All festivals convey culture in one way or another. There are multiple cultural festivals such as national, international, religious, and seasonal. The purpose of festivals is always the same and that is to bring happiness to our lives and strengthen our sense of community. Some festivals are bizarre and colorful at the same time. Here are some of them.
Ghosts Festival
China
The Ghost Festival is also known as the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism, and Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism. Basically, it is a traditional Taoist and Buddhist festival adopted in certain East Asian countries. According to the Chinese calendar , the Ghost Festival comes on the 15th night of the seventh month in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors during Ghost Festival and it’s believed the deceased are believed to visit the living. It is believed in this date the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Activities during the month include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, in the form of material items such as clothes, gold, and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Offering vegetarian meals are served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. Ancestor worship is what distinguishes Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival because the latter includes paying respects to all deceased including the same and younger generations, while the former only includes older generations.
La Tomatina
Bunol, Spain
This festival comes with a great international reputation, La Tomatina is considered by many as one of the best fun-making festivals in the world. It’s great fun throwing tomatoes in an attacking mood with your friends unless you don’t like tomatoes? The festival has been running since 1945 on the last Wednesday of each August in the small Valencian town of Bunol. The festival starts with throwing some veg and soon had everyone pummeling tomatoes at one another. The festival tickets cost €35 including a new set of clothes. The tomato fight takes place between 11 am to 1 pm on the last Wednesday of each August. The event has become one of the highlights on Spain’s summer festival calendar with thousands of people flocking to this little Valencian town for this chaotic event.
Burning Man
Nevada, USA
Burning Man originally began in Baker Beach in 1986 near San Francisco as a small party among friends. The group began a tradition of burning a small, 9-foot wooden man during their party. Later the man had grown to be 15 feet and by 1988. By 1990 the man was 40 feet tall. The folks decided to create a separate shindig in the Black Rock Desert and this is how the festival got bigger. From 1996, Burning Man began usually taking an interest to go with an annual theme and started building more elaborate man structures. Ticket prices during this time were around $65 With tickets costing now upwards of $1,573. Burning Man began with 20 friends in 1986 and has now grown to 70,000 people and beyond. Black Rock City became home to the creation of a new community and one of the best festivals in the world.
Fuji Rock Festival
Yuzawa-cho, Niigata Pref, Japan
Fuji Rock festival is celebrated with between 100,000 and 150,000 people attending the venue. Held in a stunning ski resort about a 90-minute from Tokyo, it has been running since 1997. The international crowd had been steadily increasing over the years to enjoy the mountains to escape from the July heat. One of the attractions of the festival is anyone can travel the mountains by cable car also famous for the weather hot springs, nature walks, woodlands, clear rivers, and emerald lakes. The festival became the most popular festival in Japan where 200 national and international bands playing. The festival is known as ‘well behaved’ and the ‘cleanest festival in the world’.
Pahiyas Festival
Philippines
The festival is the Philippines’ best-known harvest festival to honor San Isidro Labrador, the patron of farmers. This most colorful harvest festival is celebrated every May 15 in the town of Lucban, including the towns of Tayabas, Sariaya, Gumaca, Tiaong, and Lucena City, Known as ‘Pahiyas’. The festival is mainly a traditional celebration of the townsfolk in thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest. In the festival, all the decorations are called ‘Kiping’ and people use leaf-shaped and multi-colored rice paste wafers which are used to decorate the facades of the homes along with the fruits and flowers from nature. The feast has gained national and international renown for its visual and culinary. The Lucban town center is a permanent facility for merchandising crafts and delicacies including special events showcasing the lifestyle of its environs.
VIVID Sydney
Australia
VIVID Sydney is a festival of light, music, and ideas. Mainly Vivid Sydney features incredible light displays and much more. Vivid Ideas brings the world’s brightest minds and fearless global storytellers in one frame. The festival explores the forces that shape not only Sydney’s unique society and all the great cities around the world. Vivid’s program has a ton of festival extended continuous Light Walk, free tunes in Central Station, pop-up gigs in gardens, intimate supper clubs, and even a Vivid Dinner. The festivals cover the usual luminous projections, concerts, open-air raves, thought-provoking panels, and late-night parties. Sydney’s dynamic music communities appear inVivid Music showcases a line-up of Sydney’s most exciting talent – as well as international artists – with more than 50 music events. So, step into Sydney, and enjoy the wild ride. Though it’s a nighttime festival, the fun flows into the day.
Notting Hill Carnival
England
Notting Hill Carnival is London’s own Caribbean-themed fest which fills the streets of west London with Caribbean colors, music, and flavors. Notting Hill Carnival is all about embracing elaborate floats and colorfully costumed performers wind their way through the streets. The carnival includes the parade, dancing to the sound of steel bands and calypso music, and visiting the tempting food stalls along the route. This festival is running since 1996 for embracing community spirit, creativity, and cultural diversity.
