Paryushana

The festival which is the most important to the Jains is Paryushana. It is celebrated in the month of August/September (Shravana and Bhadra). It is either celebrated for eight days or ten days. It is basically celebrated for repentance and forgiveness. The word ‘paryushana’ is derived from two words which mean “a year” and “coming back.” It is said that Paryushana removes the karma of the previous year. There are various religious rituals carried out by the Jains during this festival.

Mahavir Jayanti

The twenty-fourth and last Tirthankara was Lord Mahavira. Mahavir Jayanti is a very important festival for Jains. It is celebrated to honour the birth of Mahavira. It is believed in the Jain text that Mahavira was born on the thirteenth day in the month of ‘Chaitra’ in 599 BCE. In the celebration, the idol of Mahavira is carried in a chariot called the “Rathyatra” and religious rhymes are recited throughout. The Jains do some charity and visit temples.

Diwali

Holding great significance among the Jains is the festival of Diwali. It is considered to be the anniversary of ‘Nirvana’ or total liberation of Lord Mahavira’s soul. Though it is celebrated among the Hindus as well, it is considered to be the end of the year for Jains. On Diwali, Jains begin by praying and offering ‘Nirvana Ladoo’ in Jain temples. They try to visit Pavapur in Bihar on this day. Lights are a symbol of knowledge and removal of ignorance. They do not burn firecrackers as the most important principle is Ahimsa(non-violence).

Gyan Panchami

Gyan Panchami is known as the day of knowledge which is the 5th day of Kartika(five days after Diwali). The day is devoted to pure knowledge, fasting, recitation of hymns, meditation, etc. Even the books in religious libraries are cleaned and worshipped.

Akshaya Tritiya

Akha Teej, also known as Akshaya Tritiya is celebrated on the third day in the month of ‘Vaisakha.’ It is celebrated to honour Lord Adinath’s ending of fast which he did for a year. The Jains consume sugarcane juice which is poured in their cupped hands.

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Vesak

Also known as the “Buddha Day”, Vesak commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. This festival is celebrated on different days in many countries like India, Japan, Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. on the first full moon of May. In each country, followers assemble in the temples and hoist the Buddhist flags and sing hymns. Offerings are made and the rituals after this are different country from country. It is also said that this festival tries to bring happiness to the old, the sick, the poor and the less fortunate.

Magha Puja

Magha puja is one of the most important festivals of the Buddhists. Its main aim is to commit no sin, do only good to others and to keep a pure mind. It is a public holiday in countries like Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and many more. Magha Puja is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month. The festival holds great importance as it honors the Sangha or the Buddhist community and gives the devotee a chance to recommit to the faith. The devotees get together and discuss different aspects of Buddha’s teachings and guidance from the senior members.

Asalha Puja

Asalha Puja celebrates the first teaching of Gautama Buddha. It is also known as the “Dhamma Day” and is also one of the most important festivals for the Thervada Buddhists. Buddha’s first preaching is called “setting into motion the wheel of dhamma.” Dhamma day is celebrated on the full moon of the sixth lunar month. The first preaching consists of four noble truths which are the central doctrine.

Uposatha

It is the Buddhist day of observance when Buddha taught that it is for “the cleansing of the defiled mind.” On this day, the devotees try to keep the Five Precepts, practice Buddha’s teachings and also meditate. Uposatha is celebrated once every week in Theravadin countries.

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Glastonbury

Glastonbury Music Festival is the most popular amongst the most experienced festival visitors and families. It is one of the most popular music festivals in the world. The performances are quite contemporary here and, it is one festival where you’ll see Kanye West performing. It happens in June annually in Somerset, UK.

Coachella

It is one festival where people are not afraid of the sun and have hippie vibes. People dress in boho clothing and hippie attires. It is the most famous festival of USA and signifies the beginning of the summer festival season. It is celebrated in California for two weekends in April.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland is for all the EDM (Electronic Dance Music) fans and party lovers. It is the biggest EDM festival in the world and is widely popular for its extremely impressive on-stage performances. It is celebrated in Boom, Belgium from 24^th July to 26^th July.

Benicassim

It is for those people who have a diverse taste in music and dance. It is one of the most prominent music festivals, and is widely popular in Europe. It is celebrated in Barcelona, Spain in July.

Sunburn Festival

Sunburn is for all EDM fans who are interested in the cultural experience of travelling to Goa. It is ranked as the biggest music festival in Asia. It is the most fun music festival for a perfect mix of music, sun, entertainment and food. It is celebrated in Vagator, Goa in December.

Fuji Rock Festival

It is for all the rock music fans and lovers. If one is interested in rock music and wants to enjoy the ski resort in the mountains of Japan then this is the right place for them. It is celebrated in Naeba Ski resort, Japan in May.

Lovebox

It is for all the electro and hip–hop fans who want to embrace the eccentric nature of music along with the comforts of hotel room at the end of the night. It is celebrated in Victoria Park, London in July.

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It is the best time to reunite with family and friends. During the evening, people light up fireworks and crackers to cast away any bad or negative luck. Celebrations include beating drums, striking gongs, dragon and lion dances and much more.

It is a national holiday where government offices, schools, universities and many companies are closed during this period till the 7^th day of the first lunar month, though public transport is available during this spring festival.

The red posters and poetic phrases merely mean good luck and positive energy that will bring fortune and joy. Many Chinese symbols have different meanings. For example, an image of a fish represents‘having more than one needs every year’. Firecrackers denote‘luck in the coming year’ and many more.

