For the last few years, the English town of Falmouth has hosted an annual Worm Charming Championship. Which is sort of exactly what it sounds like, according to Cornwall Live:
For the competition itself, teams were each given a two-metre square plot of grass to charm worms out within half an hour, without digging or using any mechanical tools. This year, there were over 200 plots, as hundreds of people took part using all manner of unusual methods to try and raise worms to the surface.
Worm charming, worm grunting and worm fiddling are all terms to describe the act of enticing earthworms to the surface of the soil. As a skill and profession, worm charming is now very rare, with the art being passed through generations to ensure that it survives.
In other words, it's basically a performance art version of a bird pecking at the ground to rouse the worms.
This year's winners, the Tennessee Worm Tuggers, charmed some 32 worms out of the dirt in under 30 minutes, with the help of some harmoncias.— an impressive showing, though still nothing compared to Sophie Smith of Cheshire, who currently holds the Guinness World Record for charming a whopping 567 worms when she was just 10 years old.
Cornwall Live collected some photos of the festive costumes from the event, and trust me, they do not disappoint.
Wonderfully weird worm charming championships [Greg Martin / Cornwall Live]
Previously: Have you ever heard of the superstition `Don`t Pee on the Worm`?
