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965 | 457,118 | 0 | The Gathering (LAN party) | Norway | The Gathering (abbreviated as TG for short) is a computer party which is held annually in Vikingskipet Olympic Arena in Hamar, Norway, and lasts for five consecutive days (starting on the Wednesday in Easter each year). Each year, TG attracts more than 5200 (mostly young) people, with attendance increasing every year.
== History ==
=== Beginning ===
In early 1991, Vegard Skjefstad and Trond Michelsen, members of the demogroup Deadline, decided that they wanted to organize a big demoparty in Norway. In the late eighties/early nineties, it was common that demoparties (more commonly called copyparties at this time) were organized by large demogroups. Because of this, and the fact that Deadline wasn't particularly well known, Mr. Skjefstad suggested that the group Crusaders should be involved. At this time, The Crusaders was one of Norway's most popular Amiga groups. Partly because of their music disks, but also because of their diskmag, the Crusaders Eurochart. At first, Crusaders weren't too keen on the idea of organizing a party, but when Mr. Skjefstad reminded them about the fact that they always complained about the other parties of the same sort, and that this was their chance to show everyone how it should be done, which caused the Crusaders to agree.
After briefly considering having the party during the fall of 1991, it was decided that Easter would be better. All schools are closed during Easter week and the period from Maundy Thursday to Easter Monday are official holidays in Norway. This meant that most of the target audience would have time off to attend TG, and all organizers and crew could work full-time with TG with a minimum usage of vacation days.
=== 1992–1995 ===
In 1992, 1100 people gathered in Skedsmohallen at Lillestrøm, way more than the expected count of about 800. The following years, TG continued to grow. In 1993 Skedsmohallen again was the venue with 1400 people visiting the party. This was more than the capacity of the venue, making it clear that a bigger venue was required. In 1994 the venue was Rykkinnhallen in Bærum, and the visitor count had risen to 1800 - again more than the venue could hold, which led to intervention by the local fire department who banned indoor sleeping. Consequently, the organizers had to hire a large construction tent and some heavy duty heating equipment (there was still snow on the ground).
No bigger venue could be found and this may have been one reason why Skjefstad and The Crusaders declined to arrange the party in 1995. A group from Stavanger led by Magnar Harestad proposed to host the party instead, and got approval and some backing from the TG crew. They hired Stavanger Ishall, Siddishallen and the party was renamed Gathering 95. However, this caused a sharp drop in attendance, barely 500 people attended, not even filling the hall to half capacity. This may have been due to moving the event away from the Eastern, more densely populated part of Norway - while the previous events had been held well within one hours drive from the capital of Oslo, Stavanger is over 470 km from Oslo, taking more than 7 hours to drive.
=== 1996-current ===
Meanwhile, the venues built for the 1994 Winter Olympics were made available for hire, and prices were increasingly reasonable due to lack of interest. Amongst these were the Vikingskipet ice skating arena in Hamar, at the time Norway's largest indoor arena - located 1+1⁄2 hours' drive from central Oslo, and with good infrastructure (power, parking etc.). Skjefstad and The Crusaders decided to rent it and have another go, and The Gathering 1996, attracted around 2500 visitors.
The organizers then decided to create a separate organization, KANDU (Kreativ, Aktiv Norsk Dataungdom - 'Creative, Active Norwegian Computer Youth') for the specific purpose of running TG every year, and thus promote creativity and computer literacy.
Since then The Gathering continued to grow. By 1998 the maximum capacity of Vikingskipet, of about 5200 attendees, were reached. KANDU have not, however, decided to switch venues again although even larger venues such as the Telenor Arena at Fornebu outside of Oslo are now available. Instead, tickets for the event have sold out increasingly quickly.
During The Gathering 2016, a concert of electronic music was performed on stage by Sabastian Teir alias Kebu.
The Gathering 2020 was cancelled after recommendations by local health authorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, it was to be arranged online under the hashtag TG:Online.
In-Person events resumed in 2021, 2022 and 2023. However, in January of 2024, The Gathering announced via X (formerly twitter) that the event had been canceled for 2024, with a promise to release more information in the future.
The Gathering is set to return in 2025, following an announcement on X, looking for volunteers.
== Daily life ==TG lasts for five days (from Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday every year), and is both longer and bigger than most other computer parties. Most people tend to let their daily rhythm go and instead sleep as they see fit (many simply in front of their computer, but most people on the arena stands); for a lot of people most of the time is usually spent in front of a computer, but many like to use the opportunity to meet new or old friends in real life.
People have wildly different opinions about what constitutes a proper LAN party; the common trend at TG these years seem to be warez, games (the most popular being Counter-Strike), and IRC. However, many visitors find this too boring in the long run, and there are many unofficial mini-events happening all the time. Informal competitions to build the highest tower of soda cans are not uncommon, and people have been spotted having their own private mini-rave-parties put together by a few people and a PC with PA Systems.
== Happenings and the demoscene ==
TG has always been a hub for young creative people to battle it out in many types of competitions; demo coding, music, graphics, animation, games, hardware-modification and Dance Dance Revolution to name a few; in addition, there are usually concerts and other things happening live on stage once or twice a day, as well as seminars etc.
In the first years, the focus on TG was pretty much on demos, but as TG is held at the same time as Breakpoint, a German scene-only party (and the earlier Mekka & Symposium), many European demosceners have left TG in favour of BP, and TG, like the majority of other computer parties, has become more of a gamer event. The scene at TG still lives on, though, as TG has introduced features such as a demoscene-only area, creative cashback (those handing in entries to the creative competitions get a discount) and other demo-oriented events. In fact, you have to go back as far as 1996 to match the number of entries handed in to the creative competitions at TG04.
== Crew ==
The organization Kreativ Aktiv Norsk Dataungdom (KANDU) is formally responsible for hosting TG. In addition, there are around 500 volunteers participating to make TG possible every year; these are collectively called the crew.
The TG crew is split into multiple sub-crews, such as a democrew (Event:Demo), a gamecrew (Event:Game), a first-aid crew (Security:Medic), a network crew (Tech:Net), a server crew (Tech:Server), as well as a logistics crew (Core:Logistikk) etc.. (The exact list varies somewhat from year to year.) Each of these has a chief who reports upwards, and is responsible for some aspect of the party.
All crew members are volunteers and unpaid; the only advantages a crew member has over a normal visitor are free entrance, access to a crew-only sleeping room and hot food served a few times a day. All members of the crew must arrive at the party place one day before the party itself starts, and stay one day after the party to aid in cleaning up afterwards. (Some people, such as chiefs, typically come even sooner.)
Everybody who wants can become crew (except for the Security and logistics crews, where there is a minimum age of 18), by applying at a special interface called wannabe. The chiefs usually pick their own crew, based on the applications coming in and previous experience. Crew members from earlier years must re-apply every year if they want to be crew again, but it is rare for a person having done a good job not to be selected the next year.
== Ticket sale controversy ==
Up to and including TG01, TG tickets (as all other tickets to everything else happening in Vikingskipet) were sold by Billettservice, a company closely related to the postal service in Norway. Partly sold via the Internet, partly by phone (but always picked up at a local post office), the Billettservice system broke down hard every year as thousands of people tried to order tickets to the event simultaneously.
To try to make the ticket sales a bit more smooth, a group of people closely related to the administration of TG made a separate company called Partyticket (or Partyticket.net, PTN for short), selling unified ticket-related services (such as ordering, payment, seating, handling competitions etc.) to smaller and larger computer parties. Partyticket went online for the first time in 2002, and like Billettservice instantly went down under the massive load, partly due to a problem at the third-party service authorizing credit card transactions. However, the tickets were still sold out in a matter of hours.
2003 was not much better; a lot of problems had been fixed (and PTN had successfully managed the ticket sales for several other computer parties), but there were still problems left, and it was decided to postpone the ticket sales by one day to fix the problems that had been discovered. The sales went relatively smooth the next day.
In 2004, one hoped that one would finally see the end of the problems, especially as a new queuing system and new hardware was installed; however, the server again buckled under the enormous load, and the queueing system was found to be severely buggy, apparently shuffling people around in the queue at random. This frustrated a lot of visitors, many of which never got tickets at all. Many people blame the ticket-sales problems directly at PTN and has tried to pressure TG into choosing some other solution.
In 2005 the queuing system was changed. Instead of buying actual tickets, people were put in a virtual queue, thus loading the server a lot less during the peak hours. The next day, people were processed from the start of the queue (but no more than 200 at a time). This system ended up working a lot better than the queueing system from 2004, despite some misconceptions in the media.
Since 2006, however, there have been no major issues.
In 2007 the Norwegian Tax Authority demanded that taxes were to be paid for the tickets sold from 2001 to 2008, as it did not consider The Gathering to be a cultural event (all cultural events in Norway are exempt from paying taxes). Although the management of TG sent a complaint to the Tax Authority, it did not reconsider the demands. By August 8, the management of TG was required to pay 988,536 NOK in unpaid taxes, which could have caused the 2009 staging of The Gathering to be cancelled. If no money was paid by the August 8 deadline, the event could have been closed for good. However, on August 16, 2008, KANDU and The Gathering won the tax case and will temporarily be exempted from paying taxes for the tickets sold in 2006, 2007, 2008 and the future. Also, the law will be amended to secure this for all other computer parties in Norway. The stated reason for this decision is that The Gathering's purpose is to gather youth from inland and abroad so these can get together to cultivate a computer culture, and the Storting has declared in a white paper that computer gaming is considered culture.
For The Gathering 2011 KANDU has signed an agreement for ticket sales with a company called Unicornis and their ticket system Geekevents. This agreement was for a three years period.
KANDU has signed a new contract with Geekevents AS, for a four-year period.
== Name ==
Most years, TG has a name or tagline; the tagline doesn't really mean much, but it still influences the logo (or the other way round) and some other material. A list of names includes:
== Demo and intro competition winners ==
== External links ==The Gathering official website
KANDU website
The Gathering on Pouët
The Net is Not Enough by Hege Nordli – 4.1 The Gathering (pages 72–84)
The Gathering: Computer Parties as Means for Gender Inclusion by Hege Nordli, an academic paper about The Gathering demo party and parties in general. (PDF)
Moms-sjokk for «The Gathering» - VG Nett Spill
Lover momshjelp til The Gathering - Nettavisen
Various logos |
966 | 55,580,817 | 0 | Narvik Winter Festival | Norway | Narvik Winter Festival, in Norwegian just Vinterfestuka (The Winter Festival Week), is an annual cultural festival with railway history platform in Narvik. It is based on stories, myths and facts from the construction time of the Narvik and Kiruna railway system around 1900.
Important symbols for the Narvik Winter Festival are the rallars, railway worker rallaren, Svarta Bjorn (Black Bear) and the Ofotbanen.
The Narvik Winter Festival is organized annually in March, the first time in 1956 as a «French festival». In 1957 the event was called Festival Narvik. Today the festival, with around 200 events, attract a total of about 30,000 visitors.
