Worldwide Festivals

Saint Anthony the Abbot or Sant Antoni lived in Egypt during the 3rd century AD. He was born into noble and rich Christian family. Yet when he was 20, he read a biblical passage that inspired him to dispose all his riches in order to embrace the ascetic life. His pious and holy life attracted many devotees and followers. After which, he proceeded to found two monasteries near the Nile river. Considered as the father of monasticism, Sant Antoni died at the age of 105 and his feast day is celebrated every 17th of January.

The most colorful and popular festival celebrated in honor of the saint is found in Mallorca, Spain. During the eve of his feast, hundreds of bonfires called as "foguerons" are lit. A tree is usually place amidst the flames thus representing the purification of life. During the night several people dress themselves as devils headed by Lucifer. Amidst songs and dances everywhere, these characters dressed in the most fantastic and frightening costumes portray the temptations of Sant Antoni and his triumph over them. During the drama, the devils attempt to throw the saint into the fire yet end up unsuccessful.

I bet you're familiar with the saying that goes, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Am I right? Well, it is true for some situations. However, I do know a thing or two that's going to happen in Vegas. But, it does not necessarily mean that it's going to stay there. In fact, you can remember the event for quite some time. I am talking about the Country LifeStyle Festival.

The said event will be held on May 12 through 14 in 2006. Around a hundred and fifty booths offering country style f living -- great music, products, and heritage will grace the event. Also, several music and dance competitions, seminars, and workshops will keep the guests and participants of the said event entertained. A bunch of swell prizes are in store for the lucky participants.

Lastly, everyone is sure to enjoy the event -- young and old alike. The organizers of the event have included a couple of clowns, balloonists, and even face painters to visit the event. In this way, you are assured that both you and you're kids will have a grand time in Vegas. Now, who says that Vegas was just for adults?

Beer - now that's something worth dying for, you know, and, just like any self-respecting beer-lover, one must tread deep and dark roads to Munich for the divine Octoberfest. The baptismal of fire, though in this case, beer, and who the hell said that getting drunk isn't part of a healthy lifestyle?!

So that's what I just did - I packed my bags, armed myself with my high-tech electronic gadgets, forwarded my resignation to my boss, and went my way to better golden pastures. At first, I thought I was lost, definitely lost, for I found no drunks in sight at the revered Munich grounds. At this time of the year, there should literally be hundreds, no - thousands, of drunks littered on the grounds of Munich, being merry and everything, you know.

So I called the cops, and asked what the hell was this all about - only a small group of people, even Germans I think, about five men and two women, and they were not even drunk enough to justify the sanctity of the Munich grounds at this time of the year! But, I got the shock of my life when I was told that the feast always starts on either the second or third week of September, and not on the actual month! No, never again would I make a mistake so undeniably stupid - never again!

Corpus Christi is the most important and most solemn religious celebration in Spain as well as in other Catholic nations around the world. This is due to the fact that the feast honors no other than the body of Christ himself. The real presence of Christ in the host is explained by the doctrine of transubstantiation, which affirms the Christian faith that the host is transformed into the true and real flesh of Christ during the consecration of the mass.

Corpus Christi is celebrated on the 9th week after Easter. The grandest festivals are held in Valencia, Toledo, Granada, and Barcelona. The Corpus Christi celebration in Valencia is particularly famous for its colorful processions and Baroque floats that date back to the 17th century. La Moma is a popular figure during the processions since it represents the human virtue that struggles against the seven capital sins.

Meanwhile, in Tenerife, the towns of La Oratava and La Laguna compete with each other for the splendor of their celebrations. Here, the routes of the processions are lined with beautiful decorations. In fact, the streets where the processions pass are fully carpeted with floral designs. Such gesture manifest the deep reverence people have for Christ who passes along the floral streets.

The thought of religious festivals may bring us to the most popular and colorful festivities worldwide especially those that trace their roots from the far away land of Spain. Remarkably, such events have never lost their profound meaning and reverence while they blended with the modern times and commercialization. While the significance of these spiritual events are unquestionable, some of the most important religious activities though are those that are neither popularized nor advertised by the media.

