Subject: Put Your Party Hat On
Posted by: looney_tunes
Date: Aug 12 10
Every country has its special holidays, and holiday traditions – food, costume, celebratory activities – that we can enjoy as we travel on the Bus Ride. We may not manage to be there on the best day, but let's share information about what we could experience in the right season!
Many of us will be relying on second-hand sources for information - if you live in the country we are visiting, please let us all know how YOU celebrate any special holidays.
Posted by: looney_tunes
Date: Aug 12 10
Every country has its special holidays, and holiday traditions – food, costume, celebratory activities – that we can enjoy as we travel on the Bus Ride. We may not manage to be there on the best day, but let's share information about what we could experience in the right season!
Many of us will be relying on second-hand sources for information - if you live in the country we are visiting, please let us all know how YOU celebrate any special holidays.
225 replies. On page 7 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
looney_tunes
|
In Jamaica you can participate in the annual celebration of the Bob Marley Birthday Bash on February 6, as the start of Jamaica Reggae month. This is not a public holiday, but is one which in many people participate. It is held in the vicinity of Marley's birthplace, Nine Mile. Musicians from around the world gather to hike up to various venues in the mountains where they perform for the hundreds of reggae fans who join them. In the evening, there is often a party in Marley's former home, now the Bob Marley Museum. Other activities over the years have included symposiums on Reggae music and Rastifarianism, video displays of Marley's performances, drumming displays, and the opportunity to explore Bob Marley's recording studio, Tuff Gong International. During the rest of the month, celebrations continue all over the island. Reply #121. Nov 20 10, 12:16 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
The Bahamas has a plethora of fishing and sailing festivals, as befits a place to which tourists flock in order to participate in these activities. You can take your pick. But I am planning to try and be there in the first week of June for the Eleuthera Pineapple Festival. Celebrating an important local crop, the festival includes a Junkanoo parade. This is a traditional Bahaman form of street parade. According to the Wikipedia article on Junkanoo, the name comes from John Canoe, a 17th century African slave master whose slaves used to hide in the bushes in order to gain fleeting moments of freedom. During these interludes they would dance and make music, wearing costumes from leaves and paint. Contemporary costumes for a Junkanoo tend to favor feathers and jewels, and are quite elaborate. There is a picture at the link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkanoo Other activities in the Pineapple Festival include a 'pineathlon', (which involves swimming 0.5 km, running 5.5 km, and cycling 6.5 km), a pineapple recipe contest, tours of pineapple farms, craft displays, dancing and much more! Reply #122. Nov 21 10, 12:26 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
(The information on this celebration is second-hand, from my late father-in-law. Residents can almost certainly provide more up-to-date information on this and other British celebrations.) It's hard to know which holiday to choose as we visit Great Britain. I guess we might explore the 5th of November, also known as Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night. In memory of a 1605 attempt to blow up the houses of Parliament, 'guys' (effigies) are burned and fireworks are set off. Guy Fawkes had been given the job of keeping watch over the barrels of gunpowder and lighting the fuse, but he was caught and the whole thing fizzled. King James I ordered bonfires be lit to celebrate his survival of the nearly-deadly plot. Bonfires continue to be an important feature of Guy Fawkes Day, and they are used not only to burn the 'guy', but also to produce traditional foods of the night, including potatoes baked in the coals, soup, sausages and roasted marshmallows. Later in the evening, extravagant fireworks displays are the order of the day. (Before World War II, youngsters could get fireworks to set off themselves at this time, and I have heard tales about the 'joy' of blowing up mailboxes on Guy Fawkes Night, but I believe this dangerous practice is more heavily controlled these days.) Reply #123. Nov 22 10, 1:39 AM |
rossian 
|
Health and Safety has had its usual impact and many organised events no longer have the traditional bonfire. Some have even been known to have virtual fires showing on a big screen (honestly, I kid you not). There is also a nursery rhyme to commemorate the event 'Remember remember the 5th of November. Gunpowder treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason. Should ever be forgot'. Reply #124. Nov 22 10, 5:59 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
