The UK knows a thing or two about unusual festivals\u2014not the mass-produced spectacle, but the deep, strange, almost mystical traditions. The first is the Lancashire Garlic Festival. Yes, you heard that right. Every July, the village of Blackpool transforms into a giant garlic market. There are people in garlic costumes, garlic beer, garlic pies, and even a “Garlic Cup”\u2014a garlic clove-throwing tournament. This is no joke\u2014it’s a legacy of medieval beliefs: garlic protected against evil spirits. The second is the Floating Lantern Festival in Bath. Every September, hundreds of lanterns made of paper and bamboo rise above the River Avon. People write wishes on them and release them into the sky. It’s a combination of Chinese tradition and British poetry. The third is the World Cheese Throwing Championships. In Gloucestershire, on Copper Hill, competitors run down a steep slope, trying to catch a large round cheese rolling ahead.<\/p>\n
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The winner gets the cheese and glory. Fourth is the Turtle Festival in North Yorkshire. Yes, real turtles. Every June, the village of West Marls Hall hosts the “Turtle Race”\u201450 turtles with names, colored tags, and trainers. Children sit on the grass, screaming, cheering. Fifth is the Floating Lamp Festival in London. Not in China, but in Britain. In London, on the banks of the Thames, every October, thousands of lamps float on the water\u2014in memory of the victims of war. It’s quiet, beautiful, and touching. Sixth is the Crow Festival at the Tower of London. Every day, the Tower of London hosts a “Feeding the Crows” ceremony. Legend has it that if the crows fly away, the monarchy will perish. So, they feed them every day, and tourists can witness this ritual. Seventh is the Cauldron Festival in Cornwall. Every July, the village of St. Ives hosts the “Cauldron Fest”\u2014people dressed as chefs cook soup in huge cauldrons and then share them with passersby. Eighth is the Edinburgh Doll Festival. In November, hundreds of dolls made by locals appear in the old town, hanging on trees and fences. This is a tribute to the dead. Ninth is the Lincolnshire Goose Festival. Every December, locals compete in a goose race. The winner is the one who reaches the finish line the fastest without dropping the bird. Tenth is the Lancashire Ice Cream Festival. Yes, ice cream is an art form. Here it is made from wild berries, honey, seaweed, and even beer. All this is not for tourists. It is part of the soul of Britain. They don\u2019t celebrate here\u2014they remember, give thanks, joke, and believe. And if you come, you won\u2019t just be looking. You will become a part of it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UK knows a thing or two about unusual festivals\u2014not the mass-produced spectacle, but the deep, strange, almost mystical traditions. The first is the Lancashire Garlic Festival. Yes, you heard…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/71"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/graducocco.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}