10 best festivals in the world
Being at festivals is like standing inside the mind of a culture as
it dreams. They have the ability to be both extremely intimate and
public spectacles at the same time. Here are 10 of the world’s best
festivals.
Mardi Gras, USA
Being at festivals is like standing inside the mind of a
culture as it dreams. They have the ability to be both
extremely intimate and public spectacles at the same time.
Here are 10 of the world’s best festivals. |
New Orleans; early January. This famous two-week festival features
parades headed by ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’ leading a flotilla of garish
floats manned by ‘krewes’ who throw trinkets to the crowds (who usually
beg for it; if they don’t, female krewe members bare their breasts in
encouragement). The culmination is the wicked mayhem of Mardi Gras Day
(also known as Fat Tuesday), when all inhibitions are let loose. The
next day, Ash Wednesday, is the first day of Lent, when abstinence
prevails, making Fat Tuesday the ultimate excuse for a piss up, a knees
up and a throw up.
Carnaval, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro; early February. This is sex and samba on a stick,
drawing around a million people each year for its throbbing,
four-day-long festivities. The centrepiece is the Sambódromo parade,
when neighbourhood groups compete against each other for the title of
best ‘samba school’; flashy floats and nearly nude women feature
prominently. The Masquerade Ball is almost as breathtaking, rammed to
the gills with celebrities and mere mortals alike, all bemasked,
bewigged and becostumed. Wear a G-string (thong) for best results.
Kanamara Matsuri, Japan
Kawasaki; March 31 and April 1. Japan is a study in contradictions.
Here’s a society that bans pubic hair from being shown in films, yet
holds this absolutely bonkers fertility extravaganza. The ‘Festival of
the Steel Phallus’ features transvestites carrying a whopping great pink
penis through town while onlookers of all ages suck on phallus-shaped
lollipops, kids straddle penile swings, and adults carve radishes into
penises. The festival was originally held to ward against a syphilis
surge in the 17th century and now raises money for AIDS research.
Semana Santa, Guatemala
Antigua; Easter. Semana Santa commemorates the Passion, the
Crucifixion and the Resurrection in a week of feverish worship. Statues
of Jesus are paraded through streets layered with flowers, pines and
fruits in various designs – some up to a kilometre (0.6mi) long. Then
the sentencing and crucifixion of Christ is re-enacted, complete with
Roman centurions and Pilate, while, seemingly, the entire city is draped
in black crepe and smelling of incense. Even an atheist’s jaw would drop
in awe at the sheer scale and passion of the proceedings.
Il Palio, Italy
Siena; July and August. This heart-stopping event revolves around a
bone-crunching, bareback horse race run around the Piazza del Campo; it
lasts 90 seconds although the rest of the day is taken up with
major-league carousing. The frequently violent race features jockeys
from Siena’s 17 neighbourhoods, all traditional rivals (intermarriage is
often forbidden). Expect to see riders thudding to the ground with
alarming regularity (this truly is a no-holds-barred event) and don’t be
surprised to be offered a baby bottle of wine when it’s all over – for
the neighbourhoods, a win means rebirth.
La Tomatina, Spain
Buñol; last Wednesday in August. Tomato buffs rejoice! For this is
your festival. Each year tens of thousands of people descend on Buñol
for La Tomatina, the culmination of a week-long celebration of Buñol’s
patron saint. An estimated 125,000kg (275,625lb) of tomatoes are used,
driven into the town square by a convoy of trucks. Drunken participants
dive in, hurtling the fruit at each other until the streets run red like
the sickest splatter film, and then it’s all over – within an hour.
Burning Man, USA
Black Rock City, Nevada; August or September. This week-long
spectacle draws 30,000 people, making it Nevada’s third-biggest ‘city’
for that brief period. What exactly is Burning Man? It’s hard to say.
The founder reckons it’s a City of Art; the motto is ‘No Spectators’ and
you have to contribute something, anything, to that year’s theme. It is
forbidden to sell stuff at the festival (the exceptions are the official
outlets for coffee and ice) so the friendly bartering of goods between
strangers gives the festival a special feel. The entire shebang
culminates in thousands of spectators witnessing a giant, burning
effigy, possibly inspired by the pagan horror film Wicker Man.
Diwali, India
October or November. This five-day festival (also known as Deepavaali
or Festival of Lights), which unites all creeds and religions, sees
homes all over India lit with lamps and candles to ward off the darkness
of evil. The homes are then thoroughly spring-cleaned while the people
take the opportunity to buy new clothes and set off an armada of
firecrackers, which sees noise-pollution levels rise dramatically
(actually, it’s enough to perforate eardrums on the other side of the
planet). On top of that, sweets are exchanged as hatchets are buried and
grudges are forgotten…at least for now.
Día de Muertos, Mexico
November 1 and 2. Mexico’s ’Day of the Dead’ does not pay homage to
filmmaker George Romero – rather, it’s a two-day festival celebrating
the reunion of relatives with their dear departed. Expect colourful
costumes, loads of food and drink, skeletons on stilts, parties in
cemeteries, skull-shaped lollies and mariachi bands performing next to
graves. This beautiful, moving spectacle will demystify your fear of
crossing over, because – unlike Halloween’s witches and all-round terror
– the Day of the Dead smashes the taboos surrounding death, celebrating
the continuation of life beyond and the value of inter-dimensional
communion.
Noche de los Rábanos, Mexico
Oaxaca; December 23. The ‘Night of the Radishes’ began as a marketing
gimmick: when the Spanish first brought radishes to Mexico in the 16th
century, they carved them into fanciful shapes to attract buyers
(although they didn’t go quite as far as the Japanese; see ‘Kanamara
Matsuri’). Today the tradition takes the form of a contest, as local
artisans carve tableaux from massive radishes for a cash prize and the
respect of lovers of crisp, pungent roots worldwide.
- Lonely Planet |