The World’s Most Dangerous Cultural Traditions

Hadaka Matsuri

Photo Credit: Trevor Williams/Getty Images

Across Japan, Shinto temples host the Hadaka Matsuri or Naked Festival. The tradition occurs in the cold months of January and February. At each event, a priest will throw a sacred baton (shingi) into a mass of young men in the cold water. It’s an all-out free-for-all to get the baton.

The man who retrieves the baton is blessed with a year of luck and wealth. Because of all the commotion, water, and temperatures, the Naked Festival is exceptionally dangerous although it is celebrated with high hopes and joy. Injuries are common, and deaths have occurred in an attempt to retrieve the shingi.

Have you ever been hit with an orange at full-speed?