TOP 10 Festivals and Holidays in the World

You dream of faraway, exotic travels? Check if you have a chance to visit a fascinating festival or take part in the celebration of a special holiday! After all, traveling is not only a chance to see amazing landscapes and get a fantastic tan, but also to get to know a foreign culture. We have prepared a ranking of the 10 most interesting festivals in the world for you. 

DIWALI - INDIA

Diwali, one of the most important Hindu holidays, falls in autumn, at the turn of October and November. Its dates are set by the traditional lunar calendar, so you need to check when exactly it falls if you want to see it with your own eyes. The holiday is associated with various traditions. One of them says that it commemorates the victorious return of Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana and an incarnation of the god Vishnu, to his kingdom, after defeating the demon Ravana and rescuing his wife Sita from his hands. According to another tradition, Diwali celebrates the victory of Krishna, also an incarnation of Vishnu, over the demon Narakasura. In West Bengal, on the other hand, the powerful goddess Kali is worshipped. The celebrations of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, last for 5 days. However, the most important and spectacular day is the third one. It is then that Lakshmi Puja, a ceremony for Vishnu's wife, falls. The generous goddess ensures happiness and prosperity, which is why the faithful wash her image and make generous offerings of flowers, fruits, milk and clarified butter. In the evening, thousands of Hindus take to the streets with small, butter lamps symbolizing the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. The sky is lit up by thousands of fireworks, and joyful singing can be heard all around.

When? October or November

How long? 5 days

Where? Indie

Sample program: Rajasthan, mystical Varanasi and the unknown Andamans

Diwali

HOLI - INDIA  

Who wouldn't like to forget about the world for a while, go out into the streets and immerse yourself in crazy fun? If you visit Indie at the turn of February and March, you have a chance to see Holi – one of the most spectacular holidays in the world. During it, the arrival of spring is celebrated, as well as – depending on local tradition – various mythological events. Holi is celebrated especially loudly in the north of the country. Indians take to the streets there and throw colored powders and water at each other. Colorful, dancing parades traverse the city and engage every passer-by they meet. The celebration lasts all day!. Although Holi is also celebrated in the south, there is no custom of throwing powders at each other. If you want to see Holi during holidays in India, so go to the north of the country and check when exactly it falls. Its date is also determined by the traditional lunar calendar. 

When? February/March

How long? about 4 days

Where? northern India and Goa, West Bengal, Manipur, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh

Sample program: Goa Beaches and Majestic Rajasthan

Holi

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS – MEXICO

All Saints' Day is a rather unusual time for vacation in mexico. In our tradition, it is associated with sadness, contemplation and seriousness. In Mexico, however, it is a much more joyful time. Houses are decorated with garlands of juicy orange marigolds, and the whole celebration is accompanied by humorous, colorful ornamentation full of cheerful skulls. Shop windows are filled with sweets in the shapes of skulls, coffins and graves. Just like in our country, the most important part of the Day of the Dead is a visit to the cemetery. However, Mexicans throw a real feast on the graves. They bring specially prepared dishes and alcohol there and feast. Although the holiday currently has a Christian dimension, it is associated with old beliefs, according to which the dead descend to earth on this day. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated most pompously in the south of the country. There is a tradition here of creating special altars for the dead. In their center is a photo of the deceased. They are usually colorfully, even garishly decorated. If you happen to be in Mexico City during All Souls' Day, you can go to a parade where participants dressed as colorfully dressed skeletons have fun and dance. Interestingly, this is a very new tradition. The parade first appeared in the film Spectre from 2015. Due to the great popularity of the next installment of the James Bond adventures, the city authorities decided to make it an annual event.

When? November 1st and 2nd

How long? 2 days

Where? Meksyk

Sample program: Pacific Beaches and Mexican Culture

Day of the Dead

CARNIVAL IN RIO - BRAZIL

 When to go holidays to Brazil, if not during Carnival? This is one of the most famous events in the world! Who hasn't heard of the colorful parade, extravagant costumes and the sounds of samba echoing in the streets? Preparations for Carnival last almost the entire year. Four days before Ash Wednesday, the city turns into one big party. The most famous is the parade of samba schools on a specially prepared area called the sambadrome. It is the largest catwalk in the world, along which the largest parade in the world walks. 14 of the best samba schools from all over the country take part in them. All of them compete in fancy, colorful costumes and spectacular choreographies. Each of them is accompanied by a band of 200 to 400 drummers. However, it is not only the sambadrome, but the entire city that dances to the rhythms of samba. The streets and beaches of Rio have an all-night party, to which the party on the sambadrome is only an addition. The so-called banda, or dance groups. They are led by musicians and singers, followed by dancers and finally, anyone who wants to join them. If you decide to go on holiday to Brazil during Carnival, you can expect fun, singing and dancing until dawn!

When? February/March

How long? 5 days

Where? Brazil – Rio de Janeiro

Sample program: Brazil at its best

Carnival in Rio

LANTERN FESTIVAL – THAILAND

Thailand is undoubtedly one of the most popular destinations exotic vacation. Remember, however, that this country has much more to offer than fabulous beaches. Holidays in Thailand it is also an opportunity to get to know the fascinating culture of this country. If you go here in November, you have a chance to see Loy Krathong, the so-called Lantern Festival. It is celebrated most spectacularly in November. On this day, small rafts decorated with colorful flowers, candles and incense sticks are launched onto the river. In the evening, thousands of paper lanterns rise to the sky. Both the lanterns and the rafts are supposed to take away bad luck and all misfortunes. Thais also light small candles, similar to those lit by Indians during Diwali. No wonder - the Thai festival has its roots in India. The holiday is accompanied by parades and entertainment in the streets.

