Offbeat festivals, or are they sports?

http://www.christianpost.com/news/joey-chestnut-claims-5th-title-at-nathans-hot-dog-eating-contest-51852/

For Sociedad Hispana friends, both abroad and in the US, this post is made to solicit input.  It comes to mind after reading about the annual spectacle from Coney Island, Brooklyn yesterday.

First for our Skype friends in Spain, Bolivia, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Uruguay,  and Guatemala.  Yesterday was the July 4th Independence day celebration in the USA.  Two comments concerning the celebrations:  The first is that the 1812 Overture by that great Russian composer has become the unofficial, or perhaps even official theme music, along side the traditional patriotic music.  It is great music, especially accompanying the inevitable celebration ending fireworks displays.

The second comment concerns a so called "sport" that I have linked above that also occurs each July 4th.  Some might call it ridiculous, and maybe they are right, but it involves the ingestion of as many hot dogs as possible within a ten minute time limit at Nathan's (a well known Coney Island  beach area "boardwalk" type eatery).  The linked article points out that 40,000 "sports fans" watched Joey Chestnut earn $10,000 as he consumed 62 hot dogs within the time limit.  Television had live coverage of the event.   Six time champ Kobayashi competed from another location, as he was denied entrance-not having signed some sort of marketing agreement.

I know in Spain there is the "tomato throwing festival,"(La Tomatina-Buñol, Valencia), which perhaps our Spanish Skype friends can help us understand the origination of such craziness.  Others take place in Cataluña-  Castellars; La Calcotada.  In the case of Nathan's hot dog eating contest I suspect it is a Chamber of Commerce/Nathan's Marketing 101 successful campaign!

Perhaps some other Sociedad Hispana Doylestown followers, in the US or abroad can comment on other off beat festivals that may not be widely known?

Sociedad Hispana member Melissa posted comments below with the link to the Delaware pumpkin chunking festival, which reminds me there is also the Calaveras County frog jump!  I don't believe the comments section below allows for the link to be clickeable, so here is the clickeable link:

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ac-7162256


Blog contributor Laura from Madrid added the following:

Here is the story of La Tomatina (tomato throwing festival) (www.latomatina) that has become really popular in recent years in Buñol (Valencia).  In my opinion this kind of events are being promoted as a way to attract tourism, especially young people looking for fun. If you have any doubts about what you read don’t hesitate in letting me know and I’ll be happy to help, but I don’t think you will find it difficult as you are reading books in Spanish.

From time to time someone decides to try to cook the biggest amount ever cooked of a typical Spanish dish, like for instance paella. The biggest made recently was prepared in Madrid (although it is the typical food of Valencia) in 2001 and got a Guiness Record (http://www.directoalpaladar.com/otros/la-paella-mas-grande-del-mundo)

You also may find interesting something called La Calçotada in Cataluña, that is held every year in spring time. It consists in grilling calçots, a kind of onion, and eating them with a sauce and cava as drink. Here is the storyhttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal%C3%A7otada

A very spectacular tradition is that of castellers. It also comes from Cataluña, and it consists in building a “human tower” in which people are the bricks. To achieve it the strongest ones are the foundation of the tower, and ligther people form the following levels of the tower by standing over the shoulders of the ones that are below them. At the end a child climbs to the highest point of the tower (some criticize it because they consider it is very dangerous for the children to take that risk).

If I haven’t explained it very clearly, you may find images and the story here.

http://www.lawebdelscastellers.com/

http://www.google.es/search?q=castellers&hl=es&biw=1280&bih=895&prmd=ivnsul&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=f4oUTtvMKIme-QaE17C6Dg&ved=0CD0QsAQ

The Great Cardboard Boat Regatta:  http://www.gcbr.com/port.html

Yet another off beat festival (I really don't think it is a sport) comes as result of our visit to the Fox River Valley-west of Chicago.  The Cardboat Boat Regatta has to do with which  cardboat boat sinks last.  This may be the stupidest of the off beat festivals.  On second thought, Nathan's Coney Island hot dawg eating, as well as the Delaware pumpkin chunking deal are just as silly.



The Great Ear Pull Contest
In Alaska the Inuits have the great ear pull contest.  No link is provided, but it essentially requires that twine, or fishing line is wound securely around the two contestants ears while facing each other about one yard apart.  In unison each begins to take a step backward until one decides he has had enough!

Dachshund Races   http://www.keystonedachshundraces.com/
Early next month, as part of OktoberFest,  the growing arts scene in South Bethlehem will be the site of the latest "off beat festival" e.g., Dachshund races.  The internet is full of Dachsie races, which as a former owner of 4 salchichas, I didn't realize existed.