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The Spanish village where locals bet on where a donkey will poo

The Local Spain
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The Spanish village where locals bet on where a donkey will poo
The Spanish village where locals bet on where a donkey will poo. Photo: Couleur / Pixabay

Spain is home to many weird and wacky festivals, from burning giant sculptures to jumping over babies and chucking wine all over each other, but this one has to be the strangest yet.

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In the small village of Alfafara in the province of Alicante in Valencia, the locals celebrate a festival they call 'la cagá de la burra' – translated as ‘the poo of the donkey’.  

The main event of the festival is really very straightforward - the residents of the village must guess the location of where the donkey will poo.  

READ ALSO: Twelve of the best festivals in Spain

The donkey is kept in a field that is divided up into many different squares. Each participant buys a ticket, representing one of these squares, allowing them to bet on a particular plot of land - each one hoping that they have predicted the correct spot.

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Afterward, all that remains is to wait and see who is the winner.

Each person is allowed to buy up to three tickets at €5 each, essentially giving them three chances at getting it right. 

Some locals believe that choosing a plot in the sun is the best as these squares will have the most grass for the donkey to eat.  

While participants are waiting, there is a festival atmosphere with plenty of music, eating and drinking.  

If the donkey poos in more than one plot, the area with the most poo will be the winning spot.  

The prizes can be up to €600, or €200 if the box is divided further.  

The festival and its important competition were created in order to raise money for the local Three Kings' parade on the night of January 5th, and is now in its fourth year. 

It has already become popular and has begun to attract visitors from nearby towns and villages too.

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