Starkbierzeit: The German Beer Festival

Starkbierzeit is the festival celebrated in Munich Germany to welcome the spring season but somberly as it is also the Lent season; the Christian fasting period. The Starkbierzeit festival finds its roots in 1627 when Paulaner monks set up a shop to brew strong beer. This amber colored strong and malty beer called Salvator Bockbier was to give them strength during the Lent period as only liquid food can be taken during Lent. The stronger the beer, the more nourishing it was supposed to be. This extra strong Salvator Bockbier was called “Dopplebock” or liquid bread.

The citizens of Munich started to follow the monks and soon it became a tradition to consume Dopplebock during the Lent. The tradition continues to date and many breweries now manufacture their own Dopplebock. However; all the labels end with an “ator” in reverence to the original name Salvator.

The festival begins with a keg tapping ceremony attended by a star studded audience who sample the freshly brewed beer and enjoy some good comedy. Food, singing and dancing and comedy performances are other rituals of the festival. Like many other food and fun related festivals, this German beer festival is also very popular. People visit Germany to be a part of this festival’s celebration. 

Valentine’s Day for the Special Lady

Women like to be pampered and what better occasion to spoil them and make them feel special than Valentine’s Day.

Women are difficult to please and choosing the right gift for them on a romantic yet sensitive occasion like Valentine’s Day can be tricky. Most men end up buying gifts which although make a big hole in their pockets, seldom touch the lady’s heart. A good present need not be expensive; it must be romantic and thoughtful. Following are a few suggestions to end the dilemma you are facing right now as Valentine’s Day is just round the corner.

The most romantic and best gift by far is a bouquet of long stemmed red roses along with a box of her favorite chocolates. These two gift items express your feelings more eloquently than a thousand sweet words; although a hand written card from you will add a personal touch.

Jewelry items also make an appropriate gift. Heart shaped rings and pendants are especially designed for Valentine’s Day. A diamond ring is a good gift but today’s woman prefers something new, something more personalized like her birthstone set in a ring. Most birthstones are semiprecious stones and are less expensive, to add glamour, you can get a ring or a pendant with her birthstone set in a cluster of diamonds. A ring is a sign of commitment and is sure to make her happy. For the more practical women, you can choose a beautiful wrist watch from a range of designer wrist watches.

Perfume is a sensual and tasteful gift your wife/girlfriend will like. You can also get her a make up kit especially the one endorsed by her favorite celebrity.

Crystal show pieces and candles also make a nice gift. Best thing you can do is to take her out to a romantic candle light dinner. But make a reservation before hand to avoid disappointment.

A gift selected with her preferences in mind not only portrays your love but also shows that you understand her as well.

Valentine’s Day Gifts for the Special Man

Valentine’s Day is the most romantic day of the year. It is also payback time! Yes ladies it is the day to show your appreciation and love for the man who spoils you throughout the year and makes efforts to provide you with every comfort of life. So ladies think beyond socks and get something special for the special man.
Buying a gift for your husband/ boyfriend can be really easy if you keep his hobbies and likes and dislikes in mind. For example get power tools for the DIY guy.

If he is really into electronic gadgets then iPhone, cell phones, digital cameras make the right gift.
For the well groomed man you can choose from hand painted silk ties, colognes, after shaves, cuff links, sun glasses and watches. Laptop bags, leather belts and wallets also make appropriate gifts.

The best gift however remains a memorable day. Men like women also need to be told how much they are loved and how meaningless life can be without them. They too need emotional security. Seize the opportunity this Valentine’s Day to express your feelings. Begin the day with a special breakfast of his liking, write a romantic poem for him; if you cannot write one, copy one, he will not sue you for plagiarism. Little gestures of love do more wonders than gift worth hundreds of dollars. Convey the message that he is the best thing that could happen to you (it is okay to tell a lie this day). All in all make him feel loved and wanted. Everybody craves for love and Valentine’s Day is an ideal occasion to liberally shower it on your spouse/partner.

