Festivals are born from religious beliefs, historical events, food and recipes, music and dance, etc.
The world is blessed with diverse festivals, and it would be a waste not to visit at least two (2) festivals in a lifetime.
This blog post lists 10 of the world's most popular festivals.
It is the most attended carnival in the world, hence the name; "The Greatest Show on Earth."
The Rio Carnival is a significant Catholic tradition that signals Lent's start starts on Friday until Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
The Calabar Carnival is, undoubtedly, the most attended and longest tourism event in Africa. It attracts over two million tourists from over 25 countries yearly. It was started in 2004 by the then Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke.
1st –10th December is Millennium Week,
12th–17th December is Sports Week,
19th–24th December is the TINAPA Family Festival,
25th–31st December is Carnival Week.
The Calabar carnival festival kicks off officially with a tree-lightening ceremony. The carnival is packed with events such as musical entertainment, street parties, art shows, food competitions, an esteemed essay writing competition, masque events, and traditional dances.
This festival of lights is celebrated to mark the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. It is interpreted differently across the various communities in India.
It usually takes place between mid-October and mid-November and is celebrated by several religions across India and beyond.
Lit lanterns and lamps called diyas, parades, live music, fireworks, and the exchange of gifts and sweets, characterize this festival.
Holi festival, also called the festival of love, is another festival to look out for in India.
Also, the Day of the Dead festival is famous for being a time for families to remember and pray for their dead relatives. It is celebrated between 31st October and 2nd November.
Altars known as ofrendas are constructed in public spaces and private homes and are often richly decorated with pumpkins, candles, and sugar skulls to welcome home the spirits of loved ones. Some cities, notably Oaxaca, also host costumed parades.
At dusk, families gather at gravesides, where they feast, tell stories, sing, and celebrate.
It is celebrated to mark the start of Holy Week; it features giant floats with enormous statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, wafting incense, and sumptuous costumes.
It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday. It is celebrated by lining street after street with intricately hand-made woven flower carpets, brightly dyed sawdust, and palm fronds. It is truly an unforgettable celebration.
The Obon Festival is a three-day Japanese festival held in August where they commemorate their ancestors. This year's celebration took place between 13-16th August.
It's celebrated through Bon Odori folk dances, seasonal cuisine, and the lighting of bonfires.
It's a time in Japan when people reunite to visit family graves and make food offerings at temples and shrines.
At the end of the festival, communities gather around lakes and rivers to float paper lanterns that help guide their relatives back to the spirit world.
Notting Hill Carnival takes place on the last weekend of August, to be held on 28th August this year. Notting Hill Carnival was first held in 1966 and has become one of the biggest street festivals in Europe.
It celebrates the rich history of Caribbean culture in London. The carnival features a parade with elaborate floats and colorful, costumed performers, masquerades and spectators dance to steel bands and calypso music.
It occurs on the first Sunday of September every year, along the most enchanting canal in Venice- The Grand Canal.
It is a unique and exciting way to get in touch with the spirit of this ancient city and one of its best-known traditions: Venetian rowing.
The Regata Storica comprises two events: the historical parade with numerous boats rowing on the Grand Canal and the competitive regattas.
Krampusnacht is one of the most exciting things Christmas brings. It is celebrated throughout Central Europe around December.
The Krampusnacht Festival celebrates an animalistic demon believed to originate from pagan nature spirits from pre-Christian times that the Catholic Church demonized. It has flaming eyes, matted fur, and horns.
Some say he is an assistant to Santa. As Santa rewards the good kids, he slaps people and kidnaps children in a large sack or casket so they can later drown or eat them.
Australians have dedicated a day to celebrating this demon with parades that turn into a full-blown festival.
Burning Man started in 1986 when two friends assembled an 8-foot-tall makeshift wooden figure and dragged it to San Francisco's Baker Beach on the Summer Solstice.
It is an event focused on community service, gifting, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States.
This year's celebration will start on 28th August and end on 5th September. You can make it a date.
This is just to mention a few. There are countless festivals taking place in the world yearly. There are lovely places in the world that get even more beautiful during festivities. Make it a desire to see at least one of these festivals around you.
Other festivals include The Calgary Stampede, Harbin International ice and snow sculpture festival in China, La Tomatina in Spain, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Maslenitsa Festival of Russia, among others.
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