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Originally Posted by therocket
Haven't seen these before - Stumbled upon this weird yearly Czech or Slovak festival - Tichavský tuleň.
Lousy google translations haven't help out much - but it seems to be some sort of local custom of a town (which the town isn't too keen on sanctioning) on the Czech and Slovak border. It is also somehow a Christian based ceremony (which apparently the church isn't really too interested in recognizing).
In any case groups of locals strip off, stumble down a steep embankment and slosh around in a rather fast moving river. Oh yes - all in the middle of winter.
There appears to be a theme to the event and here is the complete crap google translation of this years theme:
Nudity is opposed shaving
"Quiet - hairy corners, endangered cultural heritage of ancestors. That was the motto of the eleventh annual event recesistické Tichavský seal, which took place shortly after noon yesterday in the Pacific. Despite the logs on the river below the weir Tichávce be passed more than ten Naked enthusiasts."
"This year organizers have focused on the non-profit movement natural relations hanky-panky against the removal of hair from the human body. 'We would like attack the barrier dictate today regarding the hair, which now has almost none,' said one of the organizers, and pointed out: ' I recently visited a sauna and there were about four couples. The women were all clean-shaven, even the guys now not only the club face.' "
So enough talk - here are some of the pics - those featuring women anyway. There is an awful lot of sausage flapping about so be warned if you get freaked out by a willy or two.
I am also adding a link where you can find the balance of the pictures. (For completionists only - just naked hairy dudes in those.).
Part 1.
Enjoy! and Good Health!
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Some more info - purely in the the interests of cultural learning you understand
"Tichá is a village (population approx 1,117) and municipality in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic.
Every year in January there is a local event called Tichavský tuleň (Tichá's seal), where people have to cross a bridge over the Tichávka river without falling into the water. The bridge is made out of a tree trunk." (Wikipedia article - Tichá)
Tichá's seals - "seal" as in animal, not wax seal or rubber seal. I can't imagine any old tradition involving seals in this part of the world, so I suspect this is a modern invention.
For all I know, most of the people who cross are male and clothed but for some reason only naked women get photographed. Like WNBR? where most participants are men but for some reason the women get photographed more...
This poster is for the 2015 event on the weekend 17/18 January. Google does not translate Czech to English well. There seems to be music and Kneblův a "miraculous rejuvenating drink". The weir by the church and noon on Sunday is mentioned.
I can't make out any religious connection except perhaps that some Greek and Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany (6 January) by jumping in the sea and rivers (from the Mediterranean sea to frozen Siberian rivers). Many Orthodox use the Julian Calendar for religious purposes and our Gregorian Calendar for secular purposes. As the Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian, 6 Jan (Julian) = 19 Jan (Gregorian) and Ticha's seals might be on the nearest weekend. Although the Czech republic is traditionally Western Catholic, it is near the border with Russian Orthodoxy for some of their customs amongst any border minorities. Just a wild guess by me though.