5 bizarre and freakish festivals in China, Japan and Thailand you should put on your bucket list, if you dare
- Asia’s penis-worshipping, insect-eating, baby-crying, cheek-piercing strangeness
- The most weird festivals make region an unusual, exciting place to visit
From eating cooked insects to worshipping giant pink phallus-shaped shrines by offering a good harvest to boost hopes of pregnancy and marriage, here are the five of the most bizarre festivals Asia has to offer.
Maishen Festival, China
On the second day of the second month in the lunar calendar, people in Dongguan in southeastern China’s Guangdong province gather to celebrate the historial Maishen, or “Selling Body”, Festival.
The practice began in feudal times when landowners held events to recruit long-term farmers.
People without land gathered in villages waiting to sell their labour, and if they were successful getting hired it meant a year of their life was guaranteed.
Another tale has it that deities would visit to watch people “selling their bodies” and deliver them from suffering. The legend later turned the gathering into a festive event to celebrate meeting with deities and praying for good luck in the year ahead.
Nowadays, people also celebrate it by spraying water at each other.
Insect-Eating Festival, China
“Chew it up and wipe out its kind!”