Archaic Festivals

Ashbourne, England, is home to one of the oldest and most dangerous games on the planet. Divided into two teams, more than 7,000 hardy players join in this two-day medieval football game every year.

For more than 500 years, an epic battle over a statue of the Virgin Mary has raged in Spain. Each year one man from Guadix attempts to reclaim the statue from the grasp of 10,000 Bastetanos.

The oldest religious festival in Japan sees trees weighing as much as 9,000kg brought from the mountains of Suwa to Shinto temples in a two-month celebration of unity.

Once a year, gauchos from across Argentina gather to show off their equestrian skills in a week-long festival dating back to 1939. The Gaucho Games are the main attraction at the Jineteada.

The Ifugao people of the Philippines continue their Gotad Ad Kiangan festival to preserve their fading heritage. A celebration of singing, dancing and racing, it culminates in a wrestling tournament.

Each year descendants of the ancient Easter Island native tribes continue the proud tradition of the Tapati Rapa Nui, a competition of strength, endurance, and bravery where winning garners pride.