Cultural Festivals Around the World: Celebrating Tradition and Community

Cultural Festivals Around the World: Celebrating Tradition and Community

Through media coverage, we can participate in cultural festivals which let us enter into the spirits of those whose cultures and traditions we appreciate. Everyplace legit festivals can be found where various people come together who love culture, religion, and, among other things, other festivals. 

In this piece of writing, I will give a brief discussion of the most interesting cultural festivals from different continents that, I assure you, are unique in their own way in terms of the practices and beliefs observed there.

Diwali – Festival of Lights (India)

In India, Diwali is a special occasion for Indians living in other countries as Dussehra within the particular boundaries of the Hindu arch. It is separate due to the fact that, at every person, every individual possesses the uncontrollable craving for light hence the Diwali light can be said to be the festival that every tomorrow, and even in its own way will love – it is the light subduing darkness and goodness, evil. People knit decorative pieces, make or buy sweets, worship gods, and pray to the god of wealth, Laxmi and light lamps. 

There are myriad lighting in the houses and illuminations in the skies. This day also corresponds to New year in the Hindu calendar which is the period of development and new beginnings.

Carnival: Explosion of Colors, Flashing Off Your Flesh (Brazil)

People all over the world go for the countdown carnival that occurs few days before the lent season and the most distinctive of them all is in Brazil. In particular, Rio de Janeiro’s celebration during this period is quite astonishing. There twen flags of civilizations adorned on headgears and different bathe physical and formal skills of the participants-the footed samba schools in ugly parades on the streets daily. 

The festivities are a potpourri of intermingling Portuguese, African, Indian, and historical elements as found within the pre-Lenten festivities in Europe. Also, many fine celebrations are usually held outdoors where people can dance to the high volume of music and interaction of beautiful people and give a chance to everybody residing in the regions to come out with their artistic and creative ways of expression.

Oktoberfest: Ideal Combiner of Beer Culture and Bavarian Institutions (Germany)

Oktoberfest is a fair which takes place annually in Munich, Germany which also happens to be the largest beer festival in the world which continues to endear itself to many due to its millions of visitors every single year. This event was initiated in the year 1810 when the German citizens organized a festival to honor the marriage of Prince Ludwig and his bride Therese. For those who have not attended the alcoholic beverage carnival, it is simply a whole lot of traditional Bavarian cuisine, great music, and great beer served in wooden mugs. 

People also dress up in lederhosen and dirndls during the days of Schroederzelt making many people even enjoy the active spirit even more. Besides beer, Oktoberfest is much more and is an ode to the culture of Bavaria through aspects of folk music and dance and even a fairground.

Chunyun: The Festival for Families and Lots of Lucky Money (The China)

The Chinese lunar New Year or Spring Festival is without a doubt the most celebrated occasion in China. Families shove up against everybody else, engage in dragon and lion dances, hand out red money pouches with money (hongbao) and declare it a New Year’s celebration epitomized by climaxing the long-awaited countdown. Each year in the lunar calendar is given a pulse which makes use of the zodiac system. 

These customs are however practiced in most areas of China but there are some slight variations in the manner these are carried out. The sounds of percussion, jingling, or banging drums and gongs were arranged for numbing and scaring away unwanted spirits so small bombs were let off every so often. Red and gold decorations including couplets, lanterns and many others were instead used to welcome the blessings of the coming New Year.

Tomato Tossing Colossal Feast: The World’s Messiest Food Festival (Spain)

La Tomatina is said to be the messiest festival that one could reckon with – thanks to the idiosyncratic practice of tomato brawls in the Spanish town of Bunol. This is also known as a big tomato fight with the main participants being the townspeople and the tourists, the weapons being fresh tomatoes, instead of pies with whipped cream as in most food fights. Noyoruz is celebrated around the spring equinox, however, Afonina does not bother about the purpose behind such celebrations. 

