calendarcustoms

The 200-year-old Barley Mow pub in Bonsall hosts the World Hen Racing Championship event each year in its parking lot. Bring your own hen or rent one for a small donation of £5.00, depending on how many participants there are. With the assistance of their owners, who bribe the clucking hens with mealworms, corn, and lots of encouragement, the hens must race a 30-foot course. Even though they return to the starting point, everything is done in good fun and the hens are well taken care of. A hen could complete the course in three seconds, but it usually requires much more time. A bag of grain and a trophy are given to the winning hen along with the owner.

The occasion, which always takes place on the first Saturday in August, is a welcome change from the Olympic venues' sterile settings. Things keep getting better and better because this year you can camp at the pub, which means that if you become "fully refreshed" while watching the activities, you can return to your tent in just a few short steps.

3. Egg Throwing World Championships

Photo: bbc
Egg Throwing World Championships - Photo: bbc

According to legend, egg throwing has been a part of English village Swaton culture since the 14th century. The abbot distributed free eggs to everyone who came to church in an effort to increase attendance. The river flooded in 1322, preventing locals from going to church. As a result, the custom of throwing eggs across rivers by monks was established.

The first Egg Throwing World Championship was held as part of the 2005 Swaton Vintage Day, and a "eggstatic" team from New Zealand won the top prize. Teams of two compete to pass the egg the farthest without breaking it in order to win the prize.

Other competitions include "Russian egg roulette," in which participants alternately smash eggs against their own heads. Six eggs are available, five of which are hard-boiled and one of which is raw. The person who chooses the raw egg loses and gets actual egg on his face as a result.

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4. World Snail Racing Championships

Photo: thewhitehousenorfolk
Photo: thewhitehousenorfolk

Prepare, then slow down! The World Snail Racing Championships are held as part of the Congham Fete in Norfolk, close to King's Lynn, and feature about 200 snail competitors. The area is a great place for snail reproduction, and for more than 25 years, July has been dedicated to snail racing.

A Snail Trainer to the World Championships monitors the competition to ensure fair play for all participants as competitors crawl over a 13-inch course in the quickest time possible. Find a snail to join in the fun, or you can just observe as the mollusks slither off in search of glory.

5. World Bog Snorkelling Championships

Photo: si
World Bog Snorkelling Championships

Visit the annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales, and imagine yourself jumping in headfirst. At the Waen Rhydd bog on the outskirts of the town, competitors swim doggy paddle and keep their faces down in the water while snorkeling two lengths of the bog, or about 110 meters, as quickly as they can.

In addition to the snorkeling action, it draws participants and spectators from all over the world and is well known for live music, a variety of food, drink, and craft stalls. The day before the main event, a Bog Triathlon is held for those who want to put themselves to the test. It consists of an eight-mile run, a 12-mile bike ride, and a 60-yard bog snorkel. Registration ends seven days before the event begins if you want to participate.

6. World Gurning Championships

Photo: bbc
World Gurning Championships - Photo: bbc

A British term for making a silly facial expression is "gurning." The goal of the World Gurning Championships is to identify the competitor who can make the most absurd face. In Egremont, Cumbria, the competition is held each year as a part of the town's Crab Fair, which dates back to 1267.

Another distinctly bizarre British tradition that will need some explanation to the uninitiated is gurning. Contestants perform a series of rigorous face gymnastics with their head protruding from a horse collar, and the truly skilled show off their skill by touching the tongue tip to the bridge of their nose (and yes – you read that right).

What was the starting point? Nobody really knows, but it is undeniably old—truly old. Thankfully, we live in more enlightened times, but it's believed that gurning dates back to a less politically correct era when embarrassing the local "idiot" was an acceptable form of amusement.

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7. ‘Obby ‘Oss

Photo: cornwalllive
Photo: cornwalllive

The 'Obby 'Oss, which takes place in the Cornish fishing village of Padstow every May 1, is arguably the oldest dance festival in the UK. The main event starts when two parades accompanying male dancers dressed as hobby horses (hence "obby 'oss") swing through the town. It is believed to be related to the ancient Celtic festival of Beltane.

The "Obby "Oss" has an odd horse mask and a snapping jaw, and it has a large oval frame covered in black oilskin. The 'Oss is led through the town by a teaser who pokes the 'Oss with a painted club while being accompanied by additional dancers and musicians.

The 'Oss will make an effort to capture young maidens and drag them under his cloak as he moves through the town. Being caught by the 'Oss is regarded as fortunate.

8. Maldon Mud Race

Photo: visitmaldon
Photo: visitmaldon

Every year in Essex, the River Blackwater is the site of the Maldon Mud Race. Competitors race across the extremely muddy riverbed at low tide while taping their shoes firmly to prevent lost shoes.

When the owner of the Queens Head pub dared to serve food on the riverbank while wearing a tuxedo in 1973, the event was born. The riverbank bar was set up for the day the following year. Twenty or so individuals competed to cross the river quickly, down a pint of beer, and then cross back. Maldon Mud Race was established.

9. Haxey Hood

Photo: bbc
Haxey Hood - Photo: bbc

The Haxey Hood is an annual event that debuted in the 14th century and takes place on the 12th day of Christmas. The "hood" (a leather tube), which will stay in each of the town's four pubs until the following year, is attempted to be pushed by regulars from those establishments.

According to legend, the wife of local landowner John de Mowbray was out riding when her hood was blown off her head in the fourteenth century. She gave the parish 13 acres of land in exchange for staging the chase every year after becoming amused by the 13 farmhands' efforts to pursue the hood across fields.

The game starts when the hood is thrown into the air and a sizable rugby-style scrum (known as the "sway") converges on it. It is said to be more about drinking than anything else.

The only rules are that the hood cannot be thrown or run with, and there are no formal teams. At any given time, 200 players may be participating. Moving the hood to one of the neighborhood pubs is the game's goal. The landlord of the bar touching the hood while he is seated on his front step marks the end of the game.

10. The Flaming Tar Barrels

Photo: amusingplanet
Photo: amusingplanet

If there were an extreme sports category on our list of the bizarre, St Ottery's dramatic flaming tar barrels would take first place without a doubt.

Winter torchlight processions and barrels spewing flames through the streets are long-standing customs in each of the counties that make up England's West Country. Many of these are believed to have been created in the 1600s, following Guy Fawkes' unsuccessful attempt to blow up the British houses of parliament.

But at some point in time that is now lost to memory, the residents of St Ottery, Devon, decided that rolling the barrels was a little tedious and opted to pick them up and carry them instead.

It is truly a miracle that this tradition has survived at all in a time when anything that combines crowds and danger has all but been eradicated. The fact that the barrel carriers only wear a hood, towels, and wire-incorporated hessian gloves instead of wearing industrial-standard fireproof protection significantly increases the wow factor.

Would you like to demonstrate your strength by lifting a 70-pound barrel that is ablaze? No chance, I'm sorry. Only residents of Ottery have the right to exercise it, and decisions regarding this privilege are made in accordance with a rigid hierarchy.

Conclusion

The villages and towns of the United Kingdom are still hosting a number of other odd festivals and events. The ten oddest traditional events, chosen and described by Knowinsiders.com, are listed above.

Any of the ten peculiar traditional festivals listed above have you ever been to?

Please share any additional information about other peculiar traditional celebrations and events in the UK in the comments section below this article of KnowInsiders.com.

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