When we think of festivals, we think of happiness, joy, and meeting family members that we have not met for quite a long time. Diwali, the festival of lights, and Holi, the festival of colour, are festivals that are celebrated all over the world. Dangers are rarely associated with festivals, but below are five festivals that even the most courageous people will hesitate to participate in.
Gotmar Mela
Gotmar is an annual festival that features two opposing teams from the villages of Pandhurhna and Saargaon. The two teams compete to capture a tree located in the riverbed that separates the two settlements. The unusual part? The spectators throw rocks and pebbles at the participants as they try to reach the target.
Nag Panchami
Nag Panchami is a festival celebrated in northern India and Nepal. A festival devoted to the King Cobra snake, devotees flock to temples to pray to the snake and apply vermillion to its hood. Some even offer milk to the snake to drink. All of this is done, without the fangs removed. According to priests, snakes don’t attack devotees on this auspicious day.
Jallikattu
Jallikattu is a bull-taming festival held in Tamil Nadu that’s a part of the Pongal celebrations. During this festival, a Bos Indicus bull is released into a crowd of people, and participants hump on the bull’s back and try to hang on as the bull tries to escape.
Garudan Thookam
Garudan Thookam is one of the traditional festivals that are celebrated in Kerala. It is a very strange tradition that is performed with great spiritual and religious belief. According to this festival, people hang hooks onto the backs of their bodies and hang themselves horizontally from a shaft. It is one of the acts of self-torture that are done by some people in Kerala.
Lathmar Holi
One of the most unique festivals in India, where the women of Barsana beat the men of Nandgaon with lathis, is the highlight of the festival. The unfortunate men who get caught are made to dress like women and dance in public.