Celebrating 20 Wacky Celebrations

There is nothing to match the value of the celebrations and traditions of a nation. It is a time of national solidarity when the general community and families come together and forget the day to day grind and celebrates a holiday, for a particular purpose. It is a way of expressing the very heart of the nation and a time for the people to express themselves.

Yet, there are some really wacky ways of celebrating if you care to look for them.

· Alice Springs in the dry and desert-like heart of Australia, is host to the whacky Todd Regatta in a riverbed that has no water. The have no paddles and are bottomless. They are usually constructed of beer cans, which are first emptied by the boat builders. The teams then run the riverbed with their feet sticking out the bottom of the boats. In 1993 the race was canceled due to the threat of a once in a blue moon rain storm.

· In the month of August thousands of Spaniards take part in the La Tomatina festival in Bunol. Truckloads of tomatoes are dumped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but only after the tomato has been squished in the hand first, before being thrown. Even sedate grandmothers have been seen to participate in the festival.

· If you want it hot, head to Finland for the Sauna Bathing Championships. Every 30 seconds the heat is turned up. The last person left in the sauna is the winner, after having kept the naked bum firmly seated on the wooden bench and remained seated upright.