In Uzbekistan, the spring holiday of Navruz has been celebrated for at least 2,500 years. The holiday originated in Persia (now Iran) as a Zoroastrian New Year celebration. The name means 'new day' in Farsi. It is now celebrated on March 21, which usually coincides with the vernal equinox (that date when the daylight hours and nighttime hours are equal, as the days lengthen towards summer). It is a public holiday, marked by outdoor concerts (wrap up!), trade fairs and horseracing. March 21 is the official day, but Navruz celebrations continue for a fortnight. It is a time for "cleaning up" both one's home and one's relationships. Uzbeks traditionally include sumalyak in their holiday celebrations. This is a porridgy dish made from sprouted wheat (symbol of life and abundance), molasses and spices. Traditionally it is prepared by women who sit around the stove as the sumalyak cooks, and engage in any of a number of traditional rituals associated with fertility in the coming year. Reply #125. Nov 23 10, 1:38 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
While Turkey is officially a secular state, about 99% of its population are Muslims, and Islamic holidays are widely celebrated. One of these is Laylat al-Qadr, whose name is usually translated as 'Night of Power'. This commemorates the night on which the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad, and is celebrated near the end of Ramadan (although different groups vary as to exactly which should be the date for Laylat al-Qadr). This is not a party day, but a day of solemn remembrance, often including extra prayers and reading of the Qur'an.. The Isha (night prayer) is often completed in a group rather than individually. Reply #126. Nov 24 10, 1:40 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Mas Domnik is the name given to Dominica's Carnival, celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. Fifty years ago the traditional local masquerade songs were gradually replaced by calypso music and steel bands. A tragic fire in 1963 led to the banning of sensay (the traditional elaborate costumes) and masks. There is still plenty of color and music to enchant! The contemporary Carnival is heavily based on the Trinidadian festival, but is less commercial due to a lower level of commercial sponsorship. http://www.avirtualdominica.com/carnivalhistory.cfm Reply #127. Nov 25 10, 2:03 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
In Latvia, the longest day of the year is celebrated as Jani's Day. This is a combination of the Christian feast of St John and much older pagan traditions. Traditionally, the shortest night of the year must be spent awake in front of a bonfire, eating traditional Ligo foods such as cheese with caraway and beer. The beer helps increase participation in the traditional singing of Jani songs, with their refrain of 'Ligo', which get a bit more raucous as the night progresses. The light from the fire offers protection, and the extent to which its light spreads is often increased by raising a barrel coated in pitch and filled with firewood on a tall pole so that it can burn on high. Women wear crowns of flowers, men wear oak leaves, and windows and doorways are decorated with birch and rowan branches. Many of the rituals associated with this night are clearly fertility rites – running naked in the morning dew to grant strength for the coming year, searching for a fern blossom to gain spiritual revelation (if you are alone) or the fulfillment of love (if you are with a partner), and others. In Riga, the build-up to the holiday of Jani includes a Grass Market, featuring everything you will need to purchase for the celebration – wild medicinal plants, oak leaves and flower crowns, Jāņi grasses, Jāņi cheese with caraway seeds, beer, traditional Latvian crafts and Līgo songs. The day before the holiday the streets feature performances by folk musicians, wreath-plating sessions, Ligo song rehearsals, all add to the festive air. Reply #128. Nov 26 10, 2:25 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
As is true for many eastern European countries, pagan traditions feature strongly in many Belarusian feasts. The summer solstice is celebrated as 'Kupalle', with many traditions in common with those described yesterday when we were visiting Latvia. Another pre-Christian celebration is 'dziady' ('grandfathers'), a commemoration of dead relatives that is held 2 to 4 times a year. The main date is on the Saturday before St. Dmitry's Day, near the end of October. On this day, families tend to the graves of their loved ones, and may have a picnic featuring special ritual food – 'kyccia' (barley porridge with berries), 'blini' (pancakes), fried eggs and meat. Before departing, it is customary to pour some vodka on the grave. Reply #129. Nov 27 10, 12:09 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
I seriously considered trying to find an alternative holiday, but find that I can't go past Bastille Day (14 July) while we visit France. The day, declared as the French national holiday in 1880, commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, an event considered the symbolic start of the French Revolution which led to the establishment of a Republic to replace the monarchy. The Bastille was a prison (albeit one with only 7 prisoners at the time) that was connected with the absolute power of the Ancien Regime, and its capture became a symbol of the establishment of a new political structure, along with the Tricoleur flag and the phrase 'Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite'. Celebrations for Bastille Day tend to be similar to those for most national holidays – parades, speeches, fireworks. Here in Australian schools, teachers of French often take the opportunity to introduce French culture in a user-friendly way for their teen-aged students, with croissants as special treats! Reply #130. Nov 28 10, 12:33 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Because Peru