British Council ISA Plan 2014-15

National

festivals

SPANISH FESTIVALS•Here are some important festivals of Spain.

Bullfights: the magic of Spain's “National Fiesta"

Listen. Can you hear the sound of trumpets and drums? This can only mean one thing: you are about to witness one of Spain's most important traditions: a bullfight. These instruments are the traditional precursors to a unique spectacle in which a man takes his life in his hands before wild animals weighing more than 500 kilos. Come and experience the excitement of our "national fiesta".

The fun and excitement of bullfights

Going to a bullfight is a very intense experience. If you come to Spain you will see that bullfighters have no fear before these animals, armed only with a red cape (called "capote" in Spanish) and a sword. If you come, you will have the chance to witness this display of courage during the bullfighting season each year. This is something not to be missed.

To discover Spain is to discover "bullfighting culture" - nearly all its cities have a bullring. Some bullrings are classified in the top category, on account of their tradition and the frequency of bullfights held, such as Las Ventas in Madrid, La Maestranza in Seville and La Monumental in Barcelona. You will enjoy a real festive atmosphere, and if the fight has been good, you will see the bullfighter give a lap of the ring on the shoulders of his colleagues, exiting through "the main door" to mark his triumph. Don't forget to take a white handkerchief - to be waved enthusiastically if you enjoy the fight.

An unbeatable array of bullfights, music, tradition, gastronomy… Fun is guaranteed.

Interesting museums

• At Barcelona's Bullfighting Museum there is an exhibition with famous bulls' heads. A little more? In Valencia, the Bullfighting Museum has an audio-visual room. You can also visit the ring itself, and see exhibitions such as one focusing on artist Francisco de Goya's depiction of bulls. There is also an exhibition of bullfighting posters at the Vista Alegre Bullring in Bilbao.• In Andalusia, where bullfighting is more than

just a tradition, you will love the bullrings and museums. Two examples are the Museum at Seville's Royal Bullring, where you can discover the evolution of this spectacle, and the amazing photographs on display at the Malagueta Bullring in Malaga. El Puerto de Santa María also has a beautiful bullring, as does Ronda, one of the oldest in Spain, with an extensive museum.

La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Buñol, a town located 30 km from the Mediterranean, in which participants throw tomatoes and get involved in this tomato fight purely for fun. It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Buñol.

La Tomatina: the Juicy Red festival

HISTORY La Tomatina was started the last Wednesday of August in 1945 when

some young people spent the time in the town square to attend the Giants and Big-Heads figures parade. The young boys decided to have a place among the retinue of a parade with musician, Giants and Big-Heads figures.

The energy of these young people made that one participant fell off. The participant flew into a fit of rage, started to hit everything in his path. There was a market stall of vegetable that fell victim of the furious crowd: people started to pelt each other with tomatoes until the local forces ended that vegetable battle.

Another important landmark in the history of this festival is the year 1975. From this year onwards, "Los Clavarios de San Luis Bertrán" (San Luis Bertrán is the patron of the town of Buñol) organised the whole festival and brought in tomatoes which had previously been brought by the local people. Soon after this, in 1980, the town hall took the responsibility of organizing the festival.

Since then, the number of participants increased year after year as well as the excitement about La Tomatina Festival. In 2002, La Tomatina of Buñol was declared Festivity of International Tourist Interest by the Secretary Department of Tourism due to its success.

How is it celebrated?At around 10 a.m., festivities begin with the first event of the Tomatina. It is the "palo jabón", similar to the greasy pole. The goal is to climb a greased pole with a piece of meat on top. As this happens, the crowd works into a frenzy of singing and dancing and gets showered in water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the piece of meat off the pole, the start signal for the tomato fight is given by firing the water shot in the air and trucks make their entry. The signal for the onset is at about 11 when a loud shot rings out, and the chaos begins. Several trucks throw tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive and are grown specifically for the holidays, being of inferior taste. For the participants the use of goggles and gloves are recommended. The tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown so as to reduce the risk of injury. The estimated number of tomatoes used is around 150,000 or over 40 metric tons. After exactly one hour the fight ends with the firing of the second shot, announcing the end. The whole town square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire trucks hose down the streets and participants use hoses that locals provide to remove the tomato paste from their bodies. Some participants go to the pool of “los peñones” to wash. After the cleaning, the village cobblestone streets are pristine due to the acidity of the tomato disinfecting and thoroughly cleaning the surfaces