Hadaka Masturi in Japan

Hadaka Masturi when translated in English means “naked festival”. If the word “naked” conjures all sorts of indecent images in your mind then you are in for a big disappointment. The naked festival in Japan has mostly male participants that too in loincloths. The festival takes place on the third Saturday in February in the Kannon-in Temple located in Saidai-Ji in Japan.

It is a kind of a religious festival in which thousands of men dressed to the minimum wrestle with each other in the freezing temperature for a pair of tiny sacred sticks called “Shingi”.

The local men gather in groups in garages. The groups of men consume large amount of Saki (Japanese wine) and jump up and down to keep themselves warm chanting “washoi”. They then jog around the neighborhood and are doused with ice cold water which is supposed to purify them. Chanting washoi, they proceed towards the main temple. When all of them gather at the shrine, two pieces of Shingi wood are dropped from the temple and men push, shove and trample each other to get to these Shingi. It is believed that anyone who catches the Shingi will be favored by the lady luck for the rest of the year. Another highlight of this festival is the food stalls and the taiko drumming.

This festival is mostly restricted to adult males; but separate events for young men and very rarely for women is also held.

Orange Throwing Festival

The orange throwing festival takes place in Ivrea, a town in North Italy. The origins of the festival are unclear but it is said that it symbolizes the revolt against the tyrannous Count Ranieri of Biandrate. Among his many vices was lust for young women and he allegedly deflowered the young brides on their wedding night. Ones young bride Violetta however decided that the Count had had enough and when taken to his castle after her wedding, cut his head off with a dagger she had hidden in her dress. She then displayed the head to the crowd outside the castle who then attacked and burned the castle.

The orange throwing festival is celebrated to commemorate the revolution brought about by the courageous Violetta. It is also said that in the middle 1800s, the girls used to throw oranges from the balconies at young men participating in annual carriage parade to get their attention. The young men responded by throwing oranges back at them. After World War-2, the orange throwing festival became an official celebration.

Every year three thousands participants are divided into nine teams to celebrate the orange throwing festival. The teams on foot are the revolutionaries and those on carriages symbolize the Count’s guards. The commencement of the festival is signaled by holding a child in the air. Oranges are thrown at each other with considerable force and can actually hit one hard as during the cold February days the oranges become as tough as a ball.

The Fascinating Pingxi Lantern Festival

Pingxi Lantern Festival is a unique and an amazing festival of Taiwan. Pingxi is a remote village in Taiwan located in a mountainous area. The rocky terrain made it quite difficult to reach the village in olden days. The inhabitants of the area were also a frequent victim of loot and plunder. To let everyone know that they were safe, the people came up with the novel idea of releasing paper lanterns in the sky. Over the years this practice took the form of an annual cultural festival.

Now with various modes of transportation and with wide media coverage, the festival has gained popularity and draws huge crowds every year.

The fascinating Pingxi Lantern festival in Taiwan takes place on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year which is somewhere in late February. Thousands of lanterns made out of bamboo and rice paper are lit and released in the sky at dusk. The lanterns are tastefully decorated with colorful pictures and inscribed with the wishes for prosperous New Year. These lanterns are the messengers which carry the people’s hopes and aspirations to the skies. The sight is truly amazing and lingers in your mind for a long time to come.

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day falls on the 14th of February, it is a day associated with love. It gives people an opportunity to express their feelings and to let the special person in their life know how much he or she is loved.

Among the various stories which circulate regarding its origin, the most popular one is about a priest named Valentine who lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor was of the opinion that married men did not make good soldiers so he ordered all the soldiers in his army to remain single. The good priest Valentine however did not agree with the Emperor and performed secret marriages of the soldiers. He was discovered and thrown in the prison by the Emperor. On the eve of his execution, he supposedly wrote the first valentine to his beloved (the jailer’s daughter whom he had befriended while in jail); the letter read”from your valentine”.

