Surin Festival Thailand

Thailand a land rich in culture, colors and exotic festivals has some amazing ideas about celebrations. The Thais show there reverence to everything which is useful to them. In Central Thailand, they thank the monkeys in the Lopburi region by throwing a lavish feast for them. In the northeast province of Surin, the elephants are honored annually in the Surin Elephant Roundup.

This festival commenced in 1960 and has been celebrated every year on the third weekend of November. The people of Surin are quite famous for their knack of capturing and taming elephants. Throughout the province these gentle beasts can be seen working side by side with the humans.

In this unique festival watched by thousands of locals and foreign tourists the elephants display their skills and strength. There are soccer matches, elephant races, a tug of war between the elephants and 70 best muscled men of the Royal Thai Army and other activities showing the intelligence, agility and grace of this wonderful animal. The highlight of the festival is the mock battle scene of yesteryears re-enacted for public enjoyment.

The Surin Elephant Round up is much more than a fascinating public display of the elephant’s capabilities; it is a unique and a beautiful bond shared by a man and a beast.

Ottery St. Mary’s Carnival

Ottery St. Mary is a unique carnival in which barrels coated with coal tar are burned and carried up and down the streets. What started this tradition and why; nobody knows for sure. All that is known is that the centuries old tradition either started as a way of warning the approach of Spanish Ships, or to kill the rats when the black death plague had enveloped the country, or maybe to fumigate the cottages. Another popular reason could be that the burning of tar barrels warded off the evil spirits.

Whatever the reason be, it is a very interesting and somewhat risky festival. Originally the torched barrels were rolled down but to add excitement to the event, they are now carried on the backs. Not every one is allowed to carry a barrel; in fact some families are Barrel Rollers for generations. The barrels are lit outside a public house. It takes place on the 5th of November which incidentally is also the Guy Fawkes Day.

A total of 17 burning barrels are carried throughout the day. The sizes of the barrels vary from small for boys to medium for women and youth and the big boys get to carry the big barrels which can be as heavy as 30 kg. The first barrel is lit at 4 o clock outside a public house and then carried through the streets. The process continues amidst cheering and applauding of the people until the last barrel is lit as the clock strikes midnight.

The event ends with a spectacular bonfire. The bonfire is an important part of the festival. Three weeks prior to the festival material is collected from the community. Just a week preceding the festival the bonfire is completed with a height of 35 feet and width of 50 feet. On the festival the Guy is placed at the top of the bonfire. In the evening the base of the bonfire is set ablaze and a manifestation of flame is viewed and enjoyed by all.

Guy Fawkes Day; The Bonfire Night

The Guy Fawkes Day also called the Bonfire Night is mostly celebrated in the U.K and other countries which had been under the British rule. The Guy Fawkes has an interesting story; it so happened that the Catholics faced many persecutions during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. With her death in 1603, James 1 was named her successor. As James 1 had a Catholic mother, the Catholics thought that there hardships would lessen if not ended but this was not to be. James 1 proved to be as cruel as his predecessor. Disillusioned by this situation, a group of Catholic young men decided to put an end to this tyranny by blowing up the House of Parliament when it was in session with the King and other Members of Parliament in it. To carry out the plan, the conspirators stored 36 barrels of gunpowder in a cellar under the House of Lords. The plot was unveiled before it could be put into action and Guy Fawkes a soldier was unfortunately caught with the barrels of gunpowder. He was tortured and finally executed.

This event took place on the night of the 4th and 5th November and on the morning of 5th November, Church bells rang announcing the King’s safety. The Londoners lit bonfires to express their relief. This tradition changed with ages and now it is a common practice to burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes in the bonfire as well.

Since then 5th November is called the Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night.

Throughout U.K there is a spectacular display of fireworks. The children make a “Guy” with pieces of old clothes and old newspapers or any ignitable material. They carry it around the streets asking for a penny for poor Guy. This money was earlier used to buy fireworks. But with a ban on fireworks, it goes to the candy store. At night the Guy is put on top of bonfire; the sky breaks into colors when the bonfire is lit.

Festa Della Madonna Della

The Festa Della Madonna Della Salute is a major religious festival in Venice, Italy. La Salute is one of the biggest churches of Venice. It was constructed to honor a promise made to Virgin Mary by the Venetian Senate. In the early 1600s a plague broke out in Europe which also hit Venice badly. Around one third of the Venetian population was wiped out by the plague. Troubled by the situation, the Senate vowed that if the city was rid of the deadly plague, a church would be built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The plague receded and keeping the promise a church was built at the junction of the Grand Canal and Bacino di San Marco. Architects were invited to submit their designs and the design of a young architect Baldassare Longhena was chosen. The design of the church is unique and is regarded as a master piece in the world of architecture.

Since 1687, a festival is held on 21st November in remembrance of the event.

The celebrations involve a grand parade from the San Marco to the church. Every year a bridge especially constructed fort the event is used to cross the canal. Even today, thousands of people go to the church to light candles. Small stalls are set up which sell hand made toys, delicious pastries and candles.

El Dia De Los Muertos

The Mexicans remember and pay respect to their deceased relatives and friends on the El Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. The celebrations take place on the 1st and 2nd November corresponding with the Catholic festivals on All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. The Mexicans have always believed that every year the souls of the departed visit their living relatives and enjoy the food and drinks offered to them. The day is not a sad occasion but a happy lively one where spirits join the people in celebrations. The origins of this festival can be traced back to the ancient Aztec times.