When? usually in November

How long? 1 Day

Where? Thailand (including Sukothai, Chiang Mai)

Sample program: Ethnic minorities in the north and paradise beaches in the south

BURNING MAN – USA 

Every year, in early September, a surreal city is created in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, with a giant effigy in its center. At the culmination of the festival, the effigy is burned. This is a relatively new event – ​​the first Burning Man festival took place in 1982. It is not clear why the burning effigy is the main motif here. One theory is that one of the organizers wanted to symbolically come to terms with the past after his girlfriend dumped him, another is that it was inspired by the film Cult. Festival participants create their own city in the desert. It is filled with surreal constructions, traversed by futuristic, fantastic vehicles and has specific rules. Festival participants try to express themselves as best they can, also through strange, abstract, sometimes fairy-tale costumes. The idea of ​​the event is also the greatest possible mutual integration and "living in the moment". Although it is not a music festival, you will hear the best DJs from around the world and meet the biggest stars. Burning Man is undoubtedly a great idea for an unusual vacation in the USA.

When? first Monday in September

How long? 8 days

Where? USA – Black Rock City (Nevada)

Sample program: soon

REGGAE SUMFEST – JAMAICA

Want to relax on Caribbean beaches and meet the world's biggest reggae stars at the same time? Go on holiday to Jamaica in July! Since 1993, Montego Bay has been hosting the world's biggest reggae festival. The biggest stars of reggae, dancehall, R&B and rap come here. For three days, the entire area will be immersed in the rhythms of music from the biggest artists from around the world. And on top of that, it's the perfect opportunity to see this fascinating country. Jamaica enchants with its paradise beaches, tropical jungles and fairy-tale landscapes. In addition, the waters surrounding it hide real treasures, in the form of a coral reef and its colorful inhabitants. Jamaica It also delights with a relaxed atmosphere, which can be best felt when listening to the sounds of reggae.

When? from mid to late July

How long? 3 days

Where? Jamaica - Montego Bay

Sample program: Miami Beaches and Dancing Jamaica

Reggae Sumfest

INCWALA – ESWATINI

In time travel to South Africa It is worth visiting the tiny state of Eswatini (until recently Swaziland). This small state borders with South Africa and Mozambique. It is an absolute monarchy. In 2018, the monarch changed the official name of the state from Swaziland to Eswatini. If you go there in December, you have a chance to see the largest cultural event in the country. It takes place around the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere (at that time in Poland the winter solstice occurs). Preparations for the festival, called the small incwala, begin in November. The most important figure of the holiday is the king of Eswatini. The incwala is intended to consolidate his power in the country. It is also a harvest festival - the first harvested fruits are tasted. The biggest and most spectacular attractions await observers on the fourth day of the great incwala. This is when the culmination of the holiday occurs. You can see tribal dances, rituals and warriors in traditional gear.

When? December

How long? 3 tygodnie

Where? eSwatini (formerly Swaziland)

Sample program: South Africa and the Kingdom of Swaziland

eSwatini – Incwala

PASOLA – INDONESIA 

Pasola is a one-day festival that takes place on the eastern part of the island. Sumba. If you visit during holidays in Indonesia at the turn of February and March, you have a chance to see it. It takes place in several villages on Sumba, often on different dates. The village elders decide when it will be most auspicious to organize the festival. It starts a new harvest season and ensures their abundance. It is also a thanksgiving ceremony - one should thank the spirits of the ancestors for the previously harvested crops. The celebration of the holiday is accompanied by folk songs and dances. However, the most spectacular part of the festival takes place on the plains outside the villages. All the local residents gather there to admire the extraordinary game. Colorfully decorated warriors mount their horses bareback and divide into two teams. Using spears, they try to knock down their opponent or wound him or his mount. The warriors who are thrown down cannot be attacked any further. According to local beliefs, the blood of people and horses wounded in this extraordinary spectacle is supposed to fertilize the land for future crops. In the past, death during this game was considered a great honor, today it happens very rarely.

When? March

How long? 2 days

Where? Indonesia – Sumba

Sample program: Bali and the pristine Sumba

Pasola

ESALA PERAHERA – SRI LANKA

Sri Lankans believe that a real tooth of Buddha is kept in a temple in the city of Kandy. According to legend, one of the Awakened One's disciples pulled it out of the cremation pyre. The relic was then brought to Sri Lanka. The then ruler of the island was so pleased with it that he ordered the faithful to show the tooth during an annual procession. This tradition continues to this day, but currently only a copy of the relic is displayed. You can see the colorful procession if you go to trip to Sri Lanka at the end of August. The exact date is set according to the lunar calendar, so it is worth checking it before planning your vacation. The entire festival lasts ten days, but the most spectacular is the parade organized on the last day. At the head of the four processions are colorfully and richly decorated elephants. They wear silk robes embroidered with gold threads. The largest of them carries a golden casket with a copy of the relic. The faithful march between the elephants, devoting themselves to various devotional practices. Some of them go barefoot, others whip themselves using whips with hooks at the ends that dig into the skin. Hindus also take part in the procession. The processions set off from four temples dedicated to Hindu gods. The parade is accompanied by the sounds of drums, jugglers and fire eaters. It is undoubtedly an amazing spectacle!

When? usually the turn of July and August

How long? 10 days

Where? Sri Lanka - Kandy

Sample program: Beaches and Treasures of Ceylon

esala perahera

If you want to attend one of the festivals mentioned here, remember that Planet Escape can prepare something for you tailor-made holidays. Check out our sample programs and let us modify them so that you can enjoy celebrating unique, exotic holidays!