is south of the equator, the celebration of Inti Raymi (Adoration of the Sun God) in June occurs on the winter solstice at roughly the same time as all those European countries are celebrating the summer solstice. Before the arrival of Spanish colonists, the Incas gathered on the shortest day of the year to honor the Sun God, sacrifice an animal (usually a white llama, I am horrified to report) to ensure good crops and grazing, and pay homage to the Sapa Inca as the first-born Son of the Sun (who put on a lavish feast for the worshippers who had fasted for days in preparation for the event). Although the celebrations had to go underground when banned as pagan by the Spanish, they have reemerged and the celebrations in Cuzco are well worth a visit. It lasts for a week, and events include street fairs, parades in traditional costume, live folk music, dancing, etc. The climax of the festival occurs on June 24, the actual day of Inti Raymi, with a giant dramatic production which starts with an invocation of the Sapa Inca in Qorikancha Square in front of Santo Domingo Church, which was built over the ancient Temple of the Sun. (The role of the Sapa Inca and his wife are highly coveted among Peruvian actors.) The Sapa Inca is carried through the streets on a golden throne to the ancient fortress of Sacsayhuaman in the hills, in a procession that includes hundreds of elaborately costumed priests and court officials. At the fortress there are speeches and prayers, followed by the (simulated all too realistically) sacrifice of a white llama. At sunset, stacks of straw are set on fire, and celebrants dance around them in honor of Tawantinsuty, the Empire of the Four Wind Directions. The ceremony finally ends with a procession back down to the centre of Cuzco. Reply #131. Nov 29 10, 3:49 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Because Cameroon attained independence on 1 January 1960, New Year's Day is also Independence Day in the central African country. The region was inhabited by Pygmy groups from the Neolithic Age, with Bantu tribes gradually replacing them. In the 15th century Portuguese colonists settled in the area, which became a German colony in 1884 before being split between England and France after World War I. French Cameroon became independent on 1 January 1960 as the Cameroon Republic, and the British area joined in 1961. The Constitution, and the accompanying full independence, was finalized on 20 May 1972, for which reason May 20 is celebrated as Cameroon National Day. In the southern (formerly British) part of the country, it is common to celebrate October 1, the day when the British departed in 1961. Reply #132. Nov 30 10, 1:07 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Twice a year the Sammarinese (what a lovely demonym for the residents of San Marino!) participate in formal ceremonies to mark the appointment of two captains regent who will be heads of state for the coming six months. The elaborate procedure, on April 1 and October 1, involves a ceremonial procession in traditional costume from the Palazzo Publico to the Basilica of the Saint, where the formal investiture takes place. The two regents are always chosen from opposing political parties to provide a balance of power. When their terms of office are over, citizens have a period of three days in which to file any complaints about their activities while in office. Reply #133. Dec 01 10, 2:44 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
In Serbia, Christmas is celebrated for three consecutive days, starting with Christmas Day. Since the Serbian Orthodox Church uses a Julian calendar, rather than a Gregorian one, the date of Christmas is (currently) January 7. (The calendars drift slowly apart, so this will not be the case in perpetuity.) The Serbian name for Christmas is 'Bozic', a diminutive form of the word 'bog', meaning 'god'. Christmas traditions vary from region to region, but some are pretty universal. These include the ceremonial felling of an oak tree on Christmas Eve, from which a log called a ' badnjak' is brought into the hearth to be burned for luck. This is not always possible in contemporary housing, and may be replaced by decorating the house with a symbolic bundle of oak twigs, or by communal oak log fires (often outside the local church, where it is followed by a group feast). When the badnjak is brought in, the floor is strewn with straw, and a ritualistic Christmas Eve dinner follows, and the evening is often spent in singing Christmas songs either in the house or travelling around the neighborhood. Reply #134. Dec 02 10, 1:41 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
New Year's Eve is an important day for family celebrations in Armenia, with a large feast traditional, on the theory that a good start will make for an abundant year. The food is likely to include many of the following ingredients, although of course there are variations. Traditionally, the main meat dish is a roast leg of pork, accompanied by such other meat snacks as ham, pastrami, sujukh (a spicy sausage), and stuffed chicken breasts. Bread (typically thin lavash), nuts, fruits (fresh and dried), salads, preserved vegetables, dolmadas, (stuffed grape leaves), sweet pastries – enough food to feed an army! It is not uncommon for families to live on the leftovers for the best part of the following week. As well as preparing the most lavish table possible for starting the new year, it is traditional to conduct a super-thorough house cleaning, making everything from the ceiling to the floor spotless so that there is no old dirt carried over into the new year. Pictures of some luscious New Year's food and more description can be found at this link. http://arpinegrigoryan.