Perhaps, the quiet and often daily processions held in the peaceful town of Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains are among the most profound religious activities in the world. More than a century ago, on the 11th of February the Blessed Virgin Mary started appearing to a young girl named Bernadette. During the series of 18 apparitions that culminated on the 16th of July, Virgin Mary asked for the conversion of sinners and requested the construction of an shrine or a church that would accommodate pilgrimages from the various parts of the world. That marked the birth of pilgrimages that have poured to small town of Lourdes since then.

The hundreds of masses and processions held yearly at Lourdes may not be as grand, colorful, and popular like the other religious festivals. Yet they never lack meaning and profundity, which is precisely why they never cease to attract millions of pilgrims the whole year round. Neither the scorching heat of summer nor the freezing cold of winter prevent the people from flocking to Lourdes. Until today, the quiet grotto at Massabielle continues to welcome pilgrims serving as a center for prayer, conversion, and spiritual healing.

The Fallas festival is among the most popular celebrations in Spain. The event takes place between March 15 to 19 in Valencia, a lovely city lying in the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Las Fallas, probably, is the noisiest of all the festivities in the Iberian country. During the week-long festival, bonfires are lit on the streets and colorful fireworks fill the night sky.

As such, Valencia, which is a tranquil and quiet city turns into a lively place as thousands of people from various parts of Spain including foreigners flock the city in order to witness and join in the street celebration. The people especially the women wear their most beautiful costumes. The streets reverberate with the sound of music and the noise of dancing people.

Why is the festival called "Las Fallas?" Well, "fallas" actually refer to the huge papier mache figures created and displayed during the entire festival. The giant figures resemble popular characters around the world from famous people to cartoon characters. These colorful and huge figures are displayed for five days in the city before they are finally burnt on March 19, the feast St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. So that explains it all since setting up the huge papier mache figures involve plenty of carpentry work.

I believe that every one should pay due respect to all sorts of religions and to the people who believe in those faiths. Lately, I have been going to various places for business purposes. But, if I still find time for a leisure trip, I make it to a point that I visit famous landmarks. In one instance, I happen to visit Bahrain in Asia. On the same day, the people are constantly reminding me to bow my head and pray to Muhammad. Politely, I inquired on the occasion. Only then did I learn that it is the birthday celebration of the Prophet.

The occasion is called Mawlid. The term simply means birthday. But, since it is the birth of Muhammad, the festivity is called Mawlidu n-Nabiy. For some our beloved Muslim brothers, the day is the most revered among any other birth dates of saints. The elders told me that the festivity has been celebrated for eight hundred years now. On the other hand, not all other Asian countries acknowledge the holy day. The reason behind this is that majority of Muslims believe that the actual idea for commemorating Mawlid rooted from Egypt where people observe the holy days of saints.

All in all, Mawlid is among the happiest celebrations I have seen. On this day, just with any other festivities, people gather together and prepare the most delectable dishes that they reserve for the annual occasion. The festivity is also the time for family reunions. It felt like Christmas. Later in the afternoon, prayers in honor of the prophet are heard all over the town.

Spain is famous worldwide for its colorful and vibrant festivals that fill up its yearlong calendar. Almost every night a city or a small "pueblo" is alive with the people's cheers and the explosion of fireworks that lit up the sky. If it's not where you stay, the fiesta is definitely somewhere else across the Iberian region.

The festival of San Juan is among the most popular celebrations in Spain. The event takes place between June 20-24 and consists of a great party of music, dancing, fireworks, and the symbolic bonfires. Most of the rituals during the festivity of San Juan are said to be pagan in origin and most of which preceded the earliest Christian celebrations in the country.

"La Noche de San Juan" (the night of St. John), which takes place on June 23, the shortest night in the northern hemisphere symbolizes to triumph of light over darkness. The rituals held during this night are basically rooted on 3 elements: sun, fire, and water. According to ancient legend, the bonfires lit during this night can cleanse both the body and soul. They say that one can transform a bad year into a good one by jumping over the bonfire three times or more.