The city council follows a short list of instructions for the safety of the participants and the festival:1. The tomatoes have to be squashed before

throwing to avoid injuries.2. No other projectiles except tomatoes are

allowed.3. Participants have to give way to the truck and

lorries.4. After the second shot indicative of ending the

tomato hurl, no tomatoes should be thrown.

RULES OF THE FESTIVAL

Here are some important festivals of Spain.

Egyptian festivals

Eid al-Adha: "Feast of the Sacrifice"

Eid al-Adha also called the Feast of the Sacrifice, the "Major Festival",the "Greater Eid", Baqr'Eid , or Tabaski (West Africa), is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year.In the lunar-based Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for three days.In the international (Gregorian) calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two Eid holidays, the former being Eid al-Fitr. The basis for the observance comes from the 196th ayah (verse) of Al-Baqara, the second sura of the Quran.

The word "Eid" appears once in Al-Ma'ida, the fifth sura of the Quran, with the meaning "solemn festival".

When Ishmael was about 13 (Abraham being 99), God decided to test their faith in public. Abraham had a recurring dream, in which God was commanding him to offer up for sacrifice – an unimaginable act – his son, whom God had granted him after many years of deep prayer. Abraham knew that the dreams of the prophets were divinely inspired, and one of the ways in which God communicated with his prophets. When the intent of the dreams became clear to him, Abraham decided to fulfill God's command and offer Ishmael for sacrifice.

Although Abraham was ready to sacrifice his dearest for God's sake, he could not just bring his son to the place of sacrifice without his consent. Ishmael had to be consulted as to whether he was willing to give up his life in fulfillment of God's command. This consultation would be a major test of Ishmael's maturity in faith; love and commitment for God; willingness to obey his father; and readiness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God.

Abraham presented the matter to his son and asked for his opinion about the dreams of slaughtering him. Ishmael did not show any hesitation or reservation even for a moment. He said, "Father, do what you have been commanded. You will find me, Insha'Allah (God willing), to be very patient." His mature response, his deep insight into the nature of his father’s dreams, his commitment to God, and ultimately his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God were all unprecedented.

When Abraham attempted to cut Ishmael's throat, he was astonished to see that Ishmael was unharmed and instead, he found a dead ram which was slaughtered. Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out God's command.

What is the story behind it?

How is it celebrated?

Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khutbah). Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the descent of the Hujjaj, the pilgrims performing the Hajj, from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as "days of remembrance". The takbir (days) of Tashriq are from the Fajr prayer of the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah up to the Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah (5 days and 4 nights). This equals 23 prayers: 5 on the 9th–12th, which equals 20, and 3 on the 13th.

Eid al-Fitr, also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, the Sugar Feast, Bayram (Bajram), the Sweet Festival and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm).

EID AL-FITR :FEAST OF BREAKING THE FAST

Before the advent of Islam in Arabia, there is mention of festivals as

well as some others among the Arabs. The Israelites had festivals as well, but as is evident from the Old Testament and other scriptures, these festivals related more to commemorating certain days of their history.

Eid al-Fitr was originated by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It is observed on the first of the month of Shawwal at the end of the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims undergo a period of fasting.

