Have you got that one friends with a ridiculously competitive side? No matter what you’re doing, he’ll try and raise the stakes and make some kind of competition out of it. Whether you’re having a friendly kick about in the park or just trying to enjoy a nice meal in a restaurant, he’ll try and suck all of the fun out of it by making it a game or contest. With these particular events, these people must have really wanted a competition, because we can’t understand why they’d want to do any of this stuff. Here are the 6 most ridiculous competitions from across the globe.
Medieval CombatÂ
In Belmonte Spain, hundreds gather for a violent clash of sweat and steel for an event drenched in both history and the summer sun. Wearing 30 kilos of thick combat armor, men and women battle with blunted weapons for crowds of lords and fair maidens, emulating the brutal competitions of the middle ages. There’s usually the odd bruise or sprain, but thankfully nobody gets properly hurt in this bizarre competition. I mean, look at that, about 20 guys fighting it out with each other as they pretend to be heroic knights and indestructible warriors. Pretty crazy eh?
Worm Charming
Before you read on, we can confirm that we’re not lying and that this is in fact, real. Ever since local farmer’s son Tom Shufflebotham charmed a total of 511 worms out of the ground in 30 minutes, Nantwich, Cheshire has been the venue for the annual Worm Charming Championships. Contestants do everything in their power to woo worms from below the dirt to the surface, from yelling at, poking and prodding the dirt to get them to make an appearance. Why you’d want anything to do with this particular event is completely beyond us, and we can’t help feeling sorry for the poor worms just trying to relax in the mud.
Russian Tractor Rallies
In an annual event in Russia, farmers lay down their hoses and get geared up for a pretty gas guzzling and mind boggling event. 30,000 people turn up for plenty of tractors, mud and a wonderful dose of not very fast racing. Only in Russia would something his strange and off the wall happen, and we don’t even know why we’re really surprised. I mean, have you seen some of those crazy dash cam videos that appear to be taking place every other day across Russia… Maybe they should put those same camera on the front of the tractors, as it’d probably make events unfold in a much more interesting manner.
Swamp Soccer
In Beijing, China, hundreds of people gather to play a spot of swamp football. Originating in Finland in the late 90’s, it’s beginning to pop up as a popular past time across the world. As you can see, teams play traditional soccer in a boggy and unforgivable environment. It’s not only ridiculous, but also stupidly messy. We’re surprised that Ariel hasn’t used it in their latest advertising campaign for state of the art washing machine powder. I mean, it’s a no brainer, right? I’ll get on the phone to their press team right away…
Baby Jumping
In the Norther Spanish town of Castrillo De Murcia, locals close the Catholic festivity of Corpus Christie with a pretty mind bending tradition. For roughly an hour in the evening, grown men dressed as the devil jump over rows of babies on mattresses in order to apparently purify them of all evil. During this really strange spectacle, they make their way across the whole of the town and ensure that all participating babies are saved from evil. The jumpers are carefully picked by the town council, and have to be young and fit enough got the crazy task. As of yet, no babies have ever been hit or injured, but that doesn’t mean we advise this at all…
The Summer Redneck Games
This final competition is just very funny to be honest, so we thought we’d include it. Featuring everything from mud pit belly flopping to toilet seat throwing, the Summer redneck games take place in the deep south of America and celebrates hillbilly culture to the very fullest.
