Interesting Festivals and Holidays

1.    Rabbie Burns Night, Scotland, January 25

Scotland holds a warm, whiskey-toasted celebration in honor of its national poet Robert (“Rabbie”) Burns every January 25th, on The Bard's birthday. The night begins with a Burns Supper of haggis, a typical Scottish sheep dish made from sheep heart and liver minced with onions, oatmeal and spices, and served with “neeps and tatties,” or mashed turnips and potatoes. If the gathering is a formal one, works by the 18th-century poet may be read, or if a band is present, ladies and gentleman may dance a Ceilidh, the folkloric Gaelic dance. Usually, the festivities are concluded with everyone singing Auld Lang Syne, Burns' best-known poem, which is often sung at Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations as well.

2.    Bastille Day, France, July 14

France's national holiday, Bastille Day, marks not just the beginning of long, drowsy summer days. It is foremost a commemoration of the storm of the Bastille fortress-prison in Paris, on July 14, 1789, at the onset of the French Revolution. The event became the symbol of the uprising of a nation and is celebrated with a massive military parade down the Champs-Elysées, the most famous avenue in Paris. Each and every sizable village, town and city in the country lets off fireworks on the night of July 14. But the most popular festivities are the dances organized on the evening of the 13th...at fire stations! Don't miss out on those “bals des pompiers”!

3.    Oktoberfest, Germany, September-October

Over 6 million liters of beer are consumed each year during Oktoberfest, Munich's most famous event. The world's largest fair of its sort is true to its clichés of stocky maidens carrying liter-jugs of liquid gold to revelers gorging on sausages and pretzels. It was originally organized in 1810 for the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig with Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, who eventually gave her name to the festival grounds, now known as Theresewiese. Ever since 1950, the festival has opened with a 12-gun salute and the incumbent mayor of Munich tapping the first keg with the cry “O'zapft is!” (“it's tapped!” in Bavarian dialect). The beer flows for 16 days, running up until the first Sunday of October. And yes, there is a queue to go to the toilet.

4.    Hanami, Japan, Springtime

Every year as March turns into April, the Japanese Meteorological Agency and millions of anxious Japanese track the advance of...the cherry-blossom front, or sakura zensen! Once the thousands of cherry trees of the archipelago have bloomed, families, couples, co-workers, everyone partakes in hanami, or flower-viewing, parties in parks, gardens and shrines. The custom is thought to have originated during the Nara period, in the 8th century, as the aristocrats of Japan were influenced by the Chinese dynasty of the time. And originally, plum flowers were the blossom of choice, before the delicate whitish-pink cherry blossoms became a favorite. Nowadays, the spirit of hanami is more about making merry until late at night and drinking sake beneath paper lanterns than about enjoying flowers, but remains an important celebration for Japanese of every age.

5.    Saint Lucia, Sweden, December 13

In the darkest days of the winter, on December 13, which used to be the Winter Solstice (the shortest day of the year) in the old Julian calendar, the Swedes celebrate Saint Lucia, whose name means “light.” A young girl is chosen to portray Lucia in each school or village. Wearing a white robe with a red sash and a crown of evergreen lingonberry branches with candles, she leads a procession of women and carols are sung. In the household, it is usually the eldest daughter, who brings saffron and raisin buns for breakfast. Although the festival honors Saint Lucy, a Christian martyr of the 4th century, the tradition of this unofficial public holiday only became really popular starting in the late 1700s. The Swedish communities abroad have also brought this feast to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Estonia.

6.    Guy Fawkes Night, United Kingdom, November 5

Remember gunpowder, treason and plot! With these words, on the evening of November 5, the United Kingdom celebrates the foiled “gunpowder plot” of 1605, when a Catholic conspiracy led by Guy Fawkes tried (and failed) to blow up the Houses of Parliament of London and overthrow the King James I. Fittingly, the festivities involve firework displays and large bonfires – hence the also used name of Bonfire Night. Effigies of Guy Fawkes are traditionally burnt on the bonfire, and children go around collecting “a penny for the guy” in the preceding days, to buy fireworks. Since no celebration is fun without its own special food, people bake potatoes in the embers of the bonfire and also chew on treacle, toffee and other such sticky sweets.

7.    Saint Patrick's Day, Ireland, March 17

While it seems that on March 17, every other North American claims Irish descent, joins a parade and drinks lots of beer, it is only in the Republic of Ireland that Saint Patrick's Day (sometimes called Paddy's Day) is a true national holiday – it's a bank holiday in Northern Ireland – and a Christian festival. Green ribbons and shamrocks (the clover leaf) have been worn since as early as the 17th century to celebrate Ireland's patron saint, because he is said to have explained the Holy Trinity to pre-Christian Irish by using the three-leaved plant. Celebrations involve parades with bands and floats, as well as the consumption of Irish stout, often the famous Guinness, but remain an important religious observance day in Ireland.

8.    Saint Nicholas Day, Netherlands, Belgium, December 6

The figure of Santa Claus is modeled on Nicholas of Myra, an early Christian saint and bishop who was known as a secret gift-giver in the 4th century. He is still celebrated as Sinterklaas or Sint-Nicolaas on December 6 in Belgium, The Netherlands, and other Germanic parts of Europe such as northeastern France, Switzerland, Austria, as well as Slovenia and Slovakia. Wearing a white bishop's robe, a red cape and a mitre (bishop's hat), Saint Nicholas comes by during the night of December 5, leaving ginger snaps, oranges, chocolates or marzipan figures in the shoes of children who have been good. Those who have not behaved only find a lump of coal or bunch of twigs deposited by Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), Saint Nicholas' helper. On the occasion of Pakjesavond night, December 5, adults sometimes write personal poems for their friends and family.

9.    Wren Day, Ireland, Wales, Isle of Man, December 26

The origins of the Gaelic tradition of celebrating the wren (a small, sparrow-like bird) are lost in time. It may come from Celtic mythology, with Druids studying the bird's flight as an augury, or from a legend associated with Saint Stephen, an early Christian martyr whose day is on December 26. But the people of Ireland, Wales and the Isle of Man continue the celebration to this day. Originally, a band of boys would hunt down a wren, then parade it through town asking for donations to organize a dance, and place the dead bird atop a pole during the dance. Nowadays, a fake wren is hidden rather than killed, but is still placed on top of a pole decorated with ribbons, wreaths and flowers. Traditional Ceilidh music bands accompany the crowds as they parade through villages.

10.    Inti Raymi, Peru, June 24

In the ancient Inca mythology, Inti was the sun, a most important god since he was the giver of life. The religious ceremony of Inti Raymi (“way of the sun” or “resurrection of the sun” in Quechua) was held every year in Cuzco, capital of the Inca empire, on June 24, the day of the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. Nine days of colorful dances and processions took place, along with some sacrifices on the way. A historical reconstruction of the ceremony worshiping the sun god was held in 1944, with indigenous actors. The representation met with such success that it has been held again every year since then, in the town of Sacsayhuamán, a couple of kilometers from Cuzco itself.