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.
Celebrated all over Myanmar, this festival marks the end of the rainy season. Women weave continuously for two consecutive nights on the platforms of pagodas to make new robes for the monks. On the full moon day, the Khahtein ceremony is held to present the monks with robes, shoes and bowls; donations are also made to the monasteries.
This important three-day Buddhist festival is held at one of Laos’ most sacred temples. A procession takes place in the evening around Vientiane’s founding pillar. People carry "castles" of wax flowers and incense and the following day, offer them at That Luang. On the day of the full moon, offerings are made to the monks.
Known as the Gustor ritual, this annual three-day festival features sacred dances, a trade fair and prayers. The festivities take place at the Tibetan-Buddhist Thiksey Monastery, perched on the top of a hill in Ladakh, India. Chams - masked dances - are performed by monks, and a sacrificial cake is cut up and dispersed.
This newly established public holiday commemorates Azerbaijan’s capture of Shusha, and thus victory, in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war with Armenia.
The Water Festival marks the reversal of the Tonle Sap River’s tide, and the end of rainy season. The celebrations last for three days and nights throughout the country but are particularly vibrant in Phnom Penh where there are boat races on the river. There are concerts and performances, and traditional food is cooked and enjoyed.
The Angkor Wat International Half Marathon takes place every year at the famous World Heritage temple ruins. The race supports victims of landmines and other weapons that ravished the region over the past century. Runners completing the 13-mile course can take in the incredible surroundings whilst knowing they're helping a great cause.
Sometimes referred to as the Winter Festival, New Year of Dong is celebrated by the Dong ethnic group in Guizhou province. The Dong communities come together to celebrate the harvest; wearing traditional dress, they entertain friends and relatives, share food and join the celebrations with Lusheng music, dancing and bullfighting.
To celebrate the start of the Christmas period, thousands of visitors flock to San Fernando to see this spectacular festival. Each barrio spends a year designing and making enormous colorful plastic lanterns arranged in beautiful, intricate patterns and lit with high-tech, computerized lights, competing for the top spot in the lights competition.
This 10-day annual festival in India’s northeastern region of Nagaland brings together a wide variety of local tribes, who perform their traditional dances and folk songs for all to see, wearing traditional dress. Held at Naga Heritage Village, constructed for the event, there are also fun competitions, a large market, and more.
This two-day holiday celebrated every December 16th and 17th is the most important day on the national calendar which commemorates the nation’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The day is marked by festivities in the presidential palace, traditional yurt tents are set up across villages serving local delicacies, and locals dress up in traditional dress.
