“Always look on the bright side of life.” That seems to be the motto of at least one Russian town where — rather than grumble about the onset of mosquito season — they plan to honor it by holding a festival to celebrate the bloodthirsty insects.
The 2015 Russian Mosquito Festival is set to take place from Friday to Sunday in the Perm region city of Berezniki, where spectators will gather by the banks of a municipal pond to take part in a series of unusual events, according to its website.
Activities will include a “Mosquito Parade," where festival-goers can let out their inner mosquito, and a "Tastiest Girl" competition, which seeks to rank women based on the number of bites sustained, the Metro news site reported Monday.
“The girls will stand for 20 minutes in shorts and dresses while they are bitten, and then we will count the number of bites,” organizer Natalya Paramonova told Metro, adding that in her experience “mosquitoes bite people … who eat well, don't drink and don't smoke.”
Another competition, called “Mosquito Legs,” will rank women based on how thin their legs are, Metro reported. Although it was not clear from the report what this had to do with the pesky insects, perhaps it stems from the fact that mosquitos have long, spindly legs.
This will be the third time the Russian Mosquito Festival has been held in Berezniki, and organizers are expecting about 3,000 people to attend, Paramonova told Metro.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.