If you're going to talk about music festivals, there's no way the Woodstock festival can't be mentioned. The Woodstock Music and Art Festival is regarded by many as the most famous and biggest rock festival to ever be held in history. It represented the counterculture of the 60's and the peak of the hippie era. The rock festival was name Woodstock because it was originally planned to be held in the town of Woodstock in Ulster County. The town didn't have any place to accommodate such a big event and it was almost cancelled. Sam Yasgur urged his father to permit the event to be held in their alfalfa field in Sullivan County. It was estimated that 500,000 people would attend the event, however the attendees exceeded the estimated number.

Woodstock is known for three days of non-stop music performances by many of the famous musical figures of the generation. Originally, it was promoted as three days of peace and music in 1969 but in 1999, it seemed that it became more of a commercial festival. A lot of musicians and fans alike frowned upon the events that took place in the latest Woodstock Festival. The price of the ticket for the festival is 150 and the prices of food are costly as well.

Concertgoers were forbidden to bring their own food and water which forced them to purchase inside. The poor sanitation, lack of food and water and an 88 degree heat became the ingredients to a volatile event. Violence ensued during the last part of the Woodstock when the Red Hot Chili Peppers attempted to perform Jimi Hendrix's "Fire". Candles were passed around to the crowd but it was used to light up bon fires. Riot ensued and two ATM's were tipped over and destroyed.

The Holy Week is the highlight of the Lenten season observed by Catholics around the world. The meaningful weeklong celebration commemorates the paschal mystery (passion, death, and resurrection) of Jesus Christ and reaches its peak during Easter Sunday. Rather than the usual festival, the Holy Week is actually a more profound and spiritual occasion where in Catholics around the world become one in reflecting the significance of the paschal mystery in their lives.

Needless to say, the Holy Week still takes the form of a popular festival due to the processions and other practices that has continued to attract Catholics as well as tourists. The best and most beautiful Holy Week celebrations are witnessed in Spain particularly in Seville, Malaga, Granada, Valladolid, Murcia, and Cartagena. During the Semana Santa thousands of local people as well as foreigners flock the "calles" in order to witness and participate in the religious celebration.

The Seville, with its splendid processions and realistic representations of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection, is the epitome of a Spanish Semana Santa. During the week long celebration, life- sized sculptures depicting the paschal mystery are paraded all throughout the "calles." Aside from those images, the "coffradias" that manage the processions are also among the main attractions of the Semana Santa in Seville.

The Lemon Festival is considered as the 2nd grandest event in the French Riviera next to the Carnival of Nice and before Monaco's formula 1 Grand Prix. The colorful festival is attended by around by hundreds of thousands of visitors. Yet their number is continuously rising every year as the celebration introduces more fun special attractions.

The Lemon Festival is one of a kind. Although the parades follow the traditional Carnival, what makes them unique and original is the use of citrus fruits in creating the best and most lovely float designs. In fact, the event has gained more popularity worldwide for exhibiting floats that themed after famous fairytales including those of Disney.

The Lemon Festival is celebrated in Menton, which is also called as "La Cite des Citrons." The city, known for producing quality lemon fruits, plays a key role in the entire region's cultivation of citrus fruits. The festival is said to have begun in the 1930's.

If religious festivals celebrate and venerate holy religious relics, secular festivals glorify human achievements. Some of the secular festivals celebrate historic events such as revolutions. Secular festivals also celebrate the life and achievements of great men such as composers, conquerors, and scientists. The great thing that I enjoy about secular festivals is the freedom to express yourself to be creative. Musical festivals, for instance, create a venue for musicians to showcase their talents.

If you are a science buff like me, you will indeed be interested in attending a science festival. When I was studying in Britain, I attended the Edinburgh Science Festival. Although I was not a direct participant, I was one of those curious students. The science exhibits by some students were pretty much the routine basic science projects that cover electronics, chemistry, physics, and biology.

However, there were some very impressive projects that may someday become part of mainstream technology. Aside from the entry exhibits, there were lectures and science demonstrations about everyday phenomenon. The Edinburgh Science Festival is not intended for the scientists, but rather it is intended for the common people who have very little background in science.

