10 of the World’s Most Amazing Festivals
Archive HTimes | May 05, 2013 | Comments 10
Feast your eyes on this stunning collection of 10 of the craziest, most colourful festivals in the world and maybe get inspired to go to one some day.
1. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico, USA
5-13 October
Pigs might really fly. Events at the world’s largest gathering of hot air balloons include the Special Shape Rodeo, and the Mass Ascension, when thousands of balloons lift off to the strains of the Star Spangled Banner.
2. Loykrathong Festival, Sukhothai, Thailand
November
Thailand (and parts of Laos and Burma) celebrates the ‘Floating Crown (or Boat)’ by floating of rafts laden with flowers and flying sky lanterns, accompanied by fireworks and partying..
3. Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
February 2014
Rio’s Carnaval is the biggest and most famous public party on the planet. The legendary samba spirit of Brazil is demonstrated best by the bandas – street parades led by drumsmers and singers – climaxing with the spectacular samba school showdown in the Sambodrome.
4. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
You don’t have to get dressed up like these exceedingly smartly-attired chaps, but it helps if you like you’re lager. As well as its beer tents, there’s a massive funfair to test your constitution after a few too many. Actually, that may not be such a good idea.
5. Las Fallas, Valencia, Spain
May 2014
Unfortunately you’ve just missed it for this year, but Valencia’s neighbourhood committees will probably already be planning next year’s falla – a large construction of papier-mâché dolls or puppets which takes months to make, all for a parade that ends up with them getting chucked on a big bonfire.
6. Elephant Festival, Jaipur, India
16 March 2014
Elephants have always held an important place in the Indian society, thanks to Lord Ganesha , the Hindu deity with the head of an elephantm who is the spiritual MC of this, the mother-of-all pachyderm parties, .
7. PingXi Sky Lantern Festival, Taipei, Taiwan
February 2014
While Chinese lanterns are now a fixture of summer festivals and UFO reports in the UK, in Taipei they let off 150,000 of the things simultaneously to celebrate Chinese New Year.
8. Pushkar Camel Fair, India
6-17 November
If you like camels, then you’ll love ‘India’s greatest tribal gathering’, as you can meet 20,000 of the creatures in the Rajasthan desert. If you’re in the market for a convoy of camels to take home, this is the occasion to do your shopping.
9. Days of the Dead, Mexico
1-2 November
Along with Halloween, Los Dias de los Muertos is the world’s best known event in honour of death. ‘The living’ invite the dead (close relatives, not random strangers) to come to the family home for a visit. At least everyone, living and dead, gets to eat ghoulish-themed sweets and stuff.
10. Harbin Ice Festival, China
December – January
Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in north-east China, hosts this crazy, colourful, cold carnival of ice and snow, featuring, ice sculptures, ice lantern show, ice sliding, ice sailing, ice hockey, ice football, and any other ice-related stuff you can think of.
Source: www.skyscanner.net
Ariene
All these festivals are very interesting. For me going to the Las Fallas, Valencia, Spain in worth going as it seems to be very interesting with all these dolls made with papier-mache.
Despite pulling the tourists to one destination, festivals should be related to the traditions and local people. However, some countries are using “festival” as a tool to attract travellers and it is hard to believe that those fake festivals work.
All of those festivals are really interesting to me, it helps each country above have it own special and impression to travellers, it is not only fun and celebrate within the country but also increase more number of tourists.
There are different festival around the world, with different culture or religion background, but all of them bring the same joyful feeling for the people in the country. For me, my favorite festival is the middle autumn day in China, the day when all the families are together enjoy a peaceful dinner and have some views of the full moom.
Every different festivals will attract different countries people to participate, let people can know more cultures, I want to join all of the festivals, especially the Oktoberfest, Munich in Germany.
Personally, the Loykrathong Festival in Sukhothai, Thailand intrigued me the most. I would definitely want to experience that in this life time. This festival is even used in annimated movies, because of its’ beauty and representation of hope!
Personally i would like to go to rio and experience the carnivals and see how people enjoy there time and enoj with the people of Rio. its one of the biggest every year celebrated very spectacular colours.
Festivals are always the opportunity to see real life inside a country or region. As for me, unfortunately, I saw only one Las Fallas in Valencia but I can say that it`s amazing feeling when you are part of something so huge and magnificent.
to hold a festival can bring a lot of benefits to the country. it can promote the tourism in the country attract more tourists, meanwhile increase the economic.
Once I had seen Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival on the TV and it was really hypnotising procession: brightly coloured beautiful costumes with unbelievable amazing decorations on the machines and happy faces of local people and tourists. This could really be a big opportunity to know more about the culture and customs of brazilian people,to hear their version of carnival history.