Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival

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.

Tasty Trelawny Yam Festival

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.

San Marcos Fair Mexico

The city of Aguascalientes in Mexico celebrates the San Marcos Fair every year in April. The festival lasts for three weeks, starting from the second week of April till the first week of May.

Originated as a grape harvest celebration in the 1800s, the Fair has evolved into a frenzy of activities. The venue of the fair is the San Marcos Park constructed on the site donated by the church. A beautiful pink stone balustrade was built outside the San Marcos Park in 1842 which has been preserved well by the locals and has retained much of its previous glory.

The main attractions of the festival are cockfights and the Mexican style bullfights. These are followed by concerts held by pop stars. Although gambling is illegal in Mexico, during these three weeks long festival, you can gamble in a casino downtown Aguascalientes. There are also various stalls which sell edibles, toys, and handicrafts. You can even get your fortune told at the fair. Games both for kids and adults also attract many people. No festival is complete without a beauty pageant and the San Marcos Fair is no exception; here too, you will find a fair maiden crowned as the “Queen of the Fair”. Spectacular parades, showcasing the culture of the city, are also a part of this festival. It is also the time to honor the youth and the ceremony for the National Award for Youth Art also takes place during the fair. Other events include a livestock fair and charades, the Mexican rodeo.

The Fair attracts a large number of people from Mexico and abroad.

Seville’s April Fair: Relive the Spanish Past

La Feria de Abril or Seville’s April Fair is held in the city of Seville. Seville is more popular for its oranges and Islamic architecture. The Fair commences on a Tuesday at midnight two weeks after Easter and continues till the midnight of the following Sunday. The fair started off in 1847 as a cattle market and is now a colorful extravaganza attracting over a million visitors both local and foreign. This festival is mainly about ongoing flamenco performances, bull fights and a free supply of Tapas.

The main event takes place at Real de La Feria where a thousand marquees known as “casetes” in Spanish are setup. The “casetes” are tastefully decorated with multi colored paper lantern which present a pretty picture when lit up at night.

Most of the casetes are owned by local families, businesses, clubs, and societies and admission is strictly on invitation only. Here guests are entertained with food, Flamenco performances and free flowing “tapas” as Spanish drink. There are some public casetes as well set up by the city council. The ladies of Seville dressed in pretty flamenco outfits roam around the town and the men in their riding gear strut about on horses. Every day at noon, a procession, “Paseo de Caballos”, is taken out in which girls dressed as Flamenco dancers ride through the city in beautiful carriages. The bull fights take place later in the evening at Plaza de Toros de Masetranza. Other amusements, like rides and games for families, are also arranged in a ground adjacent to the main venue of the fair.

If you happen to be in Spain in April, do visit Seville and feel the real spirit of Spain.

Chilim Jusht

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.

Anastenaria

The Anastenaria is another festival with deep pagan roots blended with Christian rituals. The Christian Orthodox festivals revolve around various Christian saints; the Anastenaria Festival is celebrated in some villages of Greece and Bulgaria to honor Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. A popular legend associated with its origin is that once the church caught fire with the saints trapped in it. Some brave locals on hearing the cries for help of the saints, rushed into the burning building to rescue the reverend saints. The blazing fire did not harm the locals and from that day onwards, a festival is held in which the devotees walk on burning coals.

Anastenaria is celebrated in May and dancing, music, animal sacrifice and walking on fire are the main rituals of the festival. The participants gather in a special building or a room called Konaki where the icons of the saints are placed along with other objects considered sacred. The festival commences with dancing; some devotees get so involved in the dancing that it seems as if they are in a trance. On the 21st of May, the participants march towards a holy well to be blessed by the holy water. Next ritual is the animal sacrifice; the meat is later distributed among the villagers. Then a bed of burning coals is prepared and devotees dance around it. Some of them even run barefoot on the hot coals carrying the icons. The festival lasts for three days and ends with a private fire walking ritual.

The Procession of the Snake Catchers

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.

Festival of Sant Jordi at Mont Blanc

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.Festival of Sant Jordi at Mont Blanc is truly romantic. 

Songkran: The Buddhist New Year

Songkran is the Buddhist New Year celebrated in Thailand in the month of April. Thais have a unique way of celebrating this festival, they spray water everywhere and on everyone!

Songkran lasts for three days during which life comes to a standstill as all the businesses, government offices, schools etc are closed and those working in other cities return to their native towns to celebrate the New Year.

Water holds great significance and is considered a purifier which washes away misfortunes and bad luck. The houses are thoroughly cleaned before Songkran. People go to temples where the images of Buddha are bathed by pouring scented water from silver bowls. After that it is water splashing time as young, old, priests, policemen, locals and foreigners are sprayed with water. You can see people armed with water guns, spray guns, hoses, bottles etc throwing water on each other. This activity continues from dawn to dusk.

Besides merry making, there is a sober side to the festival as well. Thai youngsters sprinkle water onto the hands of their elders (parents and grandparents) as a mark of reverence. The elders in turn bless them and wish them prosperity and good health. Monks are also presented with new robes.

A Miss Songkran Beauty Contest and colorful parades are also a part of the festival.

Hina Matsuri: The Japanese Doll Festival

Every year on 3rd March, the Japanese celebrate the Hina Matsuri or the Doll Festival. Also known as the girls’ day, people all over Japan pray for the health happiness and prosperity of the girls.

This century’s old tradition is based on the belief that dolls could carry away the bad omens, sickness, evil spirits and troubles which could befall on the little ladies. The dolls are displayed in houses, streets, shrines and even stations. A traditional Hina doll set comprises of 15 dolls arranged in seven tiers on a red carpet or red silk. The dolls are attired in ancient royal costumes. The uppermost tier holds the emperor and the empress. The 2nd one displays three ladies in waiting. Five musicians are on the third tier. Two ministers occupy the fourth level. The lower levels belong to the retainers and guards. Articles of use such as furniture, utensils etc are also displayed on the lower tiers.

After the display, the dolls are released in a river so that they take away with them all the troubles and ailments. A popular superstition among the Japanese is that if the dolls are displayed for more than three days, the girls will face problems in getting married. Special food like rice cakes and non alcoholic wine are prepared and served on this festival.

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