A tiny village in south India performed a strange ritual in which men of all ages had a messy fight in an enormous pile of cow dung to cure illnesses and bring prosperity to all.
The festival took place on October 30, on the day of "Gore Habba" just after Diwali, in the village of Talavadi, Erode district, Tamil Nadu.
The festival is also held at the nearby village of Talavadi and dates back several generations, with people collecting the dung into a pit in the centre of each village, while children gather religious offerings.
After a procession where all the villagers, as well as thousands of onlookers from the surrounding area, gather around the pit and many strip down and wade into the dung to splat it onto each other.
Eventually after getting thoroughly covered, all the participants wash off in a local lake.
The dung is believed to function as a panacea for injuries, while the festival itself is seen as a important event to promote harmony in the local community.
The festival took place on October 30, on the day of "Gore Habba" just after Diwali, in the village of Talavadi, Erode district, Tamil Nadu.
The festival is also held at the nearby village of Talavadi and dates back several generations, with people collecting the dung into a pit in the centre of each village, while children gather religious offerings.
After a procession where all the villagers, as well as thousands of onlookers from the surrounding area, gather around the pit and many strip down and wade into the dung to splat it onto each other.
Eventually after getting thoroughly covered, all the participants wash off in a local lake.
The dung is believed to function as a panacea for injuries, while the festival itself is seen as a important event to promote harmony in the local community.
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