So much in Asia depends on the calendar. In February in Beijing, more than 20 million people all set off fireworks to celebrate Chinese New Year. In Nagaland in India, tribes from all over the region meet to compete, dance, and celebrate. In Thailand, spectators look on as celebrants perform bizarre rituals at the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.
With an intimate and unique knowledge of Asian culture, Remote Lands knows the importance of experiencing culture the right way. Whether you want an up-close view of the Sing-Sing festival in the Asaro Valley of Papua New Guinea or a quiet walk through the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan, Remote Lands can give travelers the best possible experience on their celebrations throughout Asia.
Celebrating the rich harvest of October, the Autumn Festival of Kushida Shrine is 1,200 years old. Children parade about the streets in traditional, ritual costumes performing different cultural dances. With beauty contests, live bands and a bustling market, there’s plenty to see at Hakata’s favorite festival.
Featuring the finest wines from around the world, exquisite international and local cuisine, and top live entertainment, the HK Wine and Dine Festival is a must-do for all foodies.
Visitors come from around central Myanmar to this famous pagoda with its distinctive egg-shaped dome to pay homage to the 56-foot solid marble Buddha housed inside. Many travel in a caravan of traditional bullock carts and camp in the pagoda compound under the trees, and sell local crafts and fabrics from their villages.
Kyaik-Hti-Yo Pagoda spire sits on top of an enormous rock, covered in gold leaf, perched on a cliff edge. It is customary for pilgrims from all over the country to join the ceremony in which 9,000 lamps are lit around the rock to celebrate the New Year and to offer thanks to Buddha for his peaceful philosophy and wisdom.
This festival coincides with the festival of light and goes on until the day after the full moon. Visitors come to pay homage to the great Buddha, carved out of a single enormous block of marble in the pagoda at the foot of Mandalay hill. The pagoda is surrounded by a fair of local crafts and food with magic, puppet and dancing shows.
Lanzones are small tropical fruits on which the inhabitants of the Camiguin Islands rely for their livelihoods. Every year, the people celebrate the harvest with a colorful festival in which the fruit and its leaves are used to decorate everyone and everything. There are cultural displays and markets of food and crafts.
Masskara, which means ‘many faces,’ is a vibrant two-day festival taking place over the third weekend of October in Bacolod. People from all over travel to the city to take part in games, watch the beauty pageant and the popular masked tribal street dance competition, while enjoying the music, food and festivities.
The traditional folk music of Sabah is characterized by the gong which has been made for centuries by the craftsmen in the village of Sumangkap. The gong is celebrated by the villagers and visitors in this two-day festival featuring classical music and dance from Sabah. There is also the opportunity to see how the gongs are made.
Hosted by the Morobe Provincial Agricultural Society in the city of Lae, this annual two-day event in Papua New Guinea shows off the surrounding province’s impressive culture diversity. Among the tribal dances and songs of this 50 year-old event, visitors will also find agricultural, livestock, educational and cultural exhibitions.
Held annually in the ancient capital north of Tbilisi, Orthodox Christians in Georgia celebrate Mtskhetoba-Svetitskhovloba in Mtskheta, remembering and celebrating the former capital and the legends of its cathedral. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, among other legends, is said to be the burial site of Christ's robe. Celebrants visit the city for a number of worship experiences.