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It showcases the best with animal competitions, award winning food and wines, live entertainment, carnival fun, family shopping, educational activities and much more.The whole show is full of events and unique activities where people are reminded of their childhood memories. It was originally known as the Brisbane exhibition. It is run by the Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland.

The annual event is held in August and about 4,00,000 people attend the event with 21,000 competition entries, 10,000 animals, award winning food and wines with hours of free family entertainment.It features a sideshow alley, showbag pavilion and lots of fireworks.

In 2018, Ekka will be celebrated from 10^th to 19thof August. The first exhibition was held in 1876 which locals described as the most important event since the separation of Queensland from New South Wales in 1859.

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Fiji

The Hindu population in Fiji makes up the 1/3rd of the whole population. The festival of Diwali is observed as a public holiday as well a religious event of the Hindus. This time is celebrated as the beginning of the holiday season in Fiji and is hence, celebrated with firecrackers by Indo-Fijians of any religion. The houses are decorated with candles, oil lamps. The people also use rice and chalk. The festival is often complimented with sweets and vegetable dishes.

Mauritius

Mauritius observes Diwali as a public holiday. The offices, houses, supermarkets and other buildings are decorated with lights a week before the festival. Sweets are prepared by families at home which are distributed among family and friends. The people also offer prayers to Lord Rama, Goddess Laxmi and various other Gods.

Sri Lanka

Celebrated by the Tamil community, Diwali is a public holiday here as well. The people celebrate this festival by bathing in oil in the morning, performing Puja (prayer) and visiting Koil which is a Hindu Temple. The people in Sri Lanka celebrate Diwali in a very traditional manner with games, fireworks, dancing, singing, etc. there are family reunions and large meals eaten together.

Singapore

Singapore as a whole does not observe Diwali as a holiday. It is celebrated only by the Indian population of the country in the Little India district. The area is lit with markets, parades, concerts, exhibitions and many more events. The whole of Little India is covered in lights. Therefore, Diwali is a gazette public holiday.

Australia

Celebrated mainly by the Indian population and locals of Australia in Melbourne and Brisbane, Diwali at Chinatown and Federation Square has embraced the Victorian population in it. There are more than 56,000 people who visit Federation Square on this day. There are many dance performances and huge banners put up all across the Melbourne Airport. Even the Sydney Opera House is lit up in gold every year on this day since 2004.

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The rituals that are performed during Navratri are fasting and avoiding food items like rice, wheat, garlic, onion, non-vegetarian food and pulses for nine days.

It is believed that by maintaining such discipline in food habits, we are avoiding the attraction of negative energy to our body.

Not just goddess Durga, but all of her other nine forms are worshipped too, like goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi etc.

The festival is celebrated with devotional music known as ‘Bhajans’ and in Gujarat, ‘Garba’ is performed which is a Gujarati dance form to mark Navratri celebrations.

There many different reasons for which Navratri is celebrated, and in different forms too. Navratri is celebrated as the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura in east and northeast India. Whereas in northern and western states it is celebrated with ‘Ram Leela’ performances, and with the burning of the demon Ravana signifying the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.

The last day of Navratri is known as Dussehra in north and Vijay Dashami in east. The whole purpose of celebrating Navratri is to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

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Chinese New Year

This festival is celebrated in Singapore along with a few other regions which host a three day party. It is also known as the Lunar New York due to the lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is a very important Chinese holiday and the longest. The event usually falls in January or February.

Holi

This festival is celebrated in India. It is a festival of colours which is held in March. It is popular amongst Hindus and is celebrated in Nepal and Pakistan too. People use colours in the form of powder or water and celebrate this festival with music and food. One tradition that is the key feature of this festival along with colours is the ‘bhang’ which is a sweet drink.

Taiwan Lantern Festival

There are many lantern festivals in Asia but one of the most stunning ones is the Taiwan Lantern Festival. This is hosted by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and is observed by the Chinese and the Vietnamese, too. It is held on the full moon night of the lunar year, which usually occurs in February or March.

Winter Light Festival

Winter Light Festival is celebrated in Japan where there is a botanical theme park featuring giant landscapes and greenhouses. The park is colourfully decorated with an array of flowers, blossoms, cherry trees, tulips, pansies, viola, daisies and much more. The fragrance and illumination of the garden is the most incredible thing about this festival.

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Ati- AtihanFestival

It is celebrated from January 9th to 15th inKalibo, Aklan. Experience this colourful vibrant festival where people masquerade as Negritos in colourful costumes, dance to the tribal drum beats, and chant “HalaBira”.

Sinulog Festival

Sinulog is celebrated on January 15 in Cebu city. Cebu is also known as the queen city where people celebrate this week long event. It culminates with lively street dancing, parties, concerts, parades and much more.

Dinagyang Festival

Dinagyang is celebrated on January 24 in Iloilo city. On every 4^th Sunday of January, the streets of this city transform into a massive street party with boom boxes and drinks and food. It also hosts street dancing competitions that are represented by high schools and barangays.

Pahiyas Festival

It is celebrated from May 11th to 15th in Lucban, Quezon. During this festival, homes are decorated with the best agricultural products. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be seen everywhere. Native rice cake is the centre of attention during this festival.

Parada ng Lechon

It is celebrated on June 24 in Balayan, Batangas. It’s a grand parade of roasted pigs with all kinds of décor. This festival coincides with the feast of St. John, the baptism due to which people get wet during the feast by repeating the ritual of baptism- pouring water.

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