Noisy Festivals
1. Up Helly Aa Fire Festival
This is a group name for a number of fire festivals held in Shetland, Scotland, on the last Tuesday of January every year. It marks the end of the Yule season.
Up Helly Aa day involves a series of marches and processions, culminating in a torch-lit procession and the burning of a galley, a traditional ship.
2. Diwali
Diwali, or The Festival of Lights, is India’s biggest festival. On this particular day, as the name suggests, India lights up and looks spectacular. Like the Holi Festival, but on a much bigger scale, Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, light over dark, knowledge over ignorance and hope over despair.
Diwali is celebrated over a five day period, but the main celebrations take place on the darkest night of the Hindu Lunisolar month of Kartika. In terms of the Gregorian calendar, this usually falls on a night somewhere between mid-October and mid-November.
3. Durga and Ganesh Puja India
Bengali Hindus are crazy about the Durga Puja festival, which celebrates the worship of the Hindu Goddess Durga.
To celebrate, Bengali Hindus create statues and likenesses of Durga, which are immersed in sacred waters. There is also a lot of ritual drumming and dancing that makes this vibrant festival deserve its place on this list.
4. Bumba-meu-boi Festival
Bumba-meu-boi is Portuguese for “hit my bull”, and is a Brazilian folk theatrical tradition. It is a tale told through music, costumes and drumming that involves a Bull dying and being brought back to life.
Every region and local festival tells the tale in their own particular way, but there are some characters that appear in all versions. Of course, there is the bull, who usually appears in elaborate costume; Catirina, an ugly pregnant girl generally played by a man in drag; the cowboy who allows the bull to die; the owner of the bull, who is rich and powerful; and the music, a ‘character’ that magically drums the bull back to life.
Crazy Night Festivals
1. Full Moon Party Fest
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This is a popular attraction in Thailand, where the region of Haad Rin hosts the Full Moon Party – an all-night beach party on the island of Kho Pha Ngan before or after the – you guessed it – full moon.
These parties are attended by 3-5000 rather mad people. It constitutes the island’s nightlife capital and has Koh Phangan’s biggest concentration of beach clubs that collectively put on the ultimate travelers’ get together.
Within this transient crowd of party animals, some highly talented DJs pass through, banging out their wares to the raging lunar explorers that have landed on planet party. ITS A PARTY GONE WILD! So if you’re a party animal, this is the place to be.
2. Las Fallas de Valencia
Las Fallas is one of the most unique and crazy night festivals in Spain, a country known for its unique and odd fiestas.
What started as a feast day for St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, has evolved into a five-day, multifaceted celebration involving fire.
Valencia, a quiet city with a population of just over 1 million, swells to an estimated three million flame-loving revelers during Las Fallas celebrations.
3. New Year’s Eve in Australia
New Year’s Eve in Sydney is pretty famous all over world. This festival takes place every New Year’s Eve over Sydney Harbor, centering on the Harbor Bridge.
Its main features are the two pyrotechnic displays, the 9 pm Family Fireworks and the Midnight Fireworks. It is known as the best place in the world to see the New Year fireworks display.
The world is full of weird, crazy and beautiful festivals. These were only few of those. Stay tuned!