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-year-celebrations-armenian-way.html Reply #135. Dec 03 10, 12:17 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Christmas is celebrated in Hungary on December 25 and 26, with Christmas Eve also being an important part of the celebrations. But Mikulas, the Hungarian version of St Nicholas, visits earlier, on December 6. Children traditionally place a boot on their windowsill, waiting for a visit from Mikulas. If they have been good, they can expect to receive such treats as candy, fruits and nuts, and sometimes small toys; if they have been bad, they will find a piece of coal, a wooden spoon, or a virgac (bunch of twigs), left by Krampusz, Mikulas's elf companion. Since most children have been both good and bad during the year, they usually get both treats and a virgac. Reply #136. Dec 04 10, 12:15 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Bonn Om Tuk is a Cambodian water festival called in English the Festival of the Reversing Current. During the rainy season the Mekong River becomes very full of water, causing tributaries to back up, and the Tonle Sap Lake expands to about five times its minimum annual size as the Sab River delivers water to it. During the dry season, the direction of flow in the Sab reverses, and the water level drops again. Bonn Om Tuk is a three-day festival held at the end of the rainy season, featuring dragon boat races and fireworks. At sunset of the third day, all the boats line up for a ceremonial 'cutting of the string' ceremony that symbolically releases the water to flow back out of the lake. This marks the end of the flood season, and the start of the new fishing season. Reply #137. Dec 05 10, 12:08 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
I can't find much information about these two public holidays in Kiribati, but I wish to applaud them anyway. On July 15 (or a nearby date announced annually) Kiribati celebrates Unimwane (Elderly Men) Day, followed on the next day by Unaine (Elderly Women) Day. This is a reflection of the maintenance of traditional lifestyle still to be found on many of the islands if Kiribati (which is pronounced Kiribass, in case you didn't know because you had only ever read the name). Here is a bit more information about holidays in Kiribati from an official government site: Celebration is something the Kiribati people certainly love. Any visitors to Kiribati in the Christian events of Easter or Christmas will see many botakis, and as much traditional dancing and singing as one could ever wish for. The same goes for Kiribati Independence Day (the 12th of July), when there is competitions in dancing, choir, singing, and various sporting event including traditional wrestling, canoe and miniature canoe racing, and Oreano, a sport involving throwing large heavy balls toward the other team and hoping they can not catch it. http://www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki/index.php/practicalinformation/languageculture Reply #138. Dec 06 10, 3:34 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Jordan (more formally, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) celebrates its National Independence Day on May 25. The League of Nations mandate that gave the British control of the area after World War I was formally ended on 25 May 1946, and the modern nation of Jordan emerged. Before World War I the area had been part of the Ottoman Empire for approximately 400 years. Independence Day is celebrated with the usual parades, speeches and flag waving. It is also a date often used for announcing government projects. Here's a link to a concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of independence in 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyG5BSAxOgI Reply #139. Dec 07 10, 12:45 AM |
| looney_tunes
|
Mauritania is one of the countries where the Islamic holiday Leilat al-Miraj is celebrated. This date commemorates the Isra and the Mi'raj, the two stages of a Night Journey undertaken by the prophet Muhammad around the year 621. (Some consider this to have been a physical journey, others a metaphorical one.) The Isra involves a visit to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel, who delivers the winged horse Buraq to carry him on his journey to the 'Farthest Mosque' (usually interpreted to mean in Jerusalem), where he joins earlier prophets in prayer. The Mi'raj (the word translates as 'ladder') involves flight to heaven, where the prophet is given a guided tour and instructed by Allah to tell the faithful that they must pray 50 times a day (a number which Muhammad successfully gets reduced to 5 at the urging of Moses). The exact date (in the Gregorian calendar) on which Leilat al-Miraj is celebrated from year to year. It occurs on 27 Rajab, the 7th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The dates drift about 11 or 12 days each year. Just to make it more complicated, the lunar calendar is based on the local observance of the full moon, so not every locality celebrates on the same Gregorian date in the same year. In 2010, it was celebrated on July 9 or 10 around the world. Reply #140. Dec 08 10, 12:55 AM |
225 replies. On page 7 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Legal / Conditions of Use
|
|
: