The Chiang Mai Flower Festival, Thailand
Get drowned in the intoxicating scents and exotic sights of flowers this February at the Chiang Mai Flower Festival in Thailand.
Chiang Mai is a town in the North of Thailand and is popularly known as the Rose of the North because of the wide variety of exotic flowers found here. The cool temperate climate of the place is ideal for the growth of flowers such as tulips, chrysanthemum, carnations which were originally imported from abroad besides the locally grown rose, and wide variety of orchids. Here you will find 3000 species of orchid, the damask rose, a special variety of rose and yellow and white chrysanthemums besides a host of other species of flowers. Flowers are in full bloom in February which sees an end of the winter season.
The three day festival begins with a beauty pageant where Miss Flower Bloom and Miss International Flower Bloom are chosen.
The main feature of the festival is the floral parade which takes place on the second day. Beautifully decorated floral floats most of them based on Buddhist themes with dancing Thai girls clad in traditional clothes are the highlights of the parade. As the floats pass at a snail’s pace; you will get plenty of time to photograph the marvel of nature (flowers) displayed by human intelligence.
On the third day winners of the best flowers in the show are chosen. You can also buy rare species of flowering plants at reasonable rates. You can savor Thai Cuisine at the various food stalls and buy handicrafts made by the locals.

The New Orleans Wine and Food Festival began almost two decades ago. During this festival, world famous chefs, wine makers and celebrities associated with the food industry gather together to provide you with the absolutely delightful gastronomical experience of your life.

A large number of eating places participate in this festival; it is also an ideal opportunity for New Orleans to display its art and culture. One of the main events of this festival is the Royal Street Stroll. The participants get a chance not only to satisfy their palates by sampling a variety of wines and tasty tidbits, but also get a chance to see the artistic masterpieces from conventional to contemporary art and sculptures. Antique jewelry and other antique objects are also exhibited. Live Jazz performances, as you stroll by the Royal Street, make it all the more enjoyable. In the Krewe of Cork parade, the participants put on wine themed dresses and march through the French Quarters.

The festival also aims at educating the participants on the intricacies of food and wine through seminars. You can gain a lot from the useful tips given by chefs and wine makers about the latest trends and tastes and you can also learn which wine pairs off best with which cuisine.

The Grand Tastings is voted the most enjoyable event of the festival. 400 wineries and over 50 restaurants try to outdo each other for the first three best dishes prizes. A panel of experts judges these dishes. Cooking demos are worth watching if you take the art of preparing food seriously.

The “Bay to Breakers” is almost a century old race run in San Francisco. It is run over a course of 12 km, beginning from the San Francisco bay area and ending at the breakers of the Pacific Ocean beach.

The city of San Francisco was destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1906. In a bid to rebuild the town, people gathered together to hold events and the Bay to Breakers footrace was one of them. The most interesting fact about this race is that it continued even during the World War II, although the number of participants diminished considerably.

The race is all about fun and dressing up and in some cases dressing down to running shoes only. Some participants run in the nude and some wear the craziest costumes imaginable. The “centipede” is an event in the race in which 13 runners bind together and run as a unit.

There is a serious side to this race as well; 41 runners from all over the world compete in the elite category of the race for the cash prize.

The 3rd Sunday of May is eagerly awaited by the residents of San Francisco who will slip on their running shoes and run across the city from Bay to Breakers.

The International Dragon Boat Racing is a major water sport in Penang Malaysia. Till 1979, it was a local sport with various local and government teams participating in it. But in 1979, it gained international status when teams from outside Malaysia were invited to join in the competition. Now rowers from 62 countries participate in this exciting event which lasts for two days.

Boats beautifully decorated by colorful dragon heads and tails against the picturesque landscape of the reservoir at the Teluk Bahang Dam are a treat to watch. Each boat has 20 rowers and a Cox. Each boat also carries a drummer and the rowers synchronize their oars with the beat of the drums. The excited fans yell encouraging words to support their favorite team.

There are races for men, women and also mixed events. Although the weather is usually hot and sultry, that does not stop the enthusiastic fans from watching the races. Later, they can enjoy cool ice creams and other delicious edibles sold at nearby stalls.

The Dragon Boat Racing promotes friendship between participants and encourages tourism.

Mexico City is a seat of culture and civilization. The city’s Historic Centre or the Centro Historico was the focal point of the Aztec Empire. The Centro Historico, also known as the “Zocalo”, is spread over an area of 10 square kilometers and has more than 400 cultural sites and monuments. During the 1900s, this part of the city was badly neglected resulting in its decay.

The Festival of Historic Centre was initiated in 1985 in an attempt to arouse people’s interest and to motivate them into saving this priceless piece of history. The festival takes place in April every year. The main events of the festival include theater, classical ballet, recitals, dances, opera, jazz, chamber and symphonic music, pop and rock concerts performed by renowned local and foreign artists.

Art exhibitions are also held. For children there are special activities like museum tours, arts and crafts, story telling and games. Guided tours of the Historic Centre are also arranged for adults. The festival also offers an opportunity to savor the mouth watering Mexican dishes.

The proceeds of the Festival go to the restoration of the city’s monuments and to help the needy children.

The Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival is celebrated in Chester UK to promote the regional and local cuisine. The event lasts for three days and takes place on the Easter weekend at the Chester Racecourse. The top chefs prepare dishes and share their recipes. For the kids, the Academy of Culinary Arts holds free cooking classes and also gives useful cooking tips besides cooking lessons. For the kids’ enjoyment, there are rides at the fun area park. There are around 120 food stalls from where you can sample and purchase various food products. Only the best are put up for sale; you can find from home grown vegetables and prize winning sausages to other food products. At the beer marquee and champagne tent you can sample the delicious beverage.

The Lifestyle Exhibition is another event of the Chester Food and Drink Festival. Here you can see 50 stalls displaying local arts and crafts, fabrics, home and garden furniture and various home décor accessories. The Chester Festival provides golden opportunity for the visitors to purchase top quality merchandise at reasonable rates.

The Chester Food Festival is a way to create environmental awareness among people. The people are encouraged to visit the venue via public transport like train or bus or on a bike. The ticket money is refunded on showing the proof of travel.

The Trelawny Yam Festival is held in April every year to promote the rich culture and encourage tourism to boost the economy of the Jamaican island of Trelawny also known as the “yam producing basket of Jamaica.”

This week long, the festival draws around 10,000 visitors annually where many events are planned for their entertainment. As it is mostly about the production and consumption of yams, there is a cooking competition in which different dishes with yam as the main ingredient are prepared. The cooking competition takes place at different levels such as school, local residents to professional chefs at major hotels.

Yam and its by-products are exhibited and sold at the fair. The organizers make sure that they are properly packed and labeled. There are some amusing competitions among farmers as well, such as the hot yam eating competition, tug of war, champion farmer and the yam hill digging competition. Students present poem and songs recital and dances based around Trelawny. Among other events are the 50K cycle race, the Trelawny ½ marathon and beach volleyball, to name just some. There is also a King and Queen Pageant in which youngsters participate.

In the evenings, you can catch a glimpse of the Jamaican culture at the various cultural performances; international artists also share the stage with the local ones to make the fair more attractive and memorable.

The Chilim Jusht Festival is celebrated by the Kalash people residing in the valleys of Birir, Rumbur and Bumburate. The six day festival is the Kalash way of welcoming the spring season. The beautiful valley of Chitral is at its best during the month of May. The arrival of spring and the weather conditions make the valley an ideal place to visit during the festival that’s why you can see a lot of tourists in Chitral at this time of the year. The Kalash are extremely hospitable people and welcome the visitors with open arms.

The locals begin preparing for the festival by making new clothes, renovating and repairing their houses and buying new utensils to replace the old ones. Singing, dancing and feasting are part of the festival. Milk and honey is distributed among the participants from every house in the village. A mass wedding ceremony is the main feature of the festival. This ceremony is attended by the whole tribe. The festival concludes with the dance performed by the women in their traditional costumes.

While enjoying the gaieties of the festival, you can also check out the local handicrafts and food and participate in the regional sports. Hiking and sightseeing are other things you can do or you can simply lay back and enjoy the abundant beauty around you.

One hundred and seventy km from Rome lays the ancient city of Cocullo. In medieval times, it is said that the residents of Cocullo were protected against toothaches and snake-bites by San Domenico. To pay homage to this reverend saint, every year on the first Thursday of May, the people of Cocullo celebrate Festa Dei Serpari or the Festival of the Snakes Catchers. The day starts with a special service in the church. After the service, a procession is taken out. The participants carry the effigy of San Domenico which is draped with live snakes. The snakes are captured days before the festival and are defanged a day before the festival. The snakes slither down the statue and if they drape themselves around the head and neck of the statue then it is seen as a sign of good luck. Snakes around the shoulder or arms are considered bad omen. Later the snakes are released in the fields outside the city.

The ciambelli is the traditional food of the festival. It is bread shaped like a snake biting its own tail. This weird shape is due to the fact that in older days, the snakes were killed and cooked at the end of the festival.

A legend goes that once in the beautiful and serene Spanish countryside of Mont Blanc a dreadful dragon had unleashed a reign of terror. To pacify the beast, the villagers decided to offer a daily sacrifice. Every day a name was drawn and the person was sent to the dragon’s cave. It so happened that one day the king’s daughter was chosen for the sacrifice.

As the dragon was about to devour the princess, a knight Sant Jordi (Catalan for St George) appeared and killed the dragon. Miraculously a rose bush bearing red roses sprung up from the spot where the dragon’s blood had spilled. Sant Jordi then presented the fair lady a rose.

From that day onwards on every 23rd April, the men of Mont Blanc present the women a rose. The women respond by giving them a book. The festivities of Sant Jordi last for a week. During the festival delicious and elaborate meals are served to guests dressed in traditional costumes. The streets of Mont Blanc are transformed into street theaters where plays based on medieval themes especially the legend of Sant Jordi are enacted. Juggling and music are other features of the festival.