wat is hook swinging festival ???

At the climax of the Cadak pûjâ which is a Bengali festival of penance, groups of men and women construct bamboo stages on top of poles, at a height ranging from three to five metres. The devotees step up on to the high bamboo stage and, with ropes attached to them, hurl themselves forward and swung themselves around. Although it was notorious ,Cadak-puja was held for propitiatory purposes in cases of famine or other calamities.