Italy is famous not only for its grand architecture. Italy is also famous for the churches housing holy Christian relics. Although the historical validity of these relics is still questionable, people believe that these relics are sacred and miraculous. Many churches in Italy are proud to own a portion of vestment or bones of a particular saint. Some churches even claim to possess the actual blood of Christ. Italy is predominantly Catholic. Hence, it is not surprising why many of its festivals are religiously motivated.

One of the most important religious and historic festivals in Italy is Pentecost Celebration. The Day of Pentecost is a Christian celebration with Jewish background. Pentecost celebration is actually derived from the Jewish Shavuot festival. The day of the Pentecost is the commemoration of the bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other early Christian contemporaries of the Apostles.

The celebration of the Pentecost is held every fiftieth day after Easter. The whole account of the Pentecost can be found in the book of Acts in the New Testament. This year’s celebration of the Pentecost in Rome will be held on June 5th to 9th.

Catholic Italy does not have the monopoly of religious festivals in Europe. Historic Scandinivian countries such as Norway have their own particular brand of religious festivals. If Great Britain has Saint George, Norway has Saint Olav. Saint Olav was actually a warrior monarch of Norway who was converted to Christianity.

There are few historical records about this king-saint. Some records portray him as a brutal king who only used Christianity for selfish reasons in enhancing his political career. However, some documents recount his martyrdom and piety.

The festival of St. Olav is both a cultural and religious event held in Trondheim, Norway, every July 29. The celebration lasts for more than one week. The festival is comprised of at least 150 events that include recitals, opera, fair, exhibits, pilgrimage, lectures, and activities for children. The events are held in the public arenas. However, the main arenas are located in the Nidanos cathedral and the palace of the Archbishop. The festival is a traditional commemoration of the life and death of St. Olav. Its colorful events attract tourists and pilgrims every year. Last year’s celebration set a record of 300 events.

The traditions of the Holy Roman Apostolic and Catholic Church are the conglomeration of ancient pagan rituals and Christian faith. One pagan practice incorporated in the faith is the veneration of relics, statues, and images. The hierarchy of the clergy is also patterned on the bureaucratic organizational structure of the ancient Roman Empire.

One of the titles of the pope is Pontifex Maximus, the highest priesthood office of ancient Rome. The Roman emperor later adopted this title. Most Catholic festivals are also held to replace the former pagan festivals.

The celebration of Christmas, for instance, in December 25 is actually the former pagan festival of the Roman sun god, Mithra. Christmas celebration around the world is heavily influenced by Italian religious traditions. Italians open their gifts on the morning of Christmas, just after eating their lunch. The children, on the other hand, receive a stocking full of candies during the celebration of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 6 as an extension of Christmas. However, the Italian gift-giver is not Santa Claus, but a kind witch named La Befana. Meanwhile, in other regions, Santa Lucia is the bringer of gifts.

All Catholics all over the world commemorated the Passion of Christ during the holy week. This is the Lent season's last week. The Catholic Church's influence marked and will continue to shape our ever-changing world history.

The reason why Catholics celebrate the holy week is to relive, reenact, and take part in the sufferings of the Lord. The theme and the mode of celebration are usually similar for both the eastern and western churches except for certain days because the eastern believers utilize the Julian Calendar. What counts a lot is the memory and the sacrifices that the Lord has made in order to save mankind from the fires of hell.

The holy week is religiously celebrated especially in predominantly Catholic countries like beautiful Spain, Italy, and the Philippines. The celebration starts on Holy Monday, followed by the Holy Tuesday and Wednesday. Holy Thursday is the communion's institution and Judas' betrayal of Jesus. Good Friday is the suffering, the death, and the burial of the Lord. The Holy Saturday is called Sabbath day because Jesus took a rest in his tomb. Then, the Eastern Sunday is the resurrection of the Lord.