The Narvik Winter Festival has a special position in the local population, as a large part of the city's population has its own outfits worn during the festival. For men, there is black trousers and fluffy flanell shirt with black or dark vest and racket hat that applies to everyday, for party it is the same outfit but with white shirt. For the ladies, it's a long skirt with blouse (often white / light gray or reddish / purple) and black shawl that's everyday attire while evening dress is used for partying. This tradition has in recent years had a marked increase in popularity also among youth.
The festival was initially run by Narvik Reiselivslag (travelers organization), but the size of the arrangements made another organization necessary. The Narvik Winter Festival became its own foundation in 1997, called the Stiftelsen Vinterfestuka (The Vinterfestuka Foundation). The reason was to get a more independent organization that could carry out the events The Narvik Winter Festival, Folkefest i Rombaksbotn and help develop new arrangements. Today, the foundation for the implementation of the cultural events The Narvik Winter Festival, Folkefest i Rombaksbotn and a number of other events throughout the year.
Den Stolte og Ærverdige Rallarklubben av Malmbyen Narvik (The Proud and Honorable Ralilway Workers Club of the Malm Sity of Narvik) is also an important contributor, with its events during the Narvik Winter Festival and otherwise in the year. It is Rallarklubben that stands for the traditional costume method for children who go first Saturday at the festival. The 2020 Winter Festival was canceled by Narvik due to the coronavirus pandemic.
== External links ==
Official website |
968 | 18,528,622 | 0 | Sommer-Melbu | Norway | Sommer-Melbu is an annual summer festival in Melbu, Norway, usually with seminars on literature and philosophy. Concerts, art exhibitions, organized leisure trips with sightseeing (often by boat/car or on foot), and activities for adults and children are usually on the program. The festival has been held yearly since the mid-1980s.
www.sommermelbu.no
www.nordland-akademi.no |
969 | 38,645,294 | 0 | Språkåret 2013 | Norway | Språkåret (The Language Year) in Norway was arranged with government support in 2013. That year was 200 years after Ivar Aasen was born. It was 100 years after Det Norske Teatret (The Norwegian Theatre) opened. Ivar Aasen's life work was the development of Nynorsk (New Norse), a language with grammar and vocabulary based upon the way ordinary Norwegians, primarily rural, spoke. After a few hundred years under Danish rule, many in the cities as well as everyone educated in Denmark, spoke and wrote Danish and Danish was taught in schools. Det Norske Teatret is a theatre in Oslo that primarily produces plays in Nynorsk.
These two jubilees were the main reasons for the decision to create a national year of celebration of languages. Språkåret 2013 was a stand-alone project, organised within the Nynorsk kultursentrum (Nynorsk culture center) and funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture.
== Valuable cultural expressions ==
The purpose of Språkåret 2013 was to embrace and celebrate the diversity of language that exists in Norway. One sought to put focus on the positive effects that arise out of living in a country with several languages. The two official written versions of Norwegian, Bokmål and Nynorsk, the language of the indigenous people in the north, Sámi, and the three recognised national minority languages; Kvensk, romani, romanes as well as Norwegian sign language, another official language. In addition there is huge variation in local dialects as well as the many languages spoken by immigrants. The year of 2013 was dedicated to celebrating, discussing, and trying to raise awareness of the valuable cultural expressions and identities that are connected to languages and dialects.
== Objectives for the year ==
To create stronger linguistic self-esteem amongst people who have Nynorsk as their preferred language and moreover to heighten public acceptance of the country's language-divided culture.
To increase pride in the linguistic culture of Nynorsk, also among the people who have Bokmål as their preferred language.
To increase knowledge of and respect for the native language Sámi, minority languages, immigrant- languages and sign language.
To put the language situation in Norway into international and comparative perspectives.
To take an initiative to more contact among language-policy actors with common interests that cross linguistic borders and ethnicity.
In an interview in December 2013, the leader of the language year project, the author Inger Johanne Sæterbakk, said that the language year had lived a life of its own; many arrangements occurred without central steering. No one knows how many there were, but it was more than a thousand. Sæterbakk said that she saw that the use of dialects have an emotional element, while written language is used more as a tool. While she regretted that it wasn't possible to engage minority language groups more, she was very pleased with the activity-level all around the country.
== External links ==
The Ministry of Culture in Norway This page is in English. |
982 | 48,325,032 | 0 | List of festivals in Portugal | Portugal | The following is a list of festivals in Portugal.
== By type ==
=== Film festivals ===
Black & White Festival (2004-) - Porto
Caminhos do Cinema Português - Coimbra
Curtas Vila do Conde (1993-) - Vila do Conde
Doclisboa - Lisbon
Douro Film Harvest
Estoril Film Festival - Estoril
Fantasporto - Porto
FEST New Directors New Films Festival (2004-) - Espinho
Festroia International Film Festival (1985-) - Setúbal
Lisbon Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (1997-) - Lisbon
Olhares do Mediterrâneo - Cinema no Feminino (2014-) - Lisbon
=== Music festivals ===
Avante! Festival (1976-) - Amora, Seixal
Boom Festival (1997-) - Idanha-a-Nova
Cascais Jazz Festival (1971-1988) - Cascais
Festival da Canção (1964-)
Festival Forte (2014-) - Montemor-o-Velho
Festival Sudoeste (1997-) - Zambujeira do Mar
FMM Sines – Festival Músicas do Mundo (1999-) - Sines
Laurus Nobilis Music Famalicão (2015-) - Vila Nova de Famalicão
NOS Alive (2007-) - Algés (Oeiras)
NOS Primavera Sound (2012-) - Porto
Paredes de Coura Festival (1993-) - Paredes de Coura
Rock in Rio - Lisbon
Super Bock Super Rock (1994-)
Vilar de Mouros Festival (1971-) - Vilar de Mouros
Vagos Open Air (2009-) - Calvão (Vagos)
== By location ==
The following is a list of Portuguese festivals held in only one or a few of the Districts and/or Autonomous Regions of Portugal. Nationwide festivals are not included.
=== Aveiro ===
FEST New Directors New Films Festival (2004-) - Espinho
Vagos Open Air (2009-) - Calvão (Vagos)
=== Azores ===
Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres in Ponta Delgada
Festas do Divino Espírito Santo
=== Beja ===
Festival Sudoeste (1997-) - Zambujeira do Mar
=== Braga ===
==== Guimarães ====
Gualterianas
Nicolinas
==== Póvoa de Varzim ====
Anjo Festival
=== Bragança ===
Careto - Podence (Macedo de Cavaleiros)
=== Castelo Branco ===
Boom Festival (1997-) - Idanha-a-Nova
=== Coimbra ===
Caminhos do Cinema Português - Coimbra
Festival Forte (2014-) - Montemor-o-Velho
=== Évora ===
=== Faro ===
Craft, Tourism, Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Fair of Lagoa (1980-) - Lagoa
International Sand Sculpture Festival (2003-ongoing) - Pêra (Silves)
=== Guarda ===
=== Leiria ===
=== Lisbon ===
Doclisboa - Lisbon
Estoril Film Festival - Estoril
Lisbon Book Fair - Lisbon
Lisbon Feminist Festival
Lisbon Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (1997-) - Lisbon
Ludopolis (2012-) - Lisbon
NOS Alive (2007-) - Algés (Oeiras)
Olhares do Mediterrâneo - Cinema no Feminino (2014-) - Lisbon
Rock in Rio - Lisbon
=== Madeira ===
=== Portalegre ===
=== Porto ===
Anjo Festival
Black & White Festival (2004-) - Porto
Curtas Vila do Conde (1993-) - Vila do Conde
Fantasporto - Porto
Festa de São João do Porto - Porto
Festivals of Póvoa de Varzim - Póvoa de Varzim
NOS Primavera Sound (2012-) - Porto
Porto Book Fair
Porto Pride (2001-) - Porto
Póvoa de Varzim Holiday - Póvoa de Varzim
Romaria de S. Gonçalo e S. Cristóvão (17th century-) - Vila Nova de Gaia
Festa de S. Pedro da Afurada - Vila Nova de Gaia
Festa da Nossa Senhora da Saúde - Vila Nova de Gaia
=== Santarém ===
Festa dos Tabuleiros - Tomar
=== Setúbal ===
Avante! Festival (1976-) - Amora, Seixal
Festroia International Film Festival (1985-) - Setúbal
FMM Sines – Festival Músicas do Mundo (1999-) - Sines
=== Viana do Castelo ===
Paredes de Coura Festival (1993-) - Paredes de Coura
Vilar de Mouros Festival (1971-) - Vilar de Mouros
Neopop (2006-) - Viana do Castelo
=== Vila Real ===
Rock Nordeste
=== Viseu ===
Sarau (event) |
983 | 70,378,663 | 0 | Afro Nation | Portugal | Afro Nation is an annual three-day music festival founded in 2019 by Live Nation, SLE - Sociedade Lusa de Espectáculos and Event Horizon to bring together the best African artistes in Afrobeats, Hip hop, RnB, Dancehall, Gqom, Amapiano, Afroswing and more. The festival was nominated in the Best Overseas Festival category at the 2019 UK Festival Awards.
In 2020, Billboard Magazine named Afro Nation as one of The Gatekeepers of the Nigerian music industry.
== History ==
On 1 August 2019, Afro Nation (also marketed as Afro Nation Puerto Rico, Afro Nation U.S, Afro Nation Ghana, and Afro Nation Mexico) was established as a four-day annual music festival in Portimão, Portugal. In 2020, the festival was set to begin operating as a three-day annual event. However, the second edition was postponed to 1 July 2022, due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Customers weren’t offered refunds. Instead, they were forced to keep their tickets, which were valid for the following edition of the festival, which would only take place two years later. The festival faced backlash from customers after not issuing refunds.
On 13 December 2019, Afro Nation released its compilation mixtape curated by MOVES Recordings, titled Afro Nation, Vol. 1. The album features guest appearance from SMADE, Ice Prince, Slim Kofi, Lighter Tod, Joey B, Kuami Eugene, Medikal, Eddie Kadi, Bisa Kdei, Adekunle Gold, Oxlade, Reekado Banks, Eugy, Br3nya, and Terry Apala.
In December 2020, the Ghanaian edition of the festival was cancelled, allegedly due to health concerns about the COVID-19 outbreak.
In 2022, the festival in Puerto Rico was shadowed with many cancellations, particularly of headliners such as Burna Boy, Tems, Koffee and Beenie Man, all canceled in the leadup to the festival.
In 2022, the festival was cancelled in Ghana during the course of its second day, due to safety concerns. Customers were not pleased as the performances of several of the main acts were cancelled, and complaints about the failure to refund arose.
On the 2023 Portuguese edition, the festival had continuous sound problems that seriously affected the performances. Twelve people were arrested at the festival for drug trafficking, with the Portuguese authorities seizing 804 doses of marijuana, 335 doses of cocaine, 63 doses of amphetamines, 46 doses of hashish, and 1,845 euros from the illicit activity.
