Got nothing to do on Saturday?
Well, if you’re into watching brave men and women swallow swords, then head over to your nearest Ripley’s Believe It or Not odditorium on Saturday, Feb. 25, to watch the pros “drop swords” into their mouths to honor veteran performers.
“We sword swallowers have been risking our lives to perform sword swallowing for over 4000 years,” Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) President Dan Meyer said in a statement. “But many people either don’t believe it’s real, or they think the art has died out.”
“We established World Sword Swallower’s Day to promote this ancient art still being carried on by a few dozen surviving practitioners, to raise awareness of the medical contributions sword swallowers have made in the fields of medicine and science, to honor veteran performers, and to raise funds for esophageal cancer research and the Injured Sword Swallower’s Relief Fund,” he added.
The professional sword swallowers are expected to boldly insert steel blades from 15 to 25 inches down their esophagus and into their stomachs at 2:25 p.m. for 12 seconds. Sounds…scary.
Sword swallowers are a proud group of artists, but there are only a few dozen professional sword swallowers who still actively perform, according to Meyer. So Saturday’s celebration was also created to correct myths and educate the public about the longtime art of sword swallowing, Meyer said.
World Sword Swallowers Day also allows the dozen or so remaining performers to highlight past achievements in medicine.
“World Sword Swallower’s Day is a great opportunity for us to show the medical community and the public what we really do!” Meyer said.
