Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Search
QuizzesGamesOn This Day
Subscribe Now Login
Six Fascinating Festivals from Around the World
SHARE:
HomeListVisual Arts
© Zilli Roberto/Dreamstime.com
Festivals are culminations of cultures. Take a look at six of the world’s
most fascinating examples!
Cryonics might seem like an unusual basis for a festival, but not
quite as unusual as this. On a wet Sunday afternoon in 1983,
Dave Kelland relieved himself in a field. Kelland was perplexed
after realizing that this action caused numerous worms to
surface, and he decided to create a competition around his
newfound “wormcharming” abilities. Thus the Blackawton
International Festival of Wormcharming was born. The first
competition was held in 1984 at the Normandy Arms, a pub in
the village of Blackawton frequented by Kelland. The main event
takes place outside. Teams composed of three people (a
Charmerer, a Pickerer, and a Counterer) are each given a plot
measuring one square meter. They are then given 5 minutes for
“worming up,” which entails getting the ground and any worms
in it ready for charming, all without digging or using harmful
liquids. After worming up, the teams are given 15 minutes to
charm as many worms to the surface as possible. As of this
writing, the world record is held by a team named the Dartmouth
Round Table, which in 1986 charmed 149 worms. All worms are
safely returned to their homes after counting.
FEATURED ON BRITANNICA
WORLD HISTORY
Load More