On 9 June 2023, the organizers of the festival announced Afro Nation Nigeria, a new series of the festival to be held in Nigeria. On 31 October 2023, the Nigerian edition of the festival was cancelled.
== Portugal's audience and headliners ==
Despite its export to other countries, Afro Nation main venue keeps on being at Portugal. Both audience and highly safe environment have maintained Portugal's summer festival as Afro Nation main venue in terms of investment associated with increasingly growth of audience and line up quality as festival records shows.
=== Afro Nation 2019 (August 01–04) ===
Audience: ≈ 20,000 people every day
Headliners: Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and J Hus.
=== Afro Nation 2022 (July 01–03) ===
Audience: ≈ 35,000 people every day
Headliners: Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Chris Bown, Megan Thee Stallion and P-Square.
=== Afro Nation 2023 (June 28–30) ===
Audience: ≈ 40,000 people every day
Headliners: Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, 50 cent and Booba.
== List of Afro Nation Festivals ==
Afro Nation Portugal (cancelled in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Afro Nation Africa (in Ghana. Took place in 2019; cancelled in 2020, cancelled mid-festival in 2022; never repeated).
Afro Nation U.S.
Afro Nation Puerto Rico (in 2022 it was shadowed with many cancellations, particularly of headliners such as Burna Boy, Tems, Koffee and Beenie Man, all canceled in the leadup to the festival).
Afro Nation Mexico (cancelled).
Afro Nation Nigeria (cancelled).
=== Performers ===
The festival was launched in 2019, and has featured various guest performances from Burna Boy, Wizkid, Davido, Busy Signal, Femi Kuti, Adekunle Gold, Afro B, B Young, Distruction Boyz, Hardy Caprio, King Promise, Maleek Berry, Mist, Mostack, Ms Dynamite, Not3s, NSG, Octavian, Stefflon Don, Teni, The Compozers, Vanessa Mdee, Laycon, and Yxng Bane. In its 2022 line-up, it featured Meek Mill, Megan Thee Stallion, Beenie Man, C4 Pedro, CKay, Dadju, Diamond Platnumz, Ding Dong, Innoss'B, KiDi, Kizz Daniel, Koffee, Kuami Eugene, Black Sherif , Tiwa Savage, Gyakie, Maître Gims, Naira Marley, Nelson Freitas, Niniola, Patoranking, R2Bees, Reekado Banks, Rema, Ruger, Small Doctor, Sona, Tekno, Tems, and Wande Coal.
== Radio shows ==
=== Official UK Afrobeats Chart Show ===
On 26 September 2021, Afro Nation and Official Charts Company founded the official weekly UK Afrobeats Chart Show on BBC Radio 1 Xtra, with host Eddie Kadi.
== Music charts ==
U.S Afrobeats Songs Chart - (An afrobeats art founded by Billboard and Afro Nation, in 2022)
UK Afrobeats Singles Chart - (An afrobeats chart founded by Official Charts Company and Afro Nation, in 2020)
== Discography ==
=== Mixtapes ===
== External links ==
Afro Nation Mexico
Afro Nation Ghana |
984 | 35,757,501 | 0 | Anjo Festival | Portugal | Anjo Festival (Festa do Anjo: Angel Festival) or Ivy Festival (Portuguese: Festa da Hera) is an Easter Monday festival held in coastal Northern Portugal. Originating in Póvoa de Varzim, it is currently observed in several towns, especially Vila do Conde and Esposende.
The festival consists of a family picnic in the surrounding countryside or woodlands, known in the local dialect as Bouças.
== Celebrations ==
=== Origins ===
The festival was popularized in the Ivy Festival of the 1920s, as a reminder of pagan culture and beliefs, which started from the traditional walk of the inhabitants of Póvoa de Varzim to Anjo woodlands (Bouças do Anjo), the name of the parish of Argivai (Parish of Saint Michael, the Angel). Anjo literally means angel. Part of the town's population originated in this parish in ancient times. Although currently several woodlands are used, such as Ofir and Barca do Lago in Esposende, Serra de Rates and São Félix Hill in Póvoa de Varzim, Mindelo and Árvore in Vila do Conde.
=== The ivy as a love symbol ===The Anjo Festival was also a lovers' day. Students and other single young men waited for this day with great anxiety as it was the only day that their parents gave them complete freedom during all day and night. During the picnic people sang and danced.
Girls, in the 1920s, in order to finance a local brass band used the traditional walk to the Anjo and placed themselves in the entrance of the woodlands where families had their picnic, selling ivy leaves to couples and singing ivy poems which led the couples to buy them, young men would put the ivy in their hats or pockets and girls would place them in their chests.
Ivy poems:The one who walked away from the ivy
and did not pick a leaf,
will not remember one's love.
I wish I was an ivy
to climb the wall
and look through the window
of your bedroom.
=== The ivy and Easter ===
The ivy is a very common plant in Póvoa de Varzim, often found in granite walls that divide farmlands and, on Easter Sunday, with the arrival of Spring, they become symbolic and interweaved with Christian beliefs: the population picks ivy leaves and spreads them in the streets, especially near one's door or forming corridors meant to be stepped on by the compasso pascal, a Catholic parade that brings the Lord in the Crucifix into one's home.
=== Anjo as an Holiday ===
In the mid-20th century, Anjo day was suggested to become the Póvoa de Varzim municipal holiday when August 15, the local holiday, was declared a national holiday, but given the fact that Easter Monday was already a public holiday during that period, Saint Peter festival was chosen as the city's holiday. Although Easter Monday is currently not observed in Portugal, cities become ghost towns during this day as the population and companies prefer to work on Holy Friday, a national holiday, to have Monday off. Póvoa de Varzim City Hall grants the day off to its public servants and, since 1966, Vila do Conde also grants the day. |
985 | 76,104,682 | 0 | The Lisbon Feminist Festival | Portugal | The Lisbon Feminist Festival or Festival Feminista de Lisboa is a civil society, initiative, organized annually since 2018, in different locations in the city, around the theme of feminism. All the activities in its program are open to the public and free of charge, and include exhibitions, debates, concerts, workshops, theater, cinema, performances, zine fair, street interventions, etc.
The main values of the feminist festival can be read in its manifesto: anti-capitalist, communitarian and inclusive. With a horizontal and non-profit organizational structure, it is made up of a group of volunteers who came together for the first time at the end of 2017, after an internet call carried out by Cuntroll Zine, a fanzine dedicated to the promotion of artists who identify as women and queer people.
The program of the first and second editions of the event was prepared from a public call for proposals addressed to individuals or collectives for the development of activities, within the scope of the festival, with a focus on feminisms and equal opportunities for all.
== First edition of the Lisbon Feminist Festival (2018) ==
The first event held by the organization was a fundraising party, in February 2018, at the Anjos70 cultural space; The Feminist Carnival aimed to raise funds to cover food, transportation and accommodation expenses of the exhibitors, as well as promotion costs, of its first edition.
The first edition of the Lisbon Feminist Festival took place from March 3rd to 25th, 2018, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
== Awards ==
At the end of January 2019, in the course of preparing the second edition of the event, the Lisbon Feminist Festival received the Madalena Barbosa award from the Lisbon City Council in partnership with CIG – Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality. The award ceremony took place on December 10, 2019 in the Archive Room of the Lisbon City Hall. |
998 | 28,911,566 | 0 | List of Burmese traditional festivals | Myanmar | Burmese traditional festivals are based on the traditional Burmese calendar and dates are largely determined by the moon's phase. Burmese culture is most evident in villages where local festivals are held throughout the year, the most important being the pagoda festival.
== Festivals ==Edited by TZWK (Dastan Fitz) |
999 | 64,502,937 | 0 | Taungbyone Festival | Myanmar | The Taungbyone Festival (Burmese: တောင်ပြုန်းပွဲတော်; also spelt Taungbyon) is one of the most well-known festivals among the people of Myanmar, held annually in honour of the Taungbyon nat brothers or the two brothers of Taungbyone village. Actually it is the festival of the two pagodas, by the name of Sutaungpyae built by King Anawrahta and the later-built Sutaungya. The pagodas' festival is designated to be celebrated for two days, from the eighth waxing day to the tenth of the Burmese month of Wagaung. At the same time, the nat festival is held alongside that of the pagodas.
Taungbyone festival is very crowded with people coming from various parts of the country during the festival days in August. A special ritual program is carried out each day. More popularly, the spirit-mediums' dance is a major aspect of the festival and occurs throughout the days.
The festival is not only a place for those who take the cult of nat within the sphere of Burmese Theravada Buddhism but a place for those who seek fun. One can watch folk dramas, ceremonial dance and find opportunities to gamble, socialize and drink.
== Location and site ==
The festival takes place every year honouring the spirits of two brothers of Taungbyone belonging to the Burmese pantheon of '37' nats. Taungbyone village is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Mandalay, the last royal capital of the Burmese monarchy. As the village is situated in central Myanmar, it is usually hot, dry and dusty, with a population of over three thousand according to the 2019 governmental report.
=== Festival grounds ===
During the festival, all free space of the village are occupied with the temporary infrastructure, or massive temporary bazaar comprising stalls of every kind that sell food, fruit, flowers, toys, clothing, tools, craft, trinkets as well as restaurants, sideshow, theatres for Burmese traditional drama and/or anyeint. There are a large crowd of people shopping, eating, dancing, carousing and gambling on the grounds. As it draws many thousands, security and emergency services like the police, the Red Cross, and the firefighters are put on standby because fights occasionally occur.
=== Overview of the site ===
The two pagodas, Sutaungpyae and Sutaungya, are situated north of the main nat shrine or the nat palace of the brothers, which is composed of two pavilions. In the first pavilion lie several statues of the nats, such as the two brothers (Shwe Hpyin Nyidaw and Shwe Hpyin Naungdaw), Ma Hne Lay and Mandalay Bodaw. Nowadays the second pavilion is for holding the ritual shower. These nat palaces and domains are owned by a family whose members are 'palace guardians'.
There are also many secondary nat palaces, which started to be built in the mid-1980s to house some spirit-mediums having no traditional place.
== Legend ==
A brief account of the two Taungbyone brothers, who served in the army of King Anawrahta and their death, is given in Glass Palace Chronicle, which is the translated work covering only several portions of Hmannan Yazawin. Their compelling story is, with mythological motifs, dramatized and expressed in folklore, nat thamaing (legendary biographies of the nat) in particular. Consequently, it could animate and give life to a myth so that it can draw people's attention to the scenes in their myth and reenact their dramas in the ritual being performed.
=== Their origin ===
The Muslim traders were shipwrecked off Thaton and two brothers among them reached the city riding a plank, which drifted ashore near Thaton. They were known as Byatwi and Byatta. Upon reaching the shore, they took refuge in the monastery, in which an abbot resided, venerated by King Manuha of Thaton Kingdom. The monk took care of and kept them near him.