Equipped with a scrubbing brush and a bon plan, the citizens clean all dirt around towns – as if the tomato-fest is coming in a week’s time, and after that diaphragm movements and even lyric topics were observed too. La Tomatina posed as the pursuit all the Spanish citizens had in the direction of all the unnecessary fun and events.

Holi: The Festival of Colors (India)

One of the biggest festivals in India in terms of participation is Holi, which celebrates the coming of spring after winter using colors, dancing and singing. Probably this is the reason why the spring festival which celebrates the vanquishing of evil by good is called the festival of colors. People go to the streets and the people put on color on each other, dance on the tunes, munch some insects and sweets and a lot of pizazz happens. 

Many people also join in the celebrations in countries outside of India with several cities across the globe witnessing a swarm of people celebrating the occasion.

Día de los muertos: A festival of remembrance (México)

Día de los Muertos is a Mexican festival which is dedicated to the worshiping of the deceased. Dedicación activities are embraced on the 1st and 2nd day of November each year and archaic Aztec nation intermingle with Catholic Christianity beliefs of offering prayers for one another. Cast of the physical representations of the devotees’ deceased ancestors, decorated with garlands made of marigold flowers, candles and photographs of the deceased are also common economist. 

The belief is that the lives of the deceased are very short and so food and beverage are offered to them on order that they can taste and savor it. The theme is also incorporated with processions and dance by people dressed as calaveras and conch shells; this is a direct indication of the misconception that death is horrendous to fear, instead, it’s another normal and exciting event.

Mardi Gras: The Let’s-Go Crazy and Party It All Out Festival (USA)

Mardi Gras, most famous in the United States, takes place the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the commencement of Lent. It encompasses huge decorations, „carnivorous” masks worn and originated from Europe, exotic necklaces and beads. It is the degenerate day of consumption and eyelash-batting before the self-discipline period begins. 

The celebrations of New Orleans include a quantitative measure of costumes, floats in a riot of colors and king-cake, which is a cake of local preparation. It is worth mentioning that the holiday of Mardi Gras corresponds to many integrations of the city’s social fabric such as French, Spanish and African etc.

Gion Matsuri: A festival which lasted more than a thousand years. (Japan)

Kyoto in the capital of Japan is reputed for the Gion Matsuri and celebrates it every July Gion Matsuri Unlike in the NA, Japan, Gion Matsuri is held every year since the 9 th century to exercise a city from epidemic Gion Matsuri season is great known for dolls’ parade of yamahoko and People are dressed in splendid ancient clothes. 

These hefty vehicle exhibits are so detailed that they could take months to organize. Priests of the Kansai region does not only pray during Gion Matsuri but also showcase usual Kyos culture in all its manifestations – performing and praying to the gods, all in a duration of a month.

Fête de la Musique: la Belgique a son Jourulen La Musique (Belgium)

Fête de la Musique analogue Fêtede la Musique initiated in France now celebrated in 120 plus nations of the world. World Music Day is celebrated every June 21. Music day is a day that is meant for both the professionals as well as the nonprofessional musicians to take to the streets or even to the trees is this nonpolitical idea festival. 

Anyone can surround themselves with it and there are also no barriers on who or what fee will be assessed hence the key to the creation and growth of love for music. In France this is most acutely illustrated in Gallic when one goes to the capital where it is sad hipa white house concert jumps dancing people along with other sorts of performances which are very much for the non-dancers until they go out because of the music.

Conclusion

Indeed, more meaning is attached to the cultural festivals. It appears like a cultural girdle within which is inscribed the values, traditions and history of the society in question. In popular globalization, traveling to various states, for instance Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the carnival celebration, bustling and decorated streets and shrines celebrate each of the festivals differently, which make one learn about the people and their culture. 

These cultural celebrations celebrated in different parts of the world also bring about an improvement in one’s enjoyment as well as the activity itself, which rises even above the ordinary people and the culture itself.