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 8 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
looney_tunes
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Senegal's history as a French colony can be seen in the presence of a number of Christian holidays in a country where 90% of the population describe themselves as practicing Muslims. August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, is a public holiday. Some Christian groups, including the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, celebrate on this date the physical transition from Earth to Heaven of the Virgin Mary. Other groups celebrate it as a feast day in her memory, without explicit reference to a bodily assumption. As a religious holiday, its celebration focuses on prayer services and family activities (since Mary was the mother of Jesus, family is an important part of her role in the church). Reply #141. Dec 09 10, 12:48 AM |
| looney_tunes
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The Schueberfouer is an annual city fair held in the Glacis carpark in Limpertsberg, a part of the city of Luxembourg. Starting in the week before St. Bartholomew's Day (August 24) and running for 20 days, it has been held for 670 years, and is the biggest fair in the country. In 2010, it had 27 major rides, 13 children's rides, 54 restaurants and thousands of visitors. The name is thought to be derived from the marketplace where it was first held (starting on 20 October 1340) before moving to its current location in 1620. During the 18th century the market expanded to include shows and games, and in the 20th century a Ferris wheel and a rollercoaster were added. Pictures and descriptions of this and other Luxembourgish holidays can be found in this government-provided pdf file. It is in French, but the pictures are great even if your French isn't. http://www.luxembourg.public.lu/fr/culture/typiquement-letz/fetes-traditions/Letz-chap-traditions.pdf Reply #142. Dec 10 10, 1:00 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Kotor, Montenegro revives the Renaissance very year during the annual Kotor Carnival, lasting for three days in August. The event opens with 'Abrum', featuring majorettes, marching bands and festival goers decked out in costumes, parading around the Old Town. When the sun sets, the action moves to the Fisherman's Festival, where local fish abounds for the culinary pleasure of seafood lovers. The second night is called 'The Town of Countless Masks'. It involves performers from Montenegro and other nearby countries such as Italy, Serbia, Croatia and Macedonia dressed in their national costumes, as well as live music where performance groups from Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia Montenegro and other countries. The town square really rocks! The carnival closes with a spectacular costume parade down the shoreline and back into the Old Town for a party that lasts until dawn. Reply #143. Dec 11 10, 1:09 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Most Somalis are Muslims, and Islamic holidays are widely observed. There is one pre-Islamic secular celebration that is still current, Dabshid (Lighting of the Fire), celebrated in early August to mark the beginning of the Somali solar calendar. A small bonfire is lit in the evening, and people try to jump over it. They also throw burning sticks into the air. In an agricultural society, the solar calendar is of far more import than is the lunar calendar used to calculate Islamic holidays. Although Somalis recognize both the Gregorian and the Islamic New Years as public holidays, neither involves widespread celebration. Reply #144. Dec 12 10, 1:00 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Christmas in Madagascar is celebrated in the middle of the summer, and its traditions are correspondingly different from those in Northern Hemisphere countries – picnics are more common than large, heavy meals. They are also influenced by the difficult environmental conditions (trees are too valuable to cut down for decorations) and the relative lack of spare money which means that public decorations are not as lavish as in many places. Presents are likely to be primarily new clothes and candy for the children. Nevertheless, it is an eagerly anticipated holiday. Santa Claus, called 'Dadabe Noely' or Grandfather Christmas, is an important part of the celebrations, emphasizing the important links with family elders that are recognized in the festive season. Carol singing, both within the family and in community groups, is a significant activity for children and adults. Reply #145. Dec 13 10, 1:52 AM |
| looney_tunes
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If you are in Macedonia in July, you will find a large range of festivals from which to choose. If you can manage to visit the village of Galicnik (a mere 5 hours walk across the hills from Mavrovo, in the beautiful mountains of west-central Macedonia – come back in the winter to ski) on the weekend nearest to 12 July (St Peter's Day), you will be able to observe 'Galicka svadba'. This is an event that commemorates the traditional wedding customs of the region. The members of the wedding party, as well as the guests, wear traditional Galicnik folk costumes, which are reputed to be among the most beautifully decorated costumes to be found in the Balkans. The wedding in the village church of St Peter and Paul is the start of a three-day festival, featuring lots of traditional food, song and dance. Reply #146. Dec 14 10, 2:05 AM |
| looney_tunes
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Like many other countries, Chad celebrates Independence Day to observe its independence from colonial rule. Although Chad became independent on 11 August 1960 (one of 9 African countries to achieve independence during that month), the celebration of Independence Day is on 11 January, to avoid the monsoon season. Festivities include the standard parades, rallies, speeches, music and sporting competitions. Reply #147. Dec 15 10, 12:22 AM |
| looney_tunes