One day, in the absence of the monk, the two brothers cooked and ate the body of the dead Zawgyi, a hermit-like being with supernatural power and alchemist that had been found by chance in the forest, preserved by the monk for medicine, which could serve both the elixir of life and magical power. They gained extraordinary powers. Such news spread out across the kingdom and finally reached into the ear of the king, who got worried sick. He thus ordered his men to capture them. The king's men seized and killed the elder brother, then dismembered his body and buried those parts around the city wall as a protective charm against the enemies who might attack and seize the city.
The younger brother, nevertheless, escaped and could flee to Bagan, where he served King Anawrahta, who later appointed him as his 'flower officer' for his superhuman strength. He rode his steed daily to get to Mount Popa over 30 miles south of Bagan, gather and offer flowers to the king when returned.
=== The Taungbyone brothers ===He and a girl named 'Me Wunna' on the mountain (legend says she is a floral ogress living on the mountain) fell in love with each other and begot two sons, known as the Shwepyin brothers. When they grew up, they served the king in his mission to make an effort to bring the eyetooth of the Buddha, residing in Gandhala (Gandhalarit), China. On the return journey of the king and his army, the king's elephant stopped and knelt down at a certain place in Taungbyon village, where the king had a pagoda built and named it 'Sutaungpyae'. The king ordered all his men to contribute their personal service towards the construction, at the very least, each for a work of bringing and laying a brick in the pagoda.
The Pagoda was completed and the king came to conduct a visual check but found out a small empty space of two-brick size in the pagoda. When asked, the king's men told him that the Shwepyin brothers did not do anything to help build the pagoda and played a game of marbles instead. As a punishment, Anawrahta ordered that the two brothers be beaten with a small cane, but actually beaten to death with a large and thick bamboo pole (Wayindote - ဝါးရင်းတုတ်). As they inherited extraordinary power from their father, the beats did come to no harm to them. At last, they had to die of being had their testicles crushed.
However the Glass Palace Chronicle told simply of their death as he put to death at Wayindot the Shwehpyin brothers, for he trusted them not. All of a sudden after their doomed-to-death, they became evil spirits, stopped the royal raft of the king on his return journey to Pagan and put in an appearance before the king, whom they requested to give them a site to live as fief. Then the king had a spirit-palace or nat-shrine built near the pagoda in the village of Taungbyon and enfeoffed them fields around the site. An annual festival has since been held to celebrate them.
== Festival programs or ritual setting ==
Three commemorative events are held in honour of the spirits of the Taungbyon brothers annually : their departure for the war in December, their return in March and their disappearance in August, of which the last is of importance and draws tens of thousands of people, including a number of spirit mediums or natkadaws (နတ်ကတော်), to participate in it as hereditary obligations or propitiation or for jolly sake. The festival starts from the eight waxing day to the full moon of Wagaung, roughly equivalent to August, lasting eight or nine days altogether, each of which has its own commemorative event :1st and 2nd days - Homage to the nats (ကန်တော့ခံ)
3rd day - Night meeting of the royal council (ညညီလာခံ)
4th day - The ritual shower (ချိုးရေတော်သုံး)
5th day - Enthronement (နန်းတက်)
6th day - Hare hunting (ယုန်ထိုး)
7th day - Felling trees (ထိမ်ခုတ်)
8th day - The good send-off for Pakhan nat (ပုခန်းမင်းပို့)
9th day - The gilding of the statues (ရွှေဘုံဆင်း)
=== The opening ritual ===
The nat festival starts with paying respect to and the invocation to the nat on the first and second days, in which a spirit medium taking the role of an announcer sings a specially designated song (နတ်သံ) for the nat, similar to ode, which retells the life of the nat. The Burmese traditional orchestra called Hsaing waing plays the nat music and the seemingly possessed medium dances to the music. The mediums' dance is the major element of the festival and occurs throughout the days of the festival. It is said that the third day is the official opening of the festival, on which day 'Night meeting of the royal council' is held by displaying several ritual activities and mediums' dance.
=== The ritual shower ===
Then came the fourth day of the festival to celebrate 'the ritual shower', a ceremony of washing the idols of Taungbyon brothers. The general procedure starts with taking the two statues from the palace to the place of the event where the statues are washed alongside the washing and cleaning of the nats' items like betel cups and boxes. They are carried on the royal palanquin (ဝေါတော်) by men of guardian militia. This procession is led by the nat chieftain, the dignitaries, gong players to play music, and lines of guards dressed up as the army of the king Anawrahta. On reaching the pavilion where the ritual will take place, the palanquin is left at the entrance and the palace guardians shower the two statues on the altar, then changes the clothes. Libation and other offerings are made as part of the ritual. Afterwards, on their return to the palace, the paying-respect of the two brothers' idols to the Buddha is carried out by rocking the palanquin back and forth in the direction of the pagoda, called U Taik (ဦးတိုက်), for a certain time.
The fifth day is merely called 'Enthronement' because the two effigies have come back to their nat palace on the day of the ritual shower. Only mediums' dance reigned throughout the day.
=== Hunting hares ===
Hunting of the hares or rabbits is a ritual in remembrance of the two brothers' hare hunting during their lifetime. They used to hunt hares or rabbits and stopped at a house of a village for drinking water and having something to eat during the trip. Then the old fellow offered them roasted hares and toddy palm juice so the brothers, in return, invited him to pay a visit to their place, so goes the folklore. Since then, the generations of the old man (maybe the villagers from Natywakon village) have had to come to offer the nats the roasted hares.
It is celebrated on the thirteenth day of Wagaung, the sixth ritual day of the festival. On the day, leading a group of villagers and carrying two sacrificial hares, one in each hand, a young man chosen for this task presents them to the nat palace through a special ritual program, in which they have to walk around the palace seven times in an anti-clockwise direction from the top view after their arrival. During the turning around the palace, they also scream obscenities so some mediums are likely to close their doors when they pass by.
It is significant that the young male villagers of Natywakon must be those who shout obscenities and do the rebellious side of the two brothers because the nat brothers are known to them as drunkards and rowdies. Following this stage, the group stop in a shed, where the young man mentioned above swings the hares back and forth seven times in the direction of the brothers' idols, then the hares are given to the pavilion dignitaries, who come down the steps of the palace, go into the shed, where they do the same ritual as the young man has done, and up the steps and finally enter the palace. Melford Spiro described that the process of coming down the steps and up the steps is performed seven times too. The hares are offered to the two brothers in the palace.
According to Skidmore, the roasted hares are prepared as a salad and eaten by the dignitaries to represent an acquisition of subversive aspects and similar supernatural powers of the two brothers.
=== Felling Trees ===
'Felling trees' represents that the two brothers of Taungbyone and the local people disapprove of the other tree-guardian nat who caused the death of king Anawrahta according to legend. It is thus a symbolic retaliation against the tree-guardian nat. The tree is traditionally considered to be Htein, a large hardwood tree bearing winged-fruit pods (Nauclea parviflora). The Glass Palace Chronicle, however, mentions the legendary account of how king Anawrahta was killed, in which the nat who put the king to death is a lein tree-spirit.
The name Felling Htein Trees or Htein Tree-cutting (ထိမ်ခုတ်) is traditionally used and held on the fourteenth day of the month but the symbolic objects to be cut down are not actually trees; just two large branches are erected somewhere in the palace compound in advance. On the ritual day, water is first poured on the ground around the tree and some dignitaries come out and circumambulate the tree, holding the swords. As a final step, the nat chieftain stands alone and suddenly cuts the top of the branch with his sword. He quickly runs into the palace holding the piece he cut from the branch. The crowd jump on the remains of the branch and struggle and fight with one another to get a piece, no matter how small it is. The branch is torn to bits and gone. The piece of the branch is believed to bring good luck and good harvests if buried in the fields.
=== The last events ===
It is the full moon day when two hundred Buddhist monks are invited to offer a meal, on which the income got from the paddy fields owned by the two brothers is spent.
As the last event of the festival, on the night of the full moon day, an event of giving the send-off for a famous nat called Pakhanmin U Min Kyaw is held. U Min Kyaw nat is one of the significant that belongs to the pantheon of '37' nats and a popular solo dance performed in honour of him, known as 'bets on the cock fights', is renowned among the nat-dance and his specific festival is held during the month Tabaung, Guni village (ကူနီရွာ) near Pakhan in Magway Region.
After the good send-off for the U Min Kyaw nat, the festival is said to be over. The next morning, the first waning day of Wagaung, the last ritual of gilding gold foils to the two statues of the brothers is held.
== Organizers and participants ==
Among nat festivals, this festival is the most important and the model for all the others. More importantly, as it is held beyond the regional level due to the large crowd of people coming from different parts of the country for their reasons, it needs great organization, which falls within two domains: the two pagodas and the nat palace. The trustee of the pagodas controls and runs some sites and temporary infrastructure like stalls, theaters, as well as the pagodas' compound.
Next to them lies the nat palace surrounded by a large open space. The nat palace is run by its guardians (နတ်ထိန်း), who say they are descendants of the two Chinese princesses whom King Anawrahta appointed to guard the palace. So this family manages the whole domain of the nat. The profits and income from the festival are shared among the members of the family. There is also another major position, nat chieftain (နတ်အုပ်), which is the head of the ritual positions, to whom some mediums of important roles assisted.
These mediums, considered to be highest dignitaries, have their respective titles: one who wears the baung (a hat worn by ministers in the monarchy system) (ဗောင်းဆောင်းအမတ်); a queen who wears the tho ( a hat worn by queens in the monarchy system) (သိုးဆောင်းမိဖုရား). The number of ministers and queens has not been the same throughout the history of the festival. In the distant past, there were four queens and one minister. From after the Second World War to 1988, four queens and four ministers served as dignitaries. In 1995 the number went up to eighteen and then the number started to decline.
There are various types of mediums, in which the small number of chosen mediums is only allowed to perform in the nat palace. The large number of ordinary mediums has no right to perform there and has to find lodging outside of the nat palace's compound.
For some of those who have no traditional place in the main nat palace, secondary palaces have been built since about 1985, dedicated to the other nat among the Burmese pantheon of '37' nats.
== Note ==
=== Citations ===
=== General sources ===
Skidmore, Monique (2005). Burma At The Turn Of The Twenty-first Century. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2857-8.
Spiro, Melford E. (1 January 1996). Burmese Supernaturalism. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4128-1901-5. |
1,000 | 44,350,748 | 0 | ABU Radio Song Festival 2015 | Myanmar | The ABU Radio Song Festival 2015 was the third edition of the ABU Radio Song Festivals, organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). Originally a biennial event, the festival organisers changed its format to an annual festival commencing from 2014. The festival took place on 29 May 2015 in the city of Yangon, Myanmar. Seventeen songs had been submitted to the event organisers, of which only ten songs from nine countries, were selected to perform at the event. The hosts Myanmar made their début in the festival.
== Location ==It was announced that the 2015 ABU Radio Song Festival will take place in Yangon, Myanmar.
