Festivals, events... Part 1

Holi Day, Festival Of Colours, India

The day after the full moon in March each year. In 2013, Holi will be celebrated on Wednesday, March 27. It will happen a day earlier in parts of eastern India, such as West Bengal.

People spend the day smearing colored powder all over eachother's faces, throwing colored water at each other, having parties, and dancing under water sprinklers. Bhang (a paste made from cannabis plants) is also traditionally consumed during the celebrations.

Single women should avoid going out alone in public places during Holi, as inebriated young Indian males often pose a safety threat. These males, who have consumed excessive amounts of bhang and other intoxicants, will inappropriately touch women and make a nuisance of themselves. Incidents of rape also do occur.

Pig Festival, France

is a pig festival held each year in August in the town of Trie-sur-Baïse, in south-western France. The festival involves displays, pig races, eating contests and other competitions. The most popular competition is "Le Championnat de France du Cri de Cochon" ("French Pig-Squealing Championships"), in which contestants have to imitate the noises pigs make at various stages in their life.

Wife Carrying World Championships, Finland

is a sport in which male competitors race while each carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle track in the fastest time. Several types of carry may be practised: piggyback, fireman's carry (over the shoulder), or Estonian-style (the wife hangs upside-down with her legs around the husband's shoulders, holding onto his waist).

Wife Carrying World Championships are held annually in Sonkajärvi, Finland since 1992 (where the prize depends on the wife's weight in beer).

Hadaki Matsuri, Japan

is a type of Japanese festival, or matsuri, in which participants wear a minimum amount of clothing; usually just a Japanese loincloth (called fundoshi), sometimes with a short happi coat, and rarely completely naked.

 World Champion Lincoln Grove Tuna Toss Competition, Port Lincoln, Australia

 Competitors attempting to fling a fish weighing between eight and ten kilograms as far as they can.