Gostra - Traditional Maltese game of running up a greasy pole

A competitor balances on the "gostra", a pole covered in grease, during the celebrations for the religious feast of St Julian, patron of the town of St Julian's, outside Valletta, Malta, August 30, 2015. In the traditional "gostra", a game stretching back to the Middle Ages, young men, women and children have to make their way to the top of a pole and try to uproot one of the flags to win prizes. From May to September in Malta, there is hardly any weekend when a town or a village is not celebrating the feast of its patron saint or other saints revered in different churches. [Photo/Agencies]