If an event is happening in the historic Cologne City, it has to be on a grand scale. The spirit of cooperation among the citizens of Cologne is the main reason for the colorful and fabulous festivities. The festivals of Cologne have both religious and historical implications.

The people of Cologne have always been vivacious even during ancient Roman times. Cologne became part of the Roman territories in the year 50 A.D. The city became a Christian diocese as early as 313 A.D. when a bishop of Cologne was elected.

The Cologne Carnival is held annually every November. Street parties and fairs highlight the carnival festivities. This carnival can be traced back to the Middle Ages when it was celebrated as a harvest festivity. During the week-long celebration, the people of Cologne act out their craziest antics. Some even assume different identities. The carnival is officially opened each year on the 11th day of the 11th month. The prelude activities to the climax of the carnival include procession of different colorful floats, representing the various schools and city boroughs. The kilometer-long parade also includes giant puppets and effigies.

Boston, Massachusetts is celebrating the yearly New England Folk Festival, a festival for traditional music and dance. A lot of volunteered individuals perform in the festival, and participated with people who love to dance, sing, jam, and do other exciting festival activities. Mary Gillete spearheaded a vision that the dance, crafts and songs of ethnic groups of New England can be shared and be presented for some audience.

In 1944, Mary Gillette, Ralph Page and Grace Palmer were the parents of the concept. A simple chat at Boston YWCA was resulted to a big folk festival. This idea became an interest of many, until Philip Sharples, founder of Belmont Country Dance Group, tied-up with Mary and Ralph to call other leaders to discuss the idea over. A lot of recreation organizations and some ethnic group representatives were sent to discuss further the concept for more vivid vision.

The committee decided to retain the atmosphere of a non-commercialism fair with high standard of authencity and quality performance. The opening festival was held on October 28 to 29, 1944; attended by some 200 people.

The famous German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, established his musical career in Vienna, Austria, but he was born in Bonn, Germany. This is not surprising considering that Vienna was a center of the musical arts in the European continent. Nonetheless, the formative childhood years of Ludwig were spent in Bonn. His father was his first piano teacher. The ambition of his father was to develop Ludwig’s talent as a musical prodigy. Ludwig gave his first public performance in Bonn when he was just eight years old. It was his first step to worldwide fame.

Today, the city of Bonn honors Beethoven by the yearly Beethoven Festival. The festival can actually be traced back as far as 1845. The first music festival in honor of Beethoven was three-day event that took place during the inauguration of monument on his 75th birthday. However, the modern Beethoven Festival started in 1998 when the Internationale Beethovenfeste Bonn GmbH was founded.

Since then, approximately 50 annual concert performances are rendered by international orchestras. Quartets and soloists also perform in the annual festival. New compositions are also played in the festival.

Barcelona is one of the historic Spanish cities with rich culture. The origin of Barcelona can be traced back as far as 230 B.C. with a settlement founded by the Carthaginians. The city has been invaded by different cultures such as the Visigoths and the Muslims.

However, the dominant people in Barcelona are the Catalans. The Catalans are the direct descendants of the French who invaded the city in the year 801 A.D. Hence, the closest linguistic relative of the Catalan language is the old language used in southern France.

Although Barcelona City was once ruled by the Muslims, the city is still dominantly Catholic. Roman Catholic traditions are deeply rooted in its festival celebrations. One of the most popular festivals in Barcelona is the Fiesta de la Merce. This festival includes many exciting activities that last for several days. The activities eventually culminate in the 24th of September with excellent firework displays. The activities include sport events and boat race. Parades and dances also highlight the occasion. The public squares are the common venues for dances and parades. Music and revelries echo throughout Barcelona for almost a week in Honor of the city’s patron saint, the Virgin de la Merce.

Heidelberg is one of the historic German cities that directly developed from medieval civilization. It is home to the oldest educational institution in Germany, the University of Heidelberg. This university is founded in 1386. On the other hand, the city itself was first mentioned in historical documents in 1196. Prominently standing in the city is a ruin of a medieval castle or rather castles. Heidelberg Castle ruin is actually a complex of many buildings. The first building was erected by Prince Elector Ruprecht III as his personal residence.