== Format ==
Unlike the format used in the Eurovision Song Contest there are two versions of the Song Festivals, ABU Radio and ABU TV Song Festivals. The ABU Radio Song Festival which will take place on 29 May 2015 coincides with the Radio Asia 2015 event that took place between 28 and 30 May 2015.
=== Host broadcaster ===
Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV), will be the host broadcaster for the festival on 29 May 2015.
=== Interval act ===
The interval acted featured Rosanita Niken, Billy Talahatu and Stella, performing the song Pusaka.
== Participating countries ==A total of seventeen countries took part in this years festival. Host country Myanmar made its début in the 2015, festival along with the Maldives and Palestine. Vietnam and Indonesia also returned to the contest after not participating in 2014. However Australia and Iran both withdrew from the contest.
The following entries had been selected by the ABU to participate in the final of the ABU Radio Song Festival 2015.
=== Did not qualify ===
Of the seventeen preliminary entries, ten were selected to proceed to the final of the ABU Radio Song Festival. The remaining three did not qualify (as shown in the following table)
=== Withdrawn ===
The following four countries withdrew their entries to the contest for a variety of reasons.
== Other countries ==
Vanuatu and Australia- Radio Australia who participated in the 2012 contest as part of Vanuatu confirmed on 13 March they would not be taking part. However, Commercial Radio Australia, who represented Australia in the ABU Radio Song Festivals have yet to announce their participation plans.
== International broadcasts ==
Each participating country was invited to broadcast the event across their respective networks and provide commentary in the native languages to add insight and description to the shows.
ABU Song Festivals
ABU TV Song Festival 2015
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
Eurovision Song Contest 2015
Eurovision Young Dancers 2015
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015
Turkvision Song Contest 2015
== External links ==
Official website of ABU Radio Song Festival |
1,001 | 44,168,943 | 0 | Irrawaddy Literary Festival | Myanmar | The Irrawaddy Literary Festival is a not-for-profit event run entirely by volunteers which celebrates Myanmar and international writers. It is planned to take place regularly every one or two years in Myanmar. The inaugural Festival was described by the (then) British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, as having “achieved more for freedom of speech in one afternoon than most of us manage in a lifetime.” The inaugural Festival was held at the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon, subsequent Festivals have been held at the Mandalay Hills Resort Hotel in Mandalay.The Festival was founded by Jane Heyn, wife of the former British Ambassador to Myanmar, in 2013, and is supported by Festival patron and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.
The fifth Irrawaddy Literary Festival took place 9–11 November 2019. This Festival marked the transition of the Festival from the international board of trustees (of the Irrawaddy Literary Festival Chartable Trust) to local Myanmar organisers, led by Sayar U Nay Oke This fifth and final Festival under the auspices of the international board of trustees was described by participant and Asia editor at The Times, Richard Lloyd-Parry, as uniquely charming
All sponsorship funding is used to produce the Festival; no salaries or fees are paid to anyone involved and attendance at all events is totally free.
In 2016 the Festival became a UK registered charity as the Irrawaddy Literary Festival Charitable Trust (registered charity number 1168517).
On 2 May 2018 at a press conference held in Yangon, the trustees of the Irrawaddy Literary Festival Charitable Trust and the Myanmar organisers announced the establishment of a Myanmar Board which would assume responsibility for the organisation of future Festivals as was planned by the founding director Jane Heyn and the Festival's patron, Aung San Suu Kyi. The Myanmar board is headed by chair, Saya U Nay Oke and vice-chair Dr Aung Myint.
The Festival presents three days of discussion panels, workshops and individual talks from the authors, along with a variety of cultural activities: film screenings, photography and art exhibitions and street entertainers. Local businesses join the three-day event by setting up food and handicraft stalls. The participating international authors' books are imported and available at the Festival's abundance of bookstalls alongside the works of hundreds of Burmese writers.
The Irrawaddy Literary Festival have been covered by global news organisations such as the BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, the New York Times, and the New York Review of Books.
It has also been rated as one of the world's best Literary Festivals in the Sunday Times, Time Magazine, Time Out, the South China Morning Post, the book lovers website Novelicious, Asia House and the Festival Sherpa website.
== 2013 ==In 2013 the first Irrawaddy Literary Festival took place from the 1st to the 3rd of February in the Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon with Aung San Suu Kyi as the Festival’s key note speaker. Other participants included Wild Swans author Jung Chang, A Suitable Boy author Vikram Seth, and historian William Dalrymple. Burmese writers included Thant Myint-U, author of The River of Lost Footsteps, and Pascal Khoo Thwe, author of From the Land of Green Ghosts.
Also in attendance was BBC journalist Fergal Keane, and photojournalist Thierry Falise.
The Festival drew a crowd of approximately 10,000 attendees.
== 2014 ==
At the second Irrawaddy Literary Festival Aung San Suu Kyi, Jung Chang, and Fergal Keane returned as keynote speakers, along with newcomers Louis De Bernieres (Captain Corelli's Mandolin), Polly Devlin (All Of Us There) and Caroline Moorehead (Martha Gelhorn: A Life).
The event was initially due to take place in the Kuthodaw Pagoda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Mandalay, but permission that had previously been granted was retracted a day before the opening of the Festival. The ILF was then relocated to the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel, where the event opened less than one hour behind schedule.
== 2015 ==
The third Irrawaddy Literary Festival took place in Mandalay — at Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel — from 28 to 30 March 2015. International award winning authors and journalists took part, including Louis de Bernières (Captain Corelli's Mandolin), Anne Enright, (The Gathering), Barnaby Phillips (Another Man's War), Ratna Vira (Daughter by Court Order), Colin Falconer and Margaret Simons, along with scores of Burmese writers from all parts of the country including Pe Myint, Khin Maung Nyo, U Nay Oke, Soe Lin, Thantzin, Nay Phone Latt, Nyein Way, Aung Gyi, Thint Naw, and Thin Ma Ma Khaing. A team of thirty volunteer interpreters provided simultaneous translation for audiences throughout the Festival's three day packed programme.
== 2017 ==
The Irrawaddy Literary Festival 2017 was held from 3–5 November. It followed the established model of a three-day free to enter event with simultaneous interpretation available in all sessions. Over 4000 people attended, the majority from Myanmar. The programme included sessions on inter-communal violence and reconciliation with participation by senior representatives of the Buddhist and Muslim faiths. In addition to the programmed sessions there were popular informal speaking opportunities at Speakers’ Corner and (new for 2017) Poets’ Corner in the grounds of the hotel.
The gathering included Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler, Jung Chang (Wild Swans) Keggie Carew (Dadland) and other writers, nearly one hundred of them from Myanmar including Shwegu May Hnin, Ju, Nay Phone Latt, Yin Yin Nu, Ponnya Khin, Yi Yi Mon.
== 2018 ==
On 2 May 2018, at the Pullman Centrepoint Hotel in Yangon, the international trustees of the ILF Charitable Trust and the Myanmar chair and vice-chair of the newly formed Myanmar Board of the ILF announced the official transfer of the Festival's organisation to the Myanmar Board, with the Festival to remain free to enter, paying no salaries or fees to anyone.
== 2019 ==
The Fifth Festival took place from 9–11 November 2019 at the Mercure Mandalay Hotel in Mandalay. The three day programme of events included the usual mix of panel discussions, individual readings, workshops, poetry, films, exhibitions and book stalls. Around eighty Myanmar and thirty international writers took part, with simultaneous interpretation once again for all sessions. |
1,002 | 75,661,798 | 0 | Kay Htoe Boe | Myanmar | Kay Htoe Boe (Burmese: ကေ့ထျိုးဘိုး), is an annual festival celebrated by the Karenni people in April or May, marking the new year of the traditional Karenni calendar. The festival is held to encourage a bountiful harvest, favorable weather, good health, and peace.
== Names ==
The festival is known by various names, including Kay Htoe Boe (ကေ့ထျိုးဘိုး) or Trar-Ei-Loo in Karenni, Gam-Khumt in Geko Karen, and Tagundaing Festival (တံခွန်တိုင်ပွဲတော်) in Burmese.
== Origins ==According to Karenni legends, the Eugenia tree was the first to be grown after the creation of the world. Due to its significance, a tall and straight Eugenia tree is specially cut to serve as a totem pole called kay htoe boe on an auspicious day. The Karenni recognise three types of totems: male, female, and rice paddy. Male and female totem poles are alternated each year, while the shortest paddy totem pole is erected during harvest time, around the Tazaungdaing festival.
The Kayan, a subgroup of the Karenni people, believe that during the creation of the world, the earth lacked density. After digging a pole into the ground, the earth hardened into seven inner and outer layers to support life.
The totem poles are also closely linked to Burmese Buddhism, as poles known as tagundaing are erected on monastic and pagoda grounds.
== Celebrations ==
Villages throughout Kayah State organise the annual festivities. Before cutting down the tree, Karenni oracles and shamans read chicken bones to prophesize the year ahead, by reading the holes of chicken thigh bones. Pigs are sometimes slaughtered to predict the health of the pole's spirit guardian by interpreting the health of the slaughtered pig's liver.
The primary celebration revolves around a sacred totem pole. A tall and straight Eugenia tree is specially cut to serve as a totem pole called kay htoe boe on an auspicious day. The tree is specially carved and prepared for installation on auspicious grounds, typically near other totem poles. Worshippers venerate the creator and other deities after the pole is mounted. The pole is believed to have four levels signifying the stars, the sun, the moon, and the ladder. The pole is decorated with beehives woven from bamboo threads to attract the spirits, and a ladder, in the form of white cloth and wooden reeds, is draped over the pole. A shrine called kantan is also built next to the pole, where offerings are placed. After erecting the pole at an auspicious site, revelers pay homage to the pole, offer lighted candles and incense sticks, and use springs of Eugenia leaves to sprinkle the pole with water.
Celebrants also host many competitions, including dances and competitions.
== Gallery ==
|
1,003 | 62,404,822 | 0 | Manaw (festival) | Myanmar | Manaw Festival (Burmese: မနောပွဲ, Jinghpaw: Manau Poi) is an annual traditional dance festival celebrated by Kachin people. Mostly held at Myitkyina, Kachin State also known as မနောမြေ( Manaw Land ) in Myanmar and also celebrated by Kachin people around the world. Manaw is the largest festival in Myitkyina, held at the beginning of January. Manaw Festival is the most significant event for Kachin People. Tribes of Kachin gather together in Manaw ground and dance around the erected Manaw poles. According to the professional narrators of Kachin traditional folktale (Jaiwa,Dumsa), for the Kachin people, the Kachin Manau is initiated by birds for the Kachin people.
== History ==
According to Kachin mythology, Manaw was first performed by Nat, spirits, and birds. Nat, spirits invited living creatures from land to participate in the Manaw dance in heaven. Only birds have participated. Afterward, birds came down to land and they taught humans how to dance Manaw dance.
From another folk-tale, there were 9 Suns appeared on earth. Humans were suffered a lot from that incident. They decided to send birds to heaven for mercy. Birds were performed Manaw dance and sang for Nat, spirits. They were pleasured by their performance and they let them dance Manaw dance on earth. Later, men have emulated the dance from birds and started dance Manaw dance to worship Nat, spirits.