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As the 'home' of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Vatican City features extravagant formal celebrations of all Christian festivals. All Saints' Day, also called All Hallows Day and The Solemnity of All Saints, is celebrated on November 1. It commemorates all those who have died and gone to heaven, whether known or unknown. (The following day is All Souls' Day, which specifically commemorates the lives of those who have died but not yet reached heaven.) Both days traditionally involve church services in memoriam of the departed, especially those who have died in the past year, and visits to the graves of dead relatives. Reply #148. Dec 16 10, 12:23 AM |
maninmidohio 
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Looney is off on an extended Holiday to reestablish her American roots. Why she would leave the Australian summer to visit the U.S. northern east coast in the middle of our winter, I do not know. We all hope she has a great time. While she is away, I will have the duty of posting the holidays of our Bus Ride hosts as we come to each stop. Looney prepared all of these postings before she left. In Suriname, New Year's Eve is called 'Oud Jaar', meaning 'Old Year'. Fireworks competitions on the part of commercial entities are the order of the day. Celebrations run from mid-morning on New Year's Eve until around dawn of the next day. Street parties and home firecrackers supplement the official public displays. A very popular festival is Salsuri, an International Salsa Festival held in Paramaribo, the national capital. This has been celebrated annually in November since 2005, when it was established as part of the nation's celebrations of 30 years of independence on November 25. Reply #149. Dec 17 10, 7:30 AM |
| maninmidohio
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June 3 is Martyrs Day in Uganda. This is the feast day established when 22 of them were canonized on 18 October, 1964 by Pope Paul VI. The Uganda Martyrs, featured in the 2004 film "Millions", were a group of Anglican and Roman Catholic converts, led by Saint Charles (Carl) Lwanga, who were murdered by Mwanga II, the king of Buganda (now central Uganda) between 1885 and 1887. They were part of a three-way struggle for control of the royal court featuring the Anglicans sent by the Church Missionary Society in 1877, the French Catholic White Fathers who arrived in 1879, and the Zanzibar-based Muslim traders seeking converts to Islam. The death of the Uganda Martyrs was an attempt by the new king to rid the court of foreign influences. It didn't work – he was deposed by converts in 1888, and Christianity is now the dominant religion of Uganda. While only the Roman Catholic Martyrs were canonized, the Anglican ones were mentioned in the formal speech marking the event. Forty-five known martyrs are listed at this link, but many more died with no formal record being made. Reply #150. Dec 18 10, 7:28 AM |
| maninmidohio
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Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated in Mexico on November 2. While it coincides with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2), its origins have been traced to an Aztec festival for the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Mictecacihuatl was queen of Mictlan (the underworld), where she and the god Mictlantecuhtli ruled. Her specific role was to watch over the bones of the dead. The Aztec festival was celebrated in the ninth month of their calendar, roughly August, and lasted for an entire month. November 1 is celebrated as the Day of the Innocents, honoring those who have died as infants and children, while November 2 focuses on deceased adults. As well as visits to cemeteries, (where offerings of orange marigolds are traditional), it is usual to build private shrines decorated with photos of the deceased, along with some of their personal items. Gifts (toys and candy for children, food and drink for adults) may also be left at the grave or the shrine. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull, or calavera. In Aztec days, actual skulls of the deceased were involved. Now they are made of sugar or chocolate, and on the masks that some celebrants wear. Reply #151. Dec 19 10, 8:02 AM |
PDAZ
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I just checked in to see if we needed to cover for LT, but of course, she had already taken care of it! Well done, LT and Mimo :-) Reply #152. Dec 20 10, 6:33 AM |
| maninmidohio
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Roodharigendag (Redhead Day) is a recently developed festival that takes place in the city of Breda on the first weekend of September. The first one was unintentionally organized by the painter Bart Rouwenhorst, who wanted to create an exhibition of paintings of redheaded women. He advertised in a local newspaper, and was inundated with 150 responses. He organized a group photo of them all, selected 14 as models, and held a lottery amongst the rest to get the 15th model he needed for his proposed exhibit. In 2007, the second event featured a painting of 50 redheads, and was attended by around 800 participants dressed in white. In 2008 there were nearly 2,000 black-clad celebrants from 15 different countries, engaged in 42 activities which included 40 artists exhibiting work on the theme "Red hair, freckles and identity" and talks about various aspects of redheadness. It continues to grow in scope, and has started being listed on Dutch calendars, despite its unofficial status. The annual group photo gets harder to stage each year! Reply #153. Dec 20 10, 6:43 AM |
| maninmidohio
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While in Italy, why not visit Siena on either July 2 or August 16 to observe the Palio di Siena, a traditional and spectacular horse race. On each day 10 riders representing 10 of the 17 contrade (wards) of the city compete. Seven of the riders represent the wards that missed out in that month during the previous year, and three are chosen by lottery. The race originated in medieval times, when the Piazza del Campo was used for public activities such as boxing, jousting and bullfights. From the 14th century, public races between wards were popular, but they occurred all over the city. When bullfighting was outlawed in 1590, races were organized in the piazza as a replacement. The earliest races in the piazza were on buffaloes; later these were replaced by donkeys, while horseback races continued elsewhere. The race is preceded by a spectacular pageant called the Corteo Storico, which includes lots of colorful (often medieval) costumes, flags, and riders waving swords who circle the piazza in formation at a walk, then gallop around it and out down a side street, setting the stage for the big race. The ten bareback riders actually race around the piazza three times, taking about 90 seconds, and are allowed to use their whips not only to spur on their own horse, but to interfere with others. Given that, and the sharp turns required to corner, it is not unusual for riders to come off, and for horses to finish the race on their own. A riderless horse can be, and has been, the winner of the race! Reply #154. Dec 21 10, 6:54 AM |