Skull is the main symbol of this day. Skull shaped candies and sweets are especially made. Another specialty is the “pan de muerto” it is a coffee cake with meringues in the shape of bones. Decorations and ornaments in the form of skeletons and skulls are seen everywhere.

The rituals and traditions vary throughout Mexico. Most Mexicans honor their deceased children on 1st November (El Dia de los Innocentes: Day of the Innocent). The graves of the children are cleaned and decorated with toys and balloons. The next day, homage is paid to the adult deceased. The main rituals involve cleaning of the graves and adorning them with “ofrendas”.

Ofrendas are offerings which include beautiful arrangements of flowers predominantly marigold, favorite food and drinks of the dead and personal items and favorite ornaments of the dead. Candles are also lit and placed on the graves. Bells begin to ring at 6:00 PM at every 30 seconds to call the dead. The ringing continues till sunrise. At sunrise the vigil is over and the relatives head home.

Day of the Dead in Ecuador

Ecuador is a country of colors and celebrations, fun and fiesta. In this predominant Roman Catholic country, a monthly festival or a long weekend is a regular feature. In Ecuador, the All Souls Day is celebrated with religious fervor on 2nd November each year. If the 2nd of November falls on Sunday then the All Souls Day is celebrated on 3rd November.

The people of Ecuador celebrate the All Souls Day in a unique fashion. The celebrations are strongly influenced by the Incas traditions. People visit memorial parks and graveyards to commemorate their dead. They often take their favorite dishes which they consume at the graves of the dead. This is regarded as sharing food with the dead. Visiting families also exchange food at the cemeteries.

In Ecuador, people believe that all the souls pass through a stage called “purgatory” where they are cleansed before they can enter heaven. To lessen the hardships of purgatory, the people perform certain rituals like ringing bells. The sound of bells is supposed to free the souls from purgatory. Another way is to light candles and put them in pitchers of blessed water. In this way the flames that burn the souls are put out. Water is also sprinkled on the floor of the graveyards to refresh the souls.

The traditional food and beverage of the occasion are “Guaguas de Pan” and “Colada Morada”. Guaguas is bread baked in the shape of a child and colada morada is a purple colored cocktail of assorted berries and other fruits.

Cambodia Bonn Om Tuk

The Cambodian Water Festival Bonn Om Tuk is celebrated to mark one of the truly amazing natural occurrences; the reversing of rivers the Tonle Sap and the Mekong Rivers. It takes place in the Buddhist month of Kadeuk (November) on a full moon. The festival lasts for three days and has some interesting events like boat racing, elaborately designed boat parades, fireworks.

Mostly through the year, the Tonle Sap flows into the Mekong River. But as the rainy season arrives, the Mekong River swells up and now water flows in the opposite direction that is from Mekong River to Tonle Sap. The end of the rainy season brings back things to normal. Tonle Sap is the lifeline of Cambodia and the festival is a way to thank the river for its generosity. Millions of Cambodians from all over the country gather at the river banks to participate in this colorful festival.

Preparations for this annual event take place all year round. Around 400 long boats and more than 25,000 rowers participate in the event. The boats are beautifully decorated and brightly colored and can be as long as 30 meters. On the first two days of this three day festival, only two boats can race at a time. On the third day, all boats make a dash towards the finishing line. During the racing event the air rings with encouraging words as people cheer their favorite boat. Other events are a parade of spectacularly lit boats down the stream, carnivals, musical extravaganza, folk dances and lots and lots of food stalls. Salutations to the full moon to ensure a good harvest next year and finally the midnight celebrations at the temples. People gather at the temples to eat a meal of fried rice mixed with banana and coconut.

All schools, colleges and businesses are closed for this festival.

Guru Nanak’s Birthday

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in Nankana a small village some 40 miles from Lahore the provincial capital of Punjab, Pakistan. Although according to the Hindu calendar his birthday falls on 14th April, it is celebrated in November in accordance with the Gregorian calendar.

Sikhism is based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and the 9 other gurus that followed him. The Sikh festivals mostly revolve around the birth celebrations of its gurus and are known as GurPurabs. Basically the birthdays of all the Gurus are celebrated in the same way only the hymns are different. These birth celebrations last for three days.

Millions of Sikhs all over the world celebrate the GurPurab with religious fervor. The celebrations begin with Akhand Path the continuous recitation of Guru Granth the Sikh Holy Book. The recitation occurs without break for 48 hours. A team of men and women carry out the recitations for 2-3 hours each and so the process continues for till the dawn of the birthday itself. A day prior to the birthday, a procession is taken out in which the Guru Granth is carried over a float bedecked with flowers. Five men representing the Panj Piaray (the five beloved) lead the procession carrying the Sikh flag the Nishan Sahib. They are accompanied by musicians and singers singing religious songs. During the festivals the worship places of the Sikhs the Gurdwaras are illuminated and adorned with flowers, flags and banners. The big day commences with the sinning of the morning hymns known as the Asadi Var. These are followed by the Keertas the musical recital of the hymns from Guru Granth. In the end lectures on Sikhism called Kathas are delivered and poems praising Guru Nanak are also recited.

A lunch organized by volunteers is served in the afternoon. The recitation of hymns continues till evening and the festivities usually end with a display of fireworks.