A semi-permanent form of body painting known as Mehndi, using dyes made of henna leaves (hence also known rather erroneously as 'henna tattoo'), is practiced in India, especially on brides. It still survives in this ancient form among Indigenous Australians and in parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, as well as in New Zealand and the Pacific islands. Often worn during cultural ceremonies, it is believed to assist with the moderation of body heat and the use of striped patterns may reduce the incidence of biting insects. We cannot, however, forget about those world famous statues.Body painting with a grey or white paint made from natural pigments including clay, chalk, ash and cattle dung is traditional in many tribal cultures. There are a huge amount of things to see and do including horseback riding, scuba diving, surfing and hiking. Easter Island is not only filled to the brim with those amazing stone carvings and the world famousВ caves, but it is also naturally breathtaking. One of the best things about the festival is its location. There are dozens more competitions like exquisite body painting and also traditional cooking that aim to keep their authentic traditions alive and kicking There are competitions like the Riu where the elders recount word for word the stories and legends of old and they are judged on the accuracy and storytelling ability. The festival is not all sporting prowess and bizarre races there is also a very traditional side to things. The aim is to stay on the longest as reaching the bottom is an almost impossible task! This competition is a rite of passage for the young men who sit on top of banana trunks and ride down an impossibly steep slope at break neck speeds. It is, however, the Haka Pei that steals the show. The TauвЂ™a Rapa Nui is a triathlon, loosely based on the traditional one, however, the running section of the race involves the participants carrying two enormous bunches of bananas on their shoulders, balanced either end of a long wooden pole. Some of the more bizarre and compelling competitions to behold are the TauвЂ™a Rapa Nui and the afore-mentioned Haka Pei (of tree trunk sliding fame). The islanders split themselves into tribal teams and compete against each other to win the crown for their вЂњqueenвЂќ (usually a stunning beauty chosen before the competition as their representative). But despite the apparent lunacy of these competitions, there is a general aim to them. The festival holds as many Polynesian centred activities and competitions as it can possibly manage, from body painting through to riding the trunk of a banana tree down a 45В° slope at speeds of up to 80kph. Having originated from the festivities following Easter Islands inclusion into the voting register in Chile in 1963 (like we said, any excuse for a party!) the Islanders celebrate for 2 weeks from the end of January and into February every year. The locals, or Pascuenses, have combined the essence of these two culture to come up with (in true Latin American fashion) yet another excuse to have a 2 week festival! It is this mixture of Pacific island traditions and pure South American fun that has created this most uniqueВ of festivals: the Tapati. When we picture the mysterious Easter Island, we tend to think about the giant stone carvings and Polynesian culture and forget that in fact it is also a part of the great nation of Chile.

Fesival tribal body paint