Land Diving
Most people are familiar with bungee jumping, but did you know bungee jumping started on Pentecost Island in Vanuatu and is almost fifteen centuries old? The original activity, called land diving, is part of a religious ceremony. A man ties tree vines to his legs. He then jumps head-first from a high tower. The goal: to touch the earth with the top of his head-without breaking the vine and hitting the ground hard. Every spring, island natives (men only) still perform this amazing test of strength.