Manaw ( Manau ) was called after the proverb Masaw Nau Ningsan Jau. 'Masaw Ningsan' means heaven and above. 'Nau', 'Jau', 'Jaw' men give and worship. Manau means worship to God or heaven.
In 1947, a Manau was held to celebrate the end of Japanese occupation. Following independence, the Burmese government helped provide finances for the Myitkyina Manau annually on Kachin State Day up until 1958.
== Manau Festival of Birds ==
While inhabiting Hkrang Hku Majoi, the Kachin tribe had a historical event which helped them to develop a plan for the technical Manau dance, It said that there were many banyan trees growing in only one place of Hkrang Hku Majoi, The professional narrators of Kachin traditional folktale (Jaiwa, Dumsa) calledSut Kum Yan hpun si to banyan fruits. There was a young man called Ma Ding Yau, who tied a string to a branch at the top of a banyan tree. Ma Ding Yau tied a string to a branch at the top of the banyan tree because he was terrible for people. Ma Ding Yau could understand birds language because he had grown up under that same banyan tree by making a tent. Fortunately, it was coincident with the time, which the banyan trees bearing fruits while he was hung up under the banyan tree, The bird called Hkawngrang u also suggested eating the banyan fruits only after they finish the celebration of the Manau festival.
The bird called, Kataw Naw u used to warn the birds whenever doing the meeting by shouting with the pronouncement, Bret, Bret, Bret which means here, here, the eagles are coming. For the fact of that, they could not celebrate the Manau festival, Every day, they used to be afraid of the eagles and run away from the eagles, The birds supposed that the bird Kataw Naw u lie to them. So all the birds prepared to sell the bird Kataw Naw u to Assam called Mungnun Ga. After the bird Kataw Naw u Had been sold out, the birds continued to conduct the meeting, but the bird was eaten by the eagles till the bird generation was gone, Therefore, they discussed calling back the bird, Kataw Naw u from Assam, Kataw Naw u arrived; he was again coincident with the time to fruit the banyan fruit.
During that time, the rich couple, Jawa Rum Ja and his wife Madai Ma Hpraw Nga, were preparing to celebrate the Manau festival in the Hpu um region from the Hkrang Hku Majoi. Jawa Rum Ja calls back Mading Yau, who was hung up on the banyan tree because Mading Yau understands the bird language and has learned a technical system and practical function of Manau from the birds. This Manau festival is the first festival.
== Role ==
== Types of Manaw ( Manau ) ==
Manaw dance is celebrated only on the five most important occasions.To celebrate victory in war.
To gather the clans to meet and settle accounts, make plans for the future.
To commemorate the death of an elder.
For a housewarming.
To bring good fortune to new farmlands and cultivation.
There are originally 14 types of Manaw. They are
1. Sut Manau, 2. Kumran Manau, 3.Ninghtan Manau, 4.Padang Manau, 5.Ju Manau, 6.Htingram Manau, 7.Ningshawn Manau, 8.Kumrum Manau, 9.Nausawt Manau, 10.Htinghtang Manau, 11.HKridip Manau, 12. Roidu kaput Manau, 13.Hkindu tep Manau, and 14.Sha Dip Hpawt Manau.
== Features of the Manaw ==
=== Manaw Patterns (Manau Maka) and Manaw Poles ===
Manaw patterns ( Manau Maka ) are signature looks of Manaw Festival and Kachin people. The Manaw poles are a totally of 12 pillars connected and stand in the middle of the Manaw ground. It's high at about 20 meters. Manaw patterns are painted on the Manaw poles. Every pattern on poles has different meanings. Also, the pictures of Sun, Star, Moon, Hornbill, and other animals are painted on Manaw poles. The patterns and designs on poles can be changed depending on different places and occasions.
=== Dance ===
Manaw dance is the rhythmical dance. Manaw Dance is performed by all various tribes of Kachin led by two chiefs ( Naushawng ) leading. Behind the chiefs, fellow members of various tribes of Kachin follow the moves, dance steps and they have to change the rhythm and footsteps when the chiefs do. In the beginning, men and women are dance separately. Later, they combine in the middle of the Manaw dance. The chiefs move the footsteps by following the patterns of Manaw poles.
=== Music ===
Kachin traditional musical instruments are booming drum ( Bau ) and flute ( Sumpi). The musicians are standing in front of the Manaw poles. The vocals team is singing in a group. The instruments team plays a series of gongs, drums, and traditional reed instruments. The Manaw songs are not always the same. Songs are composed and sing depend on the type of Manaw.
=== Costume ===
The chiefs of the Manaw wear long robes with headdresses of hornbill, peacock feathers and horns. Fellow Kachin people who participated in Manaw dance have to wear tribal traditional dresses. Only those who wear traditional dresses are allowed to participate in Manaw dance. Men have to hold a sword while dancing. Women have to hold handkerchief or big fan. |
1,004 | 55,908,109 | 0 | Myitkyina Manau | Myanmar | The Myitkyina Manau is a Manaw which takes place semi-annually in Myitkyina, Kachin State, Myanmar, and is one of the largest Manau in the world. It is an event of importance for the Kachin community of Myitkyina and is currently held at the Kachin National Manau park, Shatapru, which has permanent shadung pillars installed in the centre.
== History ==
=== 20th century ===
In 1927, British Empire colonials held a manau in Myitkyina to announce slave release in the Triangle region. A manau was held in 1947 by Kachins to celebrate the end of Japanese occupation. Following independence, the Burmese government helped provide finances for the Myitkyina Manau annually on Kachin State Day up until 1958. During the years of war between the Tatmadaw and the Kachin Independence Army the manau was held erratically, often in government headquarters on Union Day rather than on Kachin State Day.
=== 21st century ===
From 26 December 2001 to 2 January 2002, there was the inauguration of Manau Ground in Shatapru, in which 300,000 people participated, including representatives from State Peace and Development Council, Tatmadaw, Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), Kachin Culture and Literary committees and the Manau organizing committee. This manau festival was a Hkumran Manau which was started and funded locally. In 2010, ahead of the 2011 festival, the Burmese military government took control of the Manau organising committee and under their management, KIO representatives were banned from attending. As the KIO had been a major sponsor of the event, their non attendance was a contributing factor in the decision to reduce the number of days from 8 to 5. The move caused anger among local people, who felt it was an inappropriate for the Burmese military to lead the manau.
==== 2012-2014 ====
After the ceasefire between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independence Army broke down, the Myitkyina Manau was not held.
==== 2015 ====
In August 2014, the Kachin State Government announced plans to bring back the Manau festival to Myitkyina. Following the announcement, many Kachins, including the previous organisers, The Kachin Culture and Literature Committee, boycotted the festival feeling it was inappropriate to celebrate, as there were still many Kachin refugees displaced by fighting. The Maina IDPs camp committee in Waimaw township also did not attend and a member of the camp committee was quoted as saying, “Without specific meaning the Manau dance festival should not be held. It only means oppressing us as we (IDPS) are suffering now. A petition against the Manau was signed by 10,000 and delivered to the Kachin State minister, and local civil society groups delivered leaflets to tourists which described how they felt the festival was exploiting Kachin culture for political gain. The Manau was visited by Thein Sein on 10 January 2015, who wore Kachin dress. |
1,005 | 40,772,383 | 0 | Pagoda festival | Myanmar | Pagoda festivals (Burmese: ဘုရားပွဲ; paya pwe) are regular festivals found throughout Myanmar that commemorate major religious events in pagoda's history, including the founding of a pagoda and the crowning of the pagoda's hti (umbrella). Pagoda festivals are dictated by the Burmese religious calendar and often are held several days at a time. Major events in a pagoda festival typically do not coincide with Uposatha (Buddhist Sabbath) days, during which pious Buddhists observe the Eight Precepts. The majority of pagoda festivals are held during the dry season, from the months of Tazaungmon (November) to Tabaung (March). During the full moon day of Tabaung (Magha Puja), Buddhist devotees in various parts of Myanmar also celebrate sand pagoda festivals.
More well-known pagoda festivals often attract numerous pilgrims from throughout the country.
Pagoda festivals are similar in nature to agricultural shows (country fairs) or carnivals, and form a significant important part of cultural life, particularly in the countryside. During pagoda festivals, temporary bazaars (including food stalls and merchandise stands), entertainment venues (including anyeint dramas, yoke the performances, lethwei matches, and arcades) are set up in the vicinity of the pagoda.
== Major pagoda festivals ==
Shwe Settaw Pagoda Festival (Minbu Township, Magwe Region) - Tabodwe to Tabaung
Ananda Temple Festival (Bagan, Mandalay Region) - Pyatho
Shwezigon Pagoda Festival (Bagan, Mandalay Region) -
Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda Festival (Kyaikhto, Mon State) - Nadaw
Shwedagon Pagoda Festival (Yangon, Yangon Region) - Tabaung
Alaungdaw Kathapa Pagoda Festival (Sagaing Region) - Tabodwe
Shwe Sayan Pagoda Festival (Thaton, Mon State) -
Shwesayan Pagoda Festival (Patheingyi Township, Mandalay Region) - Tabaung
Myathalun Pagoda Festival (Magwe Region) - Thadingyut
Shite-thaung Temple Festival (Mrauk U, Rakhine State) -
Hpaung Daw U Pagoda Festival (Shan State) - Thadingyut
Kyaikkhauk Pagoda Festival (Thanlyin Township, Yangon Region) - Tabodwe
Shwesandaw Pagoda Festival (Twante Township, Yangon Region) - Tagu
Botahtaung Pagoda Festival (Yangon) - Nadaw
Mawtinzun Pagoda Festival (Ngapudaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region) - Tabaung
Shwemawdaw Pagoda Festival (Bago) - Tagu
Buddhism in Burma
Burmese calendar
Burmese pagoda
Sand pagoda
Thadingyut Festival
Vessantara Festival |
1,007 | 39,169,966 | 0 | Thadingyut Festival | Myanmar | The Thadingyut Festival (Burmese: သီတင်းကျွတ်ပွဲတော်), also known as the Lighting Festival of Myanmar, is held on the full moon day of the Burmese lunar month of Thadingyut. As a custom, it is held at the end of the Buddhist sabbath (Vassa) and is the second most popular festival in Myanmar after Thingyan Festival (New Year Water Festival). Thadingyut festival is the celebration to welcome the Buddha’s descent from the heaven after he preached the Abhidhamma to his mother, Maya, who was reborn in the heaven.
== Origins ==
Thadingyut, the seventh month of the Myanmar calendar, is the end of the Buddhist sabbath or Vassa. Thadingyut festival at least lasts for three days: the day before the full moon day, the full moon day (when Buddha descends from heaven) and the day after the full moon day. Buddha's mother, Maya, died seven days after the Buddha was born and then she was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as a male deva.
