14 DAY TRIAL // A religious celebration in Malta involves running up a pole which has been all greased up in order to retrieve a flag standing at the end of it.
A video of the 2013 ceremony on August 25 has been posted above this news blog. St. Julian's holiday involves an annual competition during which contestants run up on a pole.
It has been installed on the beach in the town of St. Julian's and those that get on the pole end up falling into the water. According to Daily Mail, it's a 65-foot (19.8-meter) fall.
This custom is called the “gostra” and it apparently dates back to medieval times. It follows other religious processions in the small seaside town. In one of them, locals carry the statue of St. Julian's around town while a band is playing.