From that day onwards people sharing an intimate relationship present each other flowers, chocolates and valentine greeting cards to express their love. Till the 20th century, it was popular among the westerners only but now it is widely celebrated by lovers all over the world.

Its Basant..!!

Basant or the kite flying festival is celebrated in Lahore in early March to mark the advent of the spring season. It has nothing to do with religion and is not new to the area either. For centuries this has been a ritual to welcome spring.

Basant is mostly celebrated in Lahore with much pomp and show and vigor than in any other part of the Pakistan. It would not be wrong to say that basant is truly celebrated in Lahore only. People from adjoining cities go to Lahore to take part in the festivities The Basant fever catches up from the month of February. The skilled kite makers prepare colorful kites and strings. People buy lots of kites to take part in the festival. Yellow is the dominant color and ladies, get special clothes stitched for this occasion.

On Basant day, people gather on the rooftops to fly kites. Kite flying competitions are held, the air is thick with tension and drummers beat drums to encourage the kite fliers. The cries of “Bo kata” fill the air whenever a kite goes down. Special dishes are prepared for the occasion and kite flying continues well after dark. At night dinners, musical concerts and plain old family gatherings complete the day.

Some Islamic fundamentalists term basant as non-Islamic, however, for a lively Lahorite, it is a form of entertainment and a healthy activity.

Five Popular Sports Festivals

Various sports festivals are celebrated throughout the world but only five are considered popular to many people. Among these are the Kite Festival in Pakistan, the Tour de France Festival in France, the Tibet Horse Festival in Tibet, the Nadaam Festival in Mongolia, and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in the USA.

The Kite Festival in Lahore, Pakistan is celebrated during spring season. In this festival, people stayed on their rooftops for the traditional kite flying. The festival is celebrated for five days as thousands of kites litter the skies. It is participated by various kite fighters both amateur and professional. During the event, kite fighters try to cut and snag each other’s kites down.

The Tour de France is a festival celebrated throughout France. It is a 23-day tour that starts from the borders of the country and finishes in Paris. This festival is not only one of the popular sports festivals in the world but also the hardest one. Its tour usually covers more than 3,500 kilometers of the most grueling terrains and mountainous areas in the country. The tour is divided in segments or stages for the participants.

The Tibet Horse Festival is held every August in Tibet. In this festival, thousands of herdsmen participate in an archery and horse race contests as they dress themselves in outfits as well as their horses in fineries.

The Nadaam Festival in Mongolia takes place in July. It is an annual celebration held across the country reminiscing the manly sports of horseback racing, archery, and wrestling. It is a three-day event with traditional dancing and parades prior the beginning of the sports event.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in USA is a colorful hot air balloon festival held every October during fall season. It is a nine-day even where more than 750 balloons are flown to the skies. It is also the most photographed and largest event in the world.

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

April is a month of celebration for many in eastern Asian countries such as the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, and others. There are plenty of interesting and colorful festivals around this time. The top three being:

The Songkran Festival in ThailandThe Good Friday Cruxification in PhilippinesThe Water Splashing Festival in China
Thailand is a land of festivals all year round. Among the most famous festivals, Songkran is probably the most important. It marks the New Year according to the Thai traditional calendar, and it is celebrated nationwide over a period of four days with extremely lively events. The Good Friday  Crucifixion in the Philippines isn’t so different from any other Good Friday celebration around the world. It’s just the most famous in the region worth mentioning. Much of the celebration takes place in the city of San Fernando. The locals from all around the country gather to play out Christ’s agony by  displaying the whole crucifixion process. The only difference here is probably that everything is done for real, even the nailing to the crosses! The Water Splashing Festival in China is simply a fabulous spring event held in the Jinghong, Yunnan province. There is plenty of dragon boat racing, fireworks, water throwing, and dancing.

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