In order to show the gratitude for motherhood, Buddha preached Abhidhamma to that deva who was his mother for three Lenten months. When he was descending back to the mortal world, Sakra-devanam-indra, the ruler of the Trayastrimsa Heaven, ordered all the saints and evils to make three precious stairways. Those stairways were made of gold, silver and ruby. The Buddha took the middle one with the ruby. The Nats (Deva) came along by the right golden stairways and the Brahmas from the left silver stairways.
== Celebrations ==
Buddhists celebrate Thadingyut to welcome the Buddha and his disciples by enlightening and festooning the streets, houses and public buildings with colored electric bulbs or candles, which represent those three stairways. During Thadingyut Festival, there are zat pwes (Myanmar musical plays), free movie shows and stage shows on most of the streets around the country. There are also a lot of food stalls, which sell a variety of Myanmar traditional foods and shops, which sell toys, kitchen utensils, and other items on most of the streets. Sometime people just walk around in those streets just for sightseeing and have fun. Some people like to play with firecrackers and fire balloons.
During the festival days, Buddhists usually go to pagodas and monasteries to pay homage to Triple Gems, paying respect to the monks and offer foods. And some Buddhists usually fast on the full moon day. Young people usually pay respect (gadaw) to their parents, teachers, and elderly relative and offer them some fruits and other gifts. Also while paying homage the younger people usually ask for forgiveness from the wrong-doings they have caused upon their parents or the other elderly relatives throughout the year. Traditionally the elders tell their youngsters that they forgive any of their wrongdoings and continue to bless them with good luck and gift pocket money. It is also usual for younger siblings to pay homage to their older siblings. In return, the elder ones wish good luck for them and give them some pocket money.
== Regional traditions ==
Dawei - Dawei locals hold a thabeik hmyaw pwe (သပိတ်မျှောပွဲ), in which alms bowls filled with offertories (e.g., flowers, water, oil lamps, candles and joss-sticks) are set adrift at sea to Shin Upagutta.
Shwegyin - Shwegyin locals hold a mi hmyaw pwe (မီးမျှောပွဲ), in which colorful oil lanterns are set adrift into the Shwegyin River to Shin Upagutta. The tradition dates back to the Konbaung dynasty, established in 1851 (BE 1375).Gadaw
Kathina
Pavarana
Uposatha
Tazaungdaing Festival
Wan Ok Phansa, its equivalent in Thailand
Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival
Vessantara Festival |
1,008 | 29,620,959 | 0 | Yadana Cave Festival | Myanmar | Yadana Cave Festival (Burmese: ရတနာ့ဂူနတ်ပွဲ) is an annual festival held in Amarapura, Burma (21°54′N 96°03′E) . The festival celebrates celestial beings. The locals typically wear bamboo hats and hold prayer flowers during the festival. |
1,013 | 51,393,120 | 0 | Blacksmiths Festival | Ukraine | Blacksmiths Festival is an annual blacksmith festival held in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
The festival is one of a number of cultural events that occur in Ivano-Frankivsk and contributed to the city winning the 2018 PACE Europe Prize. The festival was founded by Sergij Polbotko (Ukrainian Union of Blacksmith Artists).
Ironfest (Lithgow) |
1,014 | 74,633,389 | 0 | Chervona kalyna (event) | Ukraine | Chervona kalyna (Ukrainian: Червона калина) is a regional art festival dedicated to the anniversary of Stepan Charnetskyi's birth. It is held annually in October in the village of Shmankivtsi, Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine. It was first held on 26 May 1991, with the unveiling of a statue of Stepan Charnetskyi.
== History of festivals ==
=== 1991 ===
A month before the first festivities, 110 red viburnum bushes were planted on the site of the former plebaneum to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the poet's birth.
The festival was held on 26 May 1991, with the unveiling of a statue of Stepan Charnetskyi (initiated by Nadiia Protskiv). It was the 110th anniversary of the poet's birth. The event was organized by Halyna Sushelnytska, a fellow countryman and head of the Department of Culture. The poet's daughter, Oleksandra Charnetska-Kuchma, was also present.
During the festival, blue and yellow flags were flown for the first time at the stadium with red flags.
=== 2010s ===
In 2013, the festivities were attended by the creator of the statue of Stepan Charnetskyi, sculptor Ivan Muliarchuk.
In 2015, the first stage of the festival took place on 4 October in the village of Shmankivtsi, and the second on 14 October, in Chortkiv Castle.
In 2016, the festival was the setting for the Ukrainian record of Largest performance of the rifle anthem of Ukraine.
In 2018, the poet's great-granddaughter, Olesia Chaikovska, and her family attended the festival.
Various participants of amateur artistic activities from the settlements of the region's communities, the city, the district cultural center, pedagogical and medical colleges, Terebovlya Vocational College of Culture and Arts, invited guests from Ternopil and others will perform. The festival also includes an exhibition-fair of regional artisans, where you can buy their products. |
1,015 | 27,355,121 | 0 | EUROFANZ | Ukraine | EUROFANZ (before 2016 Eurofan, Ukrainian: Єврофан) is an annual international football tournament which began in 2007 for fans of European teams and is held in Lviv, Ukraine.
== History ==
EUROFANZ is primarily organized by an NGO created by fans of FC Karpaty Lviv. The tournament, known as Eurofan (Ukrainian: Єврофан) prior to 2016, has been held every summer since 2007. Four teams from two countries participated in the first year. Participation grew to 24 teams in 2013, 2015 and 2017. Eurofanz 2018 will be held on 12–15 July. Eurofanz's official motto is Football, Fun, Friendz – enjoy EUROFANZ!
== Mission and organisation ==
EUROFANZ's mission is to help develop friendship, respect, and a spirit of sportsmanship among European football fans. A charity project—From European fans to Lviv children—is part of the festival; fans are encouraged to bring humanitarian aid and sports equipment for local orphanages.
The festival's programme usually includes opening press conference, the football tournament itself, Lviv city tours and a celebration party after the tournament.
== Past events ==
=== 2007 ===
Three Ukrainian and one Russian football team's supporters participated in the first tournament: Karpaty Lviv, Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar Donetsk and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Dynamo Kyiv was the winner of Eurofan 2007.
=== 2008 ===
Six teams competed in the second tournament: Karpaty Lviv, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Dynamo Kyiv, Wales national football team, Wisła Kraków and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk won the tournament.
=== 2009 ===Teams from multiple European countries participated in Eurofanz 2009: Croatia national football team
Wales national football team
Atlético Madrid
Bohemians 1905
A.C. ChievoVerona
Rangers
SC Heerenveen
F.C. Internazionale Milano
FC Karpaty Lviv
Liverpool F.C.
FC Maestro (amateur team of the Ukrainian musicians)
TS Ostrovia Ostrów Wielkopolski
SK Rapid Wien
FC Schalke 04
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Scottish supporters of the Rangers team became the winners beating FC Karpaty Lviv 4–1.
=== 2010 ===
The fourth Eurofanz was held on 8–11 July 2010. АВМ СПОРТ company, which represents football brand Umbro, was the technical sponsor of the tournament. Matches were played with footballs made by the well-known manufacturer SELECT. Eurofanz 2010 had 16 participants: Belgium national football team
Czech Republic national football team
Finland national football team
Georgia national football team
Slovenia national football team
Sweden men's national football team
Ukraine national football team
Wales national football team
Atlético Madrid
Hamburger SV
SC Heerenveen
F.C. Internazionale Milano
FC Karpaty Lviv
Liverpool F.C.
Paris Saint-Germain F.C.
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Scottish supporters of the Rangers team became the winners beating FC Karpaty Lviv 4–1.
=== 2011 ===
Eurofanz 2011 was called Silpo Eurofanz 2011 for sponsorship reasons. It had a record number of participants. The attending club supporters included: Liverpool F.C.
Chievo Verona
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Lokomotiv Moscow
F.C. Copenhagen
Śląsk Wrocław
Lechia Gdańsk
Dinamo Minsk
Botev Plovdiv
Dinamo București
Karpaty Lviv
National team supporters: Croatia national football team
Czech Republic national football team
Ireland national football team
Moldova national football team
Poland national football team
Slovenia national football team
Serbia national football team
Slovakia national football team
Ukraine national football team
Sweden men's national football team
Wales national football team
and also Team of Lviv city councillors called Levy (Lions).
Supporters of the Slovenia national team became the winners beating Zenit Saint Petersburg 6–5 on penalties (match had ended 1-1).
=== 2012 ===
Eurofanz 2012 was called the Silpo Eurofanz 2012 for sponsorship reasons and was held from June 28 to July 1. For the first time in tournament history only supporters' national teams were represented, plus Karpaty Lviv and FC Maestro (members of show business):Supporters of the Romania national team have won the final match, beating FC Maestro 4–3 on penalties (match had ended 0-0).
After the final match, all the participants watched the EURO 2012 final at the Lviv fan zone.
=== 2013 ===
Eurofanz 2013 was sponsored by the brand Nivea For Men. 24 teams participated, breaking the previous record of 23:The festival activities included various parties and a poker tournament.
In the final game, the Bulgarian team overcame Dinamo București 6–5 on penalties after full-time ended 1-1.
=== 2014 ===
22 teams were engaged in the Eurofanz 2014 fan festival:* Out of competition.
Final: Bulgaria team – Ukraine team – 0:0 (5–4 on penalties).
=== 2015 ===
Eurofanz 2015 brought together 24 teams from 15 countries:Final: Bulgaria team – Dinamo Minsk – 1:0.
=== 2016 ===
In the year 2016, the tournament celebrated its jubilee, so the organizers rebranded its name and official emblem. From now on the tournament was called EUROFANZ.
21 teams participated in the jubilee fan-tournament:Final: Ukraine team – Dinamo Minsk – 6:2.
=== 2017 ===
The EUROFANZ 2017 fan-festival was from 29 June to 2 July 2017 (the tournament lasted from 30 June till 2 July).
24 teams participated in the tournament:Final: Slovenia team – Belarus team – 2:1.
=== 2018 ===
The EUROFANZ 2018 fan-festival was held from 13 July to 15 July (the final match was scheduled on the day of 2018 FIFA World Cup final)
21 teams participated in the tournament:Final: Romania team – France team – 2:0.
=== 2019 ===
The dates for EUROFANZ 2019 are June 28–30, 2019. France is the winner of this edition.
== External links ==
Official Facebook page |
1,016 | 12,542,977 | 0 | Humorina | Ukraine | Humorina (Ukrainian: Гуморина, romanized: Humoryna, Russian: Юморина, romanized: Yumorina) is an annual festival of humor held in Odesa, Ukraine, on and around April Fools' Day (1 April) since 1973. The festival is marked by a large parade in the city center, performances by musicians, comedians, clowns and a large number of fun-dressed people on the streets. These days April Fools' Days' pranks are spread by people and local mass media.