| maninmidohio
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Sanziene is a Romanian festival honoring fairies, held on June 24 in the western Carpathian Mountains and some other parts of the country. As is the case for many midsummer festivals, it is believed to be based on pagan celebrations of the summer solstice, with the date of St John the Baptist's birth being selected to make it coincide with an official Christian event. What is described here is a traditional rural celebration of the day. The day is spent by the girls and young women of the village, dressed in white, searching for and picking the flower called sanziena, Galium Verum. At nightfall they return to town wearing wreaths fashioned from the flowers they collected and dance around a central bonfire onto which the remains of the previous year's harvest have been thrown. The wreaths are kept until the following year, to ensure fertility for the family's land. In some areas, the night's festivities culminate in the lighting of a large wheel of hay that is rolled downhill, symbolizing the fact that the days are now going to start getting shorter until the arrival of the winter solstice. Reply #155. Dec 22 10, 8:06 AM |
| maninmidohio
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Most of the traditional Rwandan festivals are no longer national holidays. However, a harvest ritual called Umuganura is still celebrated in August. Umuganura is a Rwandan traditional harvest celebration which includes dedicating the fruits of the fields to Imana and feasting well into the night. In previous times, the celebration of Umuganura actually had multiple stages, starting with the first planting in the spring, and leading up to the conclusion with the harvesting of crops. Because its celebration was so closely linked to the land, celebrations took place at different times in different regions, depending on the local climate and weather conditions each year. Today Umuganura is often a time for public speeches about how well people have performed in various areas of life during the preceding year, and to set new goals for the coming year. Reply #156. Dec 23 10, 12:04 AM |
| maninmidohio
|
One of Côte d'Ivoire's most famous festivals is the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks), which takes place in the region of Man, in the west central part of the country. Most sources I can find state that is takes place in November, but one source says February. I guess we may need to visit twice to make sure we don't miss it. Villages in the region hold contests (both within each village and against other villages) to find the best dancers (wearing masks and balanced on stilts), who then pay tribute in their dances to the spirits of the forest. Reply #157. Dec 24 10, 7:56 AM |
| maninmidohio
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In Guinea-Bissau, November 14 is celebrated as Readjustment Movement Day. Unfortunately, that is absolutely all I can find out about this intriguingly-named holiday! The National Day is celebrated on September 24, the anniversary of the declaration of independence from Portugal in 1973. The celebrations on the day are often intertwined with commemorations of the birthday (September 12) of Amilcar Cabral, aka Abel Djassi, one of the leader's of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, who was assassinated months before the country's independence was achieved. The traditional meal for National Day celebrations is yassa, chicken pieces marinated in mustard, chili and lemon, then cooked with lots of onion. Serve with fufu or couscous, of course. Reply #158. Dec 25 10, 12:03 AM |
| maninmidohio
|
Egyptians welcome the first day of spring with a picnic tradition called Sham al-Naseem, which means 'the smell of spring'. Originally, March 21, the vernal equinox, was party day; now it is celebrated on the Monday after Easter (date as per the Coptic Orthodox Church). Eggs (often brightly-colored), salted fish, onions and lettuce are traditional components of the picnics, many of which take place on the banks of the Nile. Boating on the river is optional. The traditional greeting on the day is 'al salamu alaycum', meaning 'peace be with you'. Sham al-Naseem is referred to as a Pharaonic feast, and was first celebrated around 2700 BCE. The spring equinox (25 Barmehat on the ancient calendar) was thought to be the day marking the beginning of creation. The original name for the spring festival (shamus) referred to life resurrection. Reply #159. Dec 26 10, 7:11 AM |
| maninmidohio
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On September 10 the citizens of Belize celebrate St George's Cay Day, celebrating the British victory over the Spanish in 1798. This victory was part of the last attempt by the Spaniards to gain control of Belize, which continued as a British colony until it gained independence in 1981. A reenactment of the battle is the focus of the day's activities. Here's a traditional song to be sung on the day: The Tenth Day of September It was the 10th day of September In ninety-eight Anno Domini when our fore-fathers won the glorious fight at Old St. George's Caye Hip! Hip! Hurrah. Hip! Hip! Hurrah. Then hail them - cheer them. Let our grateful loyal hearts not fail them, as we march and sing and shout in merry glee The Battle of St. George's Caye. Hip! Hip! Hurrah. Hip! Hip! Hurrah. Reply #160. Dec 27 10, 6:58 AM |
225 replies. On page 8 of 12 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
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