This castle ruin is also the center of an annual festival dubbed as Heidelberg Castle Festival. Each summer, the festival is highlighted by classic operetta and stage drama presentations. The Heidelberg Castle Festival is a celebration of classical music and theatre arts. It has an ambience of intimacy. The participants and audience are limited because of the space restriction.

Tickets are usually issued on a first-come-first-serve basis. The courtyard of the castle is the main center for the festival celebration. The regular feature of the festival is the famous musical, “The Student Prince”, written by Sigmund Romberg.

The historic Munich City is famous for many historical landmarks such as the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), a twin-towered cathedral built from 1468 to 1488. Munich is also showcase a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, the St. Michael’s Church. You can also find different castles in Munich such as the Amalienburg and the Nymphenburg. Munich also has some world-class museums such as the Old Pinakothek and the Bavarian National Museum.

However, Munich is really a world-renowned place for Oktoberfest festival. Just imagine six million liters of beer. This is enough to fill a small lake or pour a glass for every person in Germany. This is the total average consumption of beer during the annual celebration of the Oktoberfest. You may say that Oktoberfest is a German orgy for drinking beer.

The Munich Oktoberfest is not complete without the voluptuous Bavarian waitresses clad in traditional costumes. Each waitress can carry 22 liters of beer at a time, the equivalent of 66 bottles of 12-ounce beer. The Oktoberfest was first held in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig, the king of Bavaria, and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hindenburghausen.

The success of the Japanese film, "Rashomon", which bagged the Best Picture Award in the 1951 Venice International Film Festival, opened the door for the yearly Asia-Pacific Film Festival. The victory called for movie producers from different countries to establish an alliance that would promote the produced Asian films, especially in the eastern region.

The vision aims to attract the country members to exchange and share their respective cultures through film productions. The Philippines hosted the first conference of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia in 1953. The said meeting was attended by delegates from 7 Asian countries, such as Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand. They agreed to have a health film competition among the members. And so, in 1954, the first Asian Film Festival was born, and Japan became its first host.

After the success of the said project, more countries from Pacific and other parts of Asia were encouraged to join. Thus, the call for the federation was changed to Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific, and the festival named as the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. Now, the federation has 14 members, and each country has the opportunity to host the event.

The Chelsea Flower Show in London is perhaps the greatest annual flower festival in the whole European continent. This festival the Great Britain dominion is already on its 83rd year of existence. The Chelsea Flower Show was organized in 1913 by the royal Horticultural Society.

However, the flower exhibition in London city has a long history and can be traced back as far as 144 years. The first flower show was called the Royal Horticultural Society’s Great Spring Show. This was first held in 1862 at the RHS garden in Kensington in 1862. In 1888, when RHS garden was closed, the show was moved to Temple Gardens near the Embankment. This garden became the home of the show until 1911.

The Temple Gardens show was cancelled in 1912 to make way for the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. Sir Harry Veitch secured the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea for the event. The Great Spring Show was moved in Chelsea in 1913. The show was held there almost annually until the present day. The Chelsea Flower show gained international prominence. Each year, garden designers from all around the world compete for space in the Chelsea show.

La Tomatina Festival in Spain is probably one of the most unique festivals around the world. It is notorious for being the world’s largest vegetable fight. Imagine hundreds of ripe tomatoes being thrown at people with no holds barred and yet they enjoy it, some go even to the extent of wearing tomato clothing.

The Tomatina Festival is held in the little town of Buñol in Eastern Spain every last Wednesday of August. It was in 1944 that the first Tomatina Festival was held in honor of the town’s patron saint. Buñol sure has a lot of tomatoes because they do it once a year ever since. You would wonder why these people love hurling tomatoes at each other. The reason is just for the heck of it. The only rule is to throw nothing but ripe tomatoes. The tomato battle is the culmination of a week-long celebration full of festivities and merry-making.

Buñol can be accessed through train and bus. The town is pretty small so it will be very helpful for vacationers who would want to spend a week of fun tomato fight to nice hotel arrangements beforehand in neighboring towns.