== History ==
It was created in 1972 by the Odesa KVN team after the all-Union KVN contests and the corresponding TV show were discontinued. Young members of the team in protest decided to come up with a special festival of laughter. The name arose by analogy with the Kinomarina (English: Filmarina) film festival taking place at that time, and so the name appeared – Humorina. Such a pun was characteristic of the satirical performances of comedians on the KVN TV show.
The festival became so popular that more and more people gathered for it every year. Frightened by a huge, self-organizing crowd, the city authorities banned the celebration of Laughter Day.
The name Humorina was proposed by Oleg Stashkevich – one of the founders and a member of the Odesa KVN team.
The first slogan of Humorina was Odesans of all countries – unite!, a paraphrase of the famous slogan of the communists: Workers of the world – unite!
== Today ==
Today the Humorina includes a lot of city events celebrating April Fools' Day. In Soviet times, the main driving force of the festival was the Odesa KVN team. In the early 1990s, the World Club of Odesa and its president Mikhail Zhvanetsky initiated the return of the festival. Now this has changed and comic troupe the Masks have taken the baton.
The Masks was a well known TV show in the 1990s. Later they organized their own theater, House of Clowns, which still continues in Odesa. Today these people are leaders and the main power of the festival and April Fools' Day humoristic events. The Masks organized a separate festival, Comediada, that starts four days before 1 April. Since 2010 with the celebration of April Fools' Day the International Festival of Clowns and Mimes has taken place in Odesa.
== Facts ==
In 2019, Humorina festival was dedicated to the centenary of the Odesa Film Studio. At traditional parade in the city center, one of the platforms presented the famous Soviet film D'Artagnan and Three Musketeers by Georgi Yungvald-Khilkevich and showed original costumes from the movie.
Since the first run for mayor of the city, a candidate from the Internet party of Ukraine, the regular participants in the traditional city procession, became Darth Vader and the imperial stormtroopers from the movie Star Wars.
== External links ==
Humorina website (in Russian)
Esperanto-Humorina Archived 14 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine
Comediada 2020 |
1,017 | 24,661,665 | 0 | Kyivan Rus Park | Ukraine | The Kyivan Rus' Park (Ukrainian: Парк Київська Русь; full name Ancient Kyiv in the Kyivan Rus' Park) is a historical park and cultural center celebrating the Kievan Rus', near Kyiv, Ukraine. The park is a venue for shows, cultural and historical festivals, horse-stunt events, and international championships in ancient martial arts.
The park integrates Rus' culture with that of medieval Europe. In some events staged there it is possible to see both Rus warriors and medieval knights typical of Europe.
== Organization ==
The Slavic Fund charitable organization was founded to create a historical and cultural center about the Kyivan Rus'. The intent was to reconstitute and reconstruct the Kyiv Dytynets (the fortified part of Kyiv in the 5th to 13th century) with a maximum of historical, cultura, and architectural accuracy, as well as recreating the atmosphere of the epoch of Kyivan Rus'.
== Location ==
The park is location in the village of Kopachi, Obukhiv Raion, 34 km from Kyiv.
== Activities ==
The Park has expositions of siege equipment, historical costumes and armor of the V-XIII centuries, musical instruments, a museum of medieval shipbuilding with a scientifically reliable reconstruction of the boat Prince Volodymyr of the IX-XI centuries.
== External links ==
Official website of Kyivan Rus' Park (in English, Ukrainian, and Russian) |
1,019 | 67,009,059 | 0 | Topical Play Week | Ukraine | The Topical Play Week (Ukrainian: Тиждень актуальної п'єси) is an educational drama festival held annually in Kyiv, Ukraine. The festival consists of readings of poetic and dramatic texts submitted by international playwrights in Ukrainian. Founded in 2011 by Marysia Nikitiuk, Andrew May, and Natalia Vorozhbit, the festival seeks to allow new playwrights to share their work with directors and spectators. The festival also gives out the Readers' Award for exceptional texts. |
1,027 | 34,455,955 | 0 | List of festivals in Bangladesh | Bangladesh | This is a list of festivals in Bangladesh.
Almost everyone in Bangladesh has come across the saying “Bangalir baro mashe tero parbon (Bengali: বাঙালির বারো মাসে তেরো পার্বণ)”, which roughly translates to Bengalis have thirteen festivals in twelve months (a year). Bangladesh is a country of colourful celebrations. The people celebrate their faith, life, liberty, nature, elation, and achievements round the year through a wide variety of fairs and festivals, organized with enthusiasm and intricate details. Some Bengali fairs and festivals have a recorded history of over 2000 years. Festivals in Bangladesh fall into four major categories: religious festivals, national events, cultural festivals and tribal festivals. Although a few festivals are primarily meant for particular sections of the population, all the festivals have now attained universal reach throughout the country.
== Religious observance ==
=== Muslim ===
Eid ul-Fitr (Bengali: ঈদুল ফিতর/রোজার ঈদ) - on the 1st day of Shawwal month of the lunar Islamic calendar.
Eid ul-Adha (Bengali: ঈদুল আজহার/কোরবানি)- on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah month of the Islamic calendar.
Chaand Raat (Bengali: চাঁদ রাত)- on the 29th or 30th night of Ramadan month of the Islamic calendar.
Ashura (Bengali: আশুরা)- on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar.
Eid-e-Meeladun Nabi (Bengali: ঈদে মিলাদুন্নবি)– The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad
Shab-e-Qadr (Bengali: শবে কদর)
Shab-e-Barat (Bengali: শবে বরাত)
Bishwa Ijtema(Bengali: বিশ্ব ইজতেমা)
=== Hindu ===
Durga Puja - from the 2nd to the 7th day of Ashwin month of the Hindu calendar.
Krishna Janmashtami - celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna
Dolyatra
Ratha Yatra, the most popular being Dhamrai Rathayatra.
Kali Puja in Diwali
Saraswati Puja
Ashtami Snan on Chaitra Shukla Paksha Ashtami (ninth day during the waxing phase of moon in Chaitra Month) as per Hindu Lunar Calendar
=== Buddhist ===
Buddha Purnima - Buddha's Birthday
Madhu Purnima
Kathin Chibardan - offering of woven robe made of cotton to monks and nuns.
=== Christian ===
Boro Din or Christmas - on 25 December of the Gregorian calendar.
Easter Sunday
== Patriotic and National Observances ==
Language Movement Day - (International Mother Language Day); Colours worn:
Genocide Remembrance Day; Colours worn:
National day of mourning (15 August); Colours worn:
Independence Day; Colours worn:
Armed Forces Day
Martyred Intellectuals Day; Colours worn:
Victory Day; Colours worn:
== Cultural festivals ==
=== General ===
Rokeya Day
Rabindra Jayanti
Nazrul Jayanti
=== Music ===
Dhaka World Music Festival (music)
Bengal Classical Music Festival
International Folk Festival
=== Folk ===
Pahela Baishakh - on the 1st day of the Bengali calendar and summer festival; also called Bangla Noboborsho; Colours worn:
Boshonto Utshob - Spring festival also known as Pohela Falgun; Colours worn:
Nabanna - Winter and harvest festival; Colours worn:
Borsha Utshob - Monsoon festival; Colours worn:
Nouka Baich - Boat racing festivals held after the monsoon when rivers are filled
Bengal Original Culture Festival
Cinemaking International Film Festival
Dhaka Festival
Dhaka Art Summit
Hay Festival Dhaka
Dhaka Fashion Week
Dhaka International Film Festival
Chobi Mela International Photography Festival
CRACK International Art Camp
International Children's Film Festival Bangladesh
Bioscope Children's Photography Festival
Latin Dance Festival
== Fairs ==Ekushey Book Fair - in Dhaka on the month of February of the Gregorian calendar.
Dhaka International Trade Fair
National Tree Fair - Month-long National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair.
National Fisheries Week and Fish Fair - Week-long National Fiash Trade and Fair.
== Local events ==Shakrain — in Dhaka at the end of the Poush of the Bengali calendar.
Jatiya Pitha Utsab — National Pitha (Cake) Festival.
Charak — 3-day-long festival in Pabna starting on the last day of the Bangla month of Chaitra.
Joy Bangla Concert — annual concert to mark the 7 March Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Nouka Baich
Bisu Mela
== Public holidays ==
Public holidays in Bangladesh |
1,028 | 50,642,267 | 0 | CRACK International Art Camp | Bangladesh | CRACK International Art Camp (CIAC) is a multi-disciplinary art camp arranged every year over several days in Smaran Matshya Beej Khamar, a fish seed farm in Rahimpur, Kushtia, Bangladesh. The purpose of the outdoor art camp is promoting inter-disciplinary art collaborations. It was launched in 2007 by artist and researcher Shawon Akand, along with artist Delowar Hossain as Crack International Art Camp.
The art camp tries to blur the lines between creative disciplines and therefore engages people from various disciplines, including but not limited to theatre activists, photographers, film makers, musicians, psychologists, singers, poets, writers, journalists, actors, anthropologists, folklorists, historians, and art critics.
In 2009, Centre for Research on Art and Culture (CRAC), a research based organization of Bangladesh, took over the total responsibility of this Art Camp renaming it as CRAC International Art Camp. In 2012, CRACK Bangladesh, a not for profit organization, took over the all responsibility of the art camp. In 2014, CRACK Bangladesh became CRACK Trust.
== History ==
=== 1st edition: 2007 ===Curated by Shawon Akand (Bangladesh). Participants included Shawon Akand, Saria Mahima, Delwar Hossain, Rajib Ashraf, Polash Chowdhury, Mahbubur Rahman, Suman Guha, Ovijit Das, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Tania Tun Noor, Fahim Ferdous, Anamika Joly and Ananta Kumar Das. All from Bangladesh.
=== 2nd edition: 2008 ===Curated by Shawon Akand (Bangladesh). Participants included Shawon Akand, Saria Mahima, Delwar Hossain, Karishma Chowdhury, Polash Chowdhury, Lubna Charya, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Shiek Sabbir Alam and Han Raggie.
=== 3rd edition: 2009 ===Curated by Shawon Akand. Participants included Manash Acharya (India), Tapati Chowdhury (India), Andrew James Eagle (Australia), and several artists from Bangladesh — Shawon Akand, Delwar Hossain, Polash Chowdhury, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Shiek Sabbir Alam, Abdus Salam, Joya Shareen Haque, ASM Sayeem, Tanjina Khanam, Shahriar Shaon, Raihan Rafi, Shaswati Majumdar, Taimur Reza, Maksuda Shopna, Ananta Kumar Das.
=== 4th edition: 2010 ===Curated by Shawon Akand. Participants included Manash Acharya (India), Syed Taufiq Riaz (India), Shondip Samaddar (India), and several artists from Bangladesh — Kanak Aditya, Rahul Ananda, Shawon Akand, Delwar Hossain, Polash Chowdhury, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Shiek Sabbir Alam, Abdus Salam, Joya Shahrin Haque, ASM Sayeem, Tanjina Khanam, Abu Naser Robi, Polash Chokroborty, Maksuda Shopna, Shonjoy Chakroborti, Sumana, Anata Kