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.
Every August, the town of Berd in the mountainous Tavush region holds a festival showcasing the best of its honey and berries, made into homemade products, crafts, and delectable dishes, pastries, sweets, and drinks. This sweet festival attracts visitors from across the country and abroad, alike.
Also known as the festival of cows, Gai Jatra commemorates the dead, and is one of Nepal’s most popular events. The main celebration takes place in the Kathmandu valley, and families who have lost a relative must parade through the streets, leading a cow. After the procession, people wear masks, sing songs, and tell jokes.
The spectacular 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival honors the birth of the beloved Hindu elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha. The start of the festival sees huge, elaborate statutes of Ganesha installed in homes and podiums, which have been specially constructed and beautifully decorated. At the end of the festival, the statutes are paraded through the streets, accompanied by much singing and dancing, then submerged in the ocean.
Fires light the night sky on the Daimonji Mountain in Nyoigatake near Kyoto. The fires are lit at 8pm and remain flaming for 30 minutes. Torches and bonfires serve as a form of prayer for the Okuribi people. Blazing bonfires are best viewed from the banks of Kamogawa River or in front of Doshisha University during this festival.
A national tradition and one of the five main holidays of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Grape Blessing Day is a Christian holiday dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. The grape blessing is performed after the final liturgy and every present member receives blessed grape to take home. It is a tradition for Armenians not to eat grape that has not been blessed.
The main state holiday in Kyrgyzstan, Independence Day is celebrated each year on August 31st in recognition of the day the country became an independent state in 1991. The celebration includes a military parade, a national horse games fest, traditional dance shows, concerts and fireworks in Bishkek’s city square.
This festival, also known as the Sacred Thread Festival, involves Hindu men performing their annual change of Janai, a cotton string worn across the chest or the wrist, signalling their initiation into manhood. Females also tie a string around their wrist for protection. During the festival, there is a fair at Kumbeshwor in Lalitpur.
An explosion of color, the three-day Jember Fashion Carnaval in Jember, Indonesia, is a spectacular sight. The city’s main streets are converted into a 2.2-mile catwalk, the longest in the entire world. Visitors are invited to create their own imaginative costumes and vote on the extravagant costumes presented.
This popular week-long festival is a celebration of the culture, heritage and nature of the city of Davao. The people give thanks for their lives and the blessings of the city with joyful parades of floats decorated with flowers. They dress in authentic ethnic costumes, play traditional instruments and hold street dancing competitions.
This popular festival showcases the incredible skills of kite makers from all over Malaysia as well as other countries, as international participants and spectators gather to see their creations color the sky. There are also cultural dance and music shows to be enjoyed as well as delicious traditional food and crafts on sale.
