Norway has the reputation of being a nation of calm, intelligent, and sensible people, but that’s just a facade, it seems. They are just as nutty as the rest of us. After all, they broke the record for the world’s largest bonfire in 2016 and there’s nothing wise or reasonable about that. At all.
Every year on June 24 in the beautiful Norwegian port town of Ålesund, the locals build a giant tower of wooden pallets by hand. Later on, a handful of daredevils climb the tower and set fire to it from the very top before making their way down as quickly as they can. The building and burning of this tower is a traditional celebration of the birth of John the Baptist and is part of the Midsummer festival. The tower is built on a rocky peninsula that stretches out into the water, away from any buildings or people. This festival is known in these parts as Slinningsbålet.
