The festival of colours, thandai, bhang and ultimate masti is finally knocking doors. The much awaited fun festival is just round the corner. But wait! Did you think that Indians are the only ones who believe in celebrating by getting messy without a care in the world? No, there are others, across the globe, who believe in countless hours of mud rolling sessions. If you visit one of these countries and see people throwing tomatoes, eggs and even flour at each other, do not be surprised my friend. It is simply their idea of having fun. We bring you 15 such festivals that are as exciting as Holi!
Battle of the Oranges (Italy)
Do you love oranges? Well, people in Italy believe in throwing it at each other. No, no, it is not literally a battle. The biggest food fight in Italy, the battle of oranges is similar to the La Tomatina in Spain. Taking into account the costumes involved, it is more unique visually. Participants pelt oranges at one another and make the best of the day. Make sure you carry a pair of goggles and helmets.
Boryeong Mud Festival (South Korea)
It is the largest messy festival in the entire world, where as many as 1 million people mark their presence. The best part about this messy fest is that the mud is great for your skin, so you do get a mineral facial for free along with having the time of your life. What more do you need?
La Tomatina (Spain)
We are sure you remember the iconic tomato festival in Spain showcased in the movie, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Probably one of the most famous messy festivals, La Tomatina has gained popularity among people across the globe. Make sure you squish the tomatoes before throwing them for safety reasons, but doesn’t it make it all the messier.
International Pillow Fight Day
Did you know that even the gentlest material could turn into a messy festival? The International Pillow Fight Day, which is celebrated on April 4 is a cloud of mess and fun. More than a hundred cities organize flash mobs on this day where people come out on the streets and showcase their skills.
Songkran (Thailand)
The Thai people believe in celebrating their New Year’s Day in a unique manner. The festival which is called Songkran is a huge event in the country. What adds to the unique factor is that people throw ice cold water on each other around the streets and put beige coloured paste on anyone’s face they come across. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?
Els Enfarinats (Spain)
The Spanish version of April fool’s Day is celebrated on December 28. The annual Els Enfarinats festival in Ibi is where the citizens throw flour bomb as well as eggs at each other. A little less colourful but even messier than Holi. The cloud of thick flour makes it look like a blizzard. Go ahead, make your childhood fantasies come true.
La Batalla Del Vino (Spain)
The Spaniards not only believe in drinking a lot of wine, but also in throwing it at one another at the La Batalla Del Vino. The festival, where people throw buckets of wine at each other, takes place in the Spanish town of Haro during the annual Haro Wine Festival. Everyone early in the morning, dresses in white and participates in the parade behind the mayor who during the parade rides on a horse, after that, the fun begins.
La Raima (Spain)
If Spaniards can throw wine at one another, how could grapes be left behind. Just an hour away from Valencia, the harvest of grapes is celebrated in the most unique manner. Crowds gather in the La Plaza de la Cooperativa where 90 tonnes of grapes are delivered by half a dozen trucks. Rush to the nearest truck, grab as many as you can and aim. The battle ends only when the last grape has been thrown.
Switzerland Mud Festival
The largest open air music festival in Switzerland, Paleo attracts a large crowd. Volunteers along with students have a blast at this musical event which takes place in the last six days of July. Mud adds as an added dose of fun, making the event even more exciting. July is not too far away, isn’t it?
Wasserschlacht (Germany)
Germans celebrate the onset of summer in an entirely different manner. During the season, two districts in Berlin gear up and stand up against each other in a massive water fight. Fruits, eggs and flour soon adds up, taking the spirits even higher. This fun event takes place on the Oberbaumbrucke Bridge which for long has been feared to collapse taking into account the large number of participants and onlookers that turn up on this day.
Michigan’s Annual Mud Day (USA)
Michigan has a unique way to beat the summer heat- the mud day, which has been celebrated since 27 years. It is every kid’s dream and every mother’s nightmare. Some fun, muddy events include limbo, wheel barrow races along with crowning the King and Queen of mud, which is based on their creative use of mud.
Galaxidi Flour Festival (Greece)
Every year, this small town in Greece, Galaxidi is covered with over 1.5 ton of coloured flour. Over hundreds of people gather around to attend this insane battle of throwing flour at one another. This event, which takes place during February, is also ironically known as Clean Monday. Don’t be surprised if you see people dancing on the streets covered in coloured flour.
Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival (England)
This event, which takes place in Gloucestershire is not messy for simply one reason. The cooper hill cheese rolling involves getting messy when rolling down the steep hill. What’s the big prize, it is Double Gloucester cheese. The event usually takes place on the last Monday of May.
Glastonbury Music Festival (Britain)
One of the greatest music festivals in Britain, the crowd, the music and the atmosphere simply makes you fall in love with the event. What’s the best part about the event, it’s mud. The messiness along with good music is simply an icing on the cake. You don’t need to buy a cool outfit to attend this festival, at the end of the day, it is going to be covered by mud.
La Merengada (Spain)
Spaniards know how to create hot mess, don’t they? From oranges to tomatoes, they leave nothing behind. How could sweet nothing be left far behind? The Batalla de Caramelos also known as Candy Fight takes place every year on Fat Thursday in a small town near Barcelona. People usually eat cod fish with red pepper sauce and after that throw their meringue dessert at each other. Once the meringue is finished, the candy starts to fly.
If you live in a faraway country and are missing your beloved India’s Holi, simply book a ticket to one of these places, whichever is nearby and celebrate the Firang version of Holi!
