Festivals

A spectacular annual festival centers around humans throwing molten iron against a wall at night.

The tiny Belgian town's ancient version of Mardi Gras involves eerie wax masks, sticks for warding off evil, and ostrich plume hats.

This traditional festival celebrates a family of wooden giants that have survived Nazis, wars, and religion.

Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

Both church and state get put to the torch in this annual festival in the "Bonfire Capital of the World."

Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.

Peek into the world of those creating the beautiful, delicate paper parasols found all over the globe.

A lively annual event in which thousands of people race to push coffins heavy with bodies up a hill.

There is nothing like a religious festival celebrated with blow-up sledgehammers.

A Cajun-style Christmas on the river also involves sky-high pyres and explosives.

Leave it to Key West to drop a real-live drag queen instead of a ball to mark the arrival of the New Year.

Halloween spirit is alive and well in this small town, where residents race motorized caskets in a yearly tradition.

The only place to see live frogs don pigtails and top hats, then eat their scrumptious legs.

The location of the last witch trials of Italy, known as "The Salem of Europe."

This iconic water tower and failed bandstand is open for panoramic views once a year.

Bring out your dead (saints that have been festooned and bejeweled, so that we can parade them around the town)!