Festivals
Sapporo Snow Festival
The Sapporo Snow Festival is an annual winter event held in Sapporo, Japan, showcasing elaborate and intricate snow and ice sculptures. Millions of visitors from around the world attend the festival, which features large-scale sculptures, ice displays, and various winter activities.
Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival traditionally marks the end of the Chinese New Year Spring Festival period, celebrated on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month.
Desert Festival, India
The 3-day Jaisalmer Desert Festival looks at the desert culture of India. It features camel races, polo matches, puppeteers, jugglers, men with long mustaches, turban-tying competitions, and locals wearing colorful traditional dresses.
Carnival of Brazil
The Carnival of Brazil is a festival held in Rio de Janeiro before Lent and is considered the biggest carnival in the world. The celebration includes vibrant parades, elaborate costumes, music, and street parties.
Hina Matsuri
Hina Matsuri is a Japanese celebration also called Doll's Day, Doll Festival, Festival of Dolls, or Girls' Festival. People pray for the health and happiness of girls. Click HERE for more information and related resources.
Holi
Holi is a vibrant Hindu festival celebrated across India and other parts of the world, marking the arrival of spring. Participants engage in exuberant festivities, including throwing colored powders and water at each other, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil and the joyous spirit of the season.
Elephant Festival, India
The Elephant Festival is an annual event held in Jaipur, Rajasthan, usually in March, around the time of Holi. Elephants are the center of this incredible attraction. These beautiful animals are adorned with fancy clothes and jewelry as they parade in a royal procession.
Las Fallas
Las Fallas is a traditional festival celebrated in Valencia, Spain, known for its elaborate and artistic sculptures called "fallas" that are displayed throughout the city. The festival culminates in the burning of these sculptures in a spectacular bonfire, accompanied by fireworks and lively street celebrations, typically held in mid-March.
Qingming Festival, China
The Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival observed on April 4th or 5th each year. It is a time for families to honor their ancestors by cleaning gravesites, making offerings, and paying respects. The festival, which dates back over 2,500 years, also marks the arrival of spring, and many…
Hana Matsuri, Japan
Hana Matsuri, or "Flower Festival," is a Japanese Buddhist celebration held annually on April 8 to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha). Temples are decorated with flowers, symbolizing the garden in which Buddha was born. A key tradition is the kanbutsu-e ceremony, where people pour sweet tea (amacha) over small Buddha statues, reenacting the…