Festive Celebrations Around The World
Sometimes you are lucky and you manage to travel to a foreign country during a festival, celebration or annual event. Sometimes you plan to travel during such a time of year, just so you can witness it first hand. Things like Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the Holi Festival in India attract tourist from all over the world. These events give travelers the opportunity to experience travel in a totally unique way. You end up learning so much more about the local culture and traditions, plus it’s fun! We went skimming through the 360 Stories platform in search of stories that give us a glimpse into some festivals and celebrations worldwide. Some you might already know, and others might be completely new, but maybe it’s worth keeping in mind when planning your next travel adventure!
Our first stop is the beautiful Rio where once a year a massive festival takes place just before Lent, with two million people flooding the streets per day! There is a huge Rio Carnival Parade with revelers, floats and over 200 groups of samba schools located in Rio! Samba is the centerpiece of Brazilian culture, which is why there are so many samba schools established, all sharing the mission of wanting to share their dance techniques and culture. Thanks to our community member’s story, we learned that Samba, the most famous and popular dance in Brazil, and the focus of the Carnival, actually has its roots in Africa! In fact, it was brought to Brazil by West African slaves in the beginning of 1532! Carnival itself is a wonderful festival filled with color, music, dance, and love. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that not many have the opportunity of having!
Another huge party that might not be as well known is King’s Day in the Netherlands. While it is a celebration that takes place all across the Netherlands the biggest spot is in Amsterdam. This national holiday (which was formerly known as Queen’s Day) is basically a huge birthday celebration in honor of King Willem-Alexander. This celebration has long since stopped being one for locals alone, as an average of 700,000 visitors from around the world come to join in the partying fun! Add that to the 800,000+ locals and that’s what we call one crazy birthday party. So what do these celebrations look like? Well, according to our community member’s story, it’s a real open-air festival where people dance, wear orange, have fun and enjoy the day. There are large scale events with DJs, the whole city is basically turned into a monochrome orange mass, and even the royal family themselves come to participate in some of the events!
If massive crowds of over a million people aren’t necessarily your cup of tea, there’s another smaller-scaled but just as amazing festival we dug up in possibly one of the least expected places, Prague in the Czech Republic! People in the Czech Republic take their Easter celebrations very seriously, in fact, you could say they take it to the next level. The city is decked out with annual Easter markets where you can find traditional Czech products like beautifully decorated Easter eggs, laces, puppets, toys, and Easter decorations. Perhaps not reaching the millions, these markets are still quite popular, attracting around 10,000 people per day.
There are of course other entertaining events which take place including music and dance, and even arts and crafts for younger people as well. According to the story posted by one of our community members, the celebrations peak on Easter Day with a parade at Jan Palach memorial near the horse at the top of Wenceslas Square and which ends at the Old Town Square. You can find everything from local dishes, sweet treats, and alcohol and enjoy any one of the various concerts held on different stages. What festivals have you gone to during your travels? Are there any you plan on going to in the future? Share your stories on the 360 Stories platform and maybe we’ll feature it!
