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But what do we do with that power? We abuse it on an everyday basis and deform, twist and remove existence of everything that we don’t feel is important enough. 

Animals are an example of this. These horrific animal festivals are examples of this.

1. Yulin Dog Meat Festival In China

Within a span of ten days, 10,000–15,000 dogs are killed in the Yulin Dog Festival for eating purposes. 

In this highly infamous ‘celebration’ in Yulin (China), cat meat is also available for the people. The festival started in 2009 and is backed by the superstition that eating dog meat brings good luck. 

2. Possum Festival In Florida 

In this festival, people are made to bid on an opossum and the highest bidder gets to hold the animal upside down and shake it.

The reason? No one knows. Opossums, who are nocturnal animals are left frightened beyond measure after this day-time event, which has been taking place for 50 years now.

3. Kots Kaal Pato In Mexico

This festival involves ducks being tying to wooden crossbeams by their feet and beaten by sticks until they die. 

Literally translating to ‘strangle the duck’, this event happens in Mexican state of Yucatán. Most of the ducks die in the process and the ones who survive are killed later by the crowd. In the end, the ducks are hung from a scaffold and contestants then have to grab them by their neck, breaking it in the process. 

4. Nem Thuong Pig-Slaughter Festival In Vietnam

 new year festival involves painting and parading of pigs, before cutting them into two halves with a sword.

The blood dripping from the body is then used to dip money by local people, who believe it brings good luck.

5. Festival of the Ox (Farra do Boi) In Brazil

Participants of this festival, torture and beat oxen before burning them alive.

Sometimes, their eyes are rubbed with hot pepper and scooped out. Their limbs are broken, tails snapped, and some are even doused with gasoline and set on fire. Any oxen who survive are eventually killed, and their flesh is given to the participants.

6. Gadhimai Festival In Nepal

Thankfully, the animal sacrifice has been banned now but for the longest time, it was the biggest sacrificial slaughter festival in the continent. 

Gadhimai being the goddess of power in Nepal, this festival revolved around making her happy. And the way of making her happy was sacrificial slaughter of animals like water buffaloes, pigs, goats, chickens, and pigeons. 

7. Tlacotalpan Bull Festival In Mexico

In this week-long event, bulls are force fed alcohol and then unleashed on the people of the city

The people are drunk themselves and in the process of ‘self-defense’ they push, beat and throw rocks at the animals. Sometimes they even cut their ears off. 

8. Umkhosi Ukweshwama In South Africa

This festival involves unarmed men keeping a bull in enclosure, releasing it, chasing it and then killing it by strangling. 

It is considered to be a ‘test of manhood’ and a sign of a ‘good harvest season’ 

9. Toro de la Vega In Spain

In this show of ‘power’ the bulls are sometimes even stabbed to death with spears. 

Held in Spain and once again involving bulls, the tournament requires chasing of a bull by hundreds of lancers after releasing it in the town and leading it to an open field. 

10. Shearing Of The Beasts In Spain

In this 400-year-old festival, animals (wild horses) are wrestled to the ground, after which men and women jump on them. 

What began as a way of checking if or not the horses are diseased ended up being this sad, heartless event.

11. Running Of The Bulls In Spain

The bulls are kept in close places for the longest time before the race and are launched into the jeering, drunken crowd, generally using an electric shock prod.

Part of the summertime festival in Pamplona, running with the bulls attracts thousands of tourists from around the world who are looking for adrenaline rush that running with the bulls gives.

12. Deopokhari Festival In Nepal

The only purpose of this festival is to throw a young female goat into a pond, before strangling and tearing it apart with bare hands.

The festival started 900 years ago, as locals believed that a demon lives in the village pond, where many people died after drowning. 

With great power comes great responsibility.

While we are the most powerful species on this planet, we are struggling to maintain the balance when it comes to being responsible.