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.
Parading through Kyoto’s most important shrines, Aoi Matsuri is a colorful procession in honor of the ancient officials who delivered the emperor’s messages to the two shrines of Shimogamo and Kamigamo. Every year on May 15th, Hollyhock, kimonos and traditional blades take spectators back to Imperial times as the day begins with an elaborate display.
Each year in May, a different city hosts this two-day festival, attracting local and international visitors. ‘Echo of ages’ is a celebration of the various traditions of the country. There are performances of folk music, dancing and storytelling, horse racing, wrestling and culinary competitions between traditional Uzbek chefs.
For the birthday of the Buddha - Siddhartha Gautama - devotees flock to temples across Hong Kong to bathe statues of him using water, an act that pays homage to the legend of nine dragons that once bathed the newborn Buddha by spraying water. The grandest ceremony is found at Po Lin Monastery, home of the Big Buddha.
At the start of the rainy season, many northeastern Thai provinces make, decorate and ultimately launch their home-made rockets into the sky. This is part of the three-day Bun Bangfai festival, in which rockets are used to symbolize a 'reach-out' gesture to the Buddhist Gods up in heaven, who hopefully will deliver good fortune in return.
This two-day festival honors the carabao, the animal without whom the farmers of Pulilan could not plough their fields. On the first day, the carabaos are groomed and decorated with flowers and parade through the streets to the church square where they kneel to be blessed. The second day brings an informal race in the town.
This festival celebrates the dolma, one of Armenia's most beloved traditional dish, and takes place in a different place in the country each year. Dolma is stuffed grape leaves with a variety of fillings, most typically rice, vegetables, and minced meat. At the Dolma Festival, renowned cooks and home cooks alike prepare their signature dolma and participate in a tasting competition. Nearly 60 different types of dolma was presented at the 5th festival.
Throughout the Philippines, devotees of Roman Catholicism celebrate Flores de Mayo for the full month of May. It is held to honor the Virgin Mary and every afternoon, children dressed in white attend church and sprinkle flower petals along the aisle and lay a bouquet at the alter. The final nine days are devoted to prayer.
This festival, an unofficial yet popular holiday, honors the former president Heydar Aliyev. Exhibitions and sculptures made of more than a million fresh flowers are displayed around the city. The celebration is accompanied by a folk festival, concerts, and fireworks.
For this two-day harvest festival and public holiday, the indigenous Dayak people of Sarawak come together to give thanks. The colorful celebration attracts locals and visitors from all over Malaysia who come to see the traditional costumes, the procession and beauty pageant, folk dancing and singing and to share authentic food.
An annual public holiday, Independence DAy commemorates the Act of Independence in 1918 which established the Democratic Republic of Georgia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The short-lived independence of Georgia would fall to Russia in 1921, but the national concept of independence is celebrated with military parades, concerts, and speeches.
