Festivals in theworld

Chinese New Year• It’s the most important

of the chineseholidays, and it’s a time of enjoying withfamily, fireworks, celebration and giftgiving.

• It’s a 15 day holidaycelebrated in February, not in January. Lanterns and dances with dragons are typical of Chinese New Year

DiwaliDiwali is the major festival in India. It’s celebrated in Octoberor November.

It’s a festival of lights and signifies the victory of light (good things) over darkness(bad things).

On this day people wear new clothes, meet their familymembers, eat sweets, givepresents, set of fireworks at night, and decorate theishouses with lights and rangloipatterns (similar to mandalas)

Day of Death• It’s celebrated in

Mexico every year the1st and 2nd of November.

• The Day of Death isnot a sad day. It’s a dayof celebration withfamily and friends tohonor their lovedpeople who have died.

• They build ofrendas with flowers, food, candles, incense, pictures and decoratedsweet skulls.

Canada

• The Canada Day is celebrated in the 1st of July to commemorate their independency from the UK.

• It’s celebrated mainly in Ottawa, the capital city. They prepare parades and set of fireworks.

Carnival in Brazil

• The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, isthe biggest and themost famous in theworld. It lastsfourdays and four nights.

• It’s a week of parades, dancing, colours and fireworks. People puton their costumesand dance samba in the streets.

Obon Festivalin Japan

• It’s celebrated in August in Japan. Families release floating lanterns into the water to represent their antecessors spirits.

White nights in Russia• It’s celebrated in St.

Petesburg in Russiabetween June and July.

• It’s called White Nights because thelast ten days of June, the sun only sets for a short period.

• These nights theycelebrate festivals of all day, concerts and parties.

Italy• The Carnevale of Venice started in the

XIII century. It’s the origin of the Spanishand Brazilian carnival. Children andadults dress up with traditional andmasks. Originally Venetian masks weremade of leather, porcelain or glass andhad the function of remaining youanonymous. The most important typesof Venetian masks are the bauta,moretta, gnaga, medico della pesta,pantalone, arlechino, colombina.

• A lot of celebrations take places in everyItalian town, including at schools. Thereare many parades, bands, puppetshows, theatrical and musicalperformances, and competitions for thebest costumes and masks.

Greece

• A Greek festival is a tradition of culture andentertainment where you will taste theGreek food, Greek music, Greek culture,Greek dancing and great family fun. Thecarnival of Athens in the third mostimportant in the world.

• Another important one is the Epidaurofrstival. It takes place between May andOctober. They watch theatre plays andlisten to opera representations in theantique Epidauro theatre, and theypractice their traditional dances. Greekdances are mostly performed in groupsthat hold each other by hands or by theshoulders.

Australia• One of the most

special celebrations in Australia is Christmas. It’s summer in Australia duringChristmas time, so it iscelebrated as a picnic at the beach.

• They also dive in theGreat Barrier Reef. It’slike a garden underthe see, with 1400 different types of fishand more than 300 kinds of coral.

Madagascar• People in Madagascar

celebrate theirIndependence Day on the26th of March. The childrenwalk in the streets withlanterns in their hands, and go to see the fireworks thattake place in the AnosyLake.

• El Alahamadi Be is theircelebration of the New Year

France• Medieval festival takes place

in the second weekend of September. They dress up as medieval people and theyrepresent how they lived. They also have horse shows, fire eaters, musicians, magicians, etc.

• The Lemon festivial started 40 years ago, an it’s unique. Theymake decorations that theycover with lemons and oranges. There are alsoparades, confetti and traditional dances.

Egypt• The coming of the spring is

celebrated in Egypt withthe Sham El Nessimfestival. In spring, the Nilerises and gives tem more water that they use tocultivate.

• They go with their familiesnear the river and theyhave a picnic there.