According to certain traditions, these festivals were initiated in Madinah after the migration of Muhammad from Mecca. Anas reports:

When the Prophet arrived in Madinah, he found people celebrating two specific days in which they used to entertain themselves with recreation and merriment. He asked them about the nature of these festivities at which they replied that these days were occasions of fun and recreation. At this, the Prophet remarked that the Almighty has fixed two days [of festivity] instead of these for you which are better than these: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha For Muslims, both the festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are occasions for showing gratitude to God and remembering Him, and are an occasion of entertainment. ‘Aishah narrates that when on an Eid day her father Abu Bakr stopped young girls from singing, Muhammad said: Abu Bakr! [Let them sing]; every nation has an ‘id and [this day] is our Eid.

How it came into existence?

How is it celebrated?

• Eid al-Fitr has a particular Salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two Rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation (Jama’at) and, has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu Akbar", literally "God is greatest"), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before Ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed, Fard (obligatory), Mustahabb (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory) or mandoob (preferable).

General rituals• The following list contains some general rituals:• To show happiness• To give as much charity as is possible• To pray Fajr in the local Masjid• To go early for Eid salaat• To read the takbirat in an open field.• Go to the Eid prayer on foot• Do not speak one word other than words that remember Allah or

anything Islamic terms before and after Eid Salaat. You can speak once you've left the Masjid, or Mosque or any other place you were praying

• Say Eid Mubarak to other Muslims• Muslims recite the following incantation in a low voice while going to

the Eid prayer: Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illà l-Lāh wal-Lāhu akbar, Allahu akbar walil-Lāhi l-ḥamd. Recitation ceases when they get to the place of Eid or once the Imam commences activities. Muslims are recommended to use separate routes to and from the prayer grounds. Women are encouraged to join Salat of Eid

• Eid al-Fitr mass prayer in Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Indonesia• No fasting on Eid al-Fitr• There is no Adhan and/or Iqamah for Eid prayer

Islamic New YearThe Hijri New Year, also known as Islamic New Year is the day that marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year, and is the day on which the year count is incremented. The first day of the year is observed on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. The first Islamic year beginning in 622 AD during which the emigration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra.

When it is celebrated?• While some Islamic organizations prefer

determining the new month (and hence the new year) by local sightings of the moon, most Islamic institutions and countries, including Saudi Arabia,

follow astronomical calculations to determine future dates of the Islamic calendar.

• There are various schema for calculating the tabular Islamic calendar (i.e. not based on observation), which results in differences of typically one or even two days between countries using such schema and those that use lunar sightings. For example, The Umm al-Qura Calendar used in Saudi Arabia was reformed several times in recent years. The current scheme has been introduced in AH 1423 (15 March 2002).

Sri Lanka festivalsHere are some important festivals of Spain.

ESALA PERAHERA

Esala Perahera (the procession of Esala) is the grand festival with elegant costumes held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This historical procession (perahera) is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, which is housed at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. A unique symbol of Sri Lanka, the procession consists of many traditional local dances such as fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandyan dances and various other cultural dances, in addition to the elephants who are usually adorned with lavish garments. The festival ends with the traditional diya-kepeema ritual, a water cutting ceremony which is held at the Mahaweli River at Getambe, Kandy.

The Procession•The Kandy Esala Perahera begins with the Kap Situveema or Kappa, in which a sanctified young Jackfruit tree is cut and planted in the premises of each of the four Devales dedicated to the four guardian gods Natha, Vishnu, Katharagama and the goddess Pattini. Traditionally it was meant to shower blessing on the King and the people.

ORGANIZATION OF THE PERAHERA• The rituals connected with the Tooth Relic are conducted by

Monks of the Malwatte Chapter|Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters of the Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka. It is the duty of the Diyawadana Nilame to organize the Perahera and thus he summons the large number of officials of the Temple of the Tooth and entrusts them with various ceremonial duties connected with the conducting of the Perahera. He first gets the auspicious time from the Nekath Mohottala, the advisor on astrological matters. The task of organising the different types of drummers is handed over to the four officials known as the Panikka Mura Baarakaruwo.

• The Maligawa officials also meet the owners of the elephants due to take part in the Perahera (most elephants are privately owned). The dance troupes are given time to prepare. The Basnayake Nilames (the lay custodians of the Devales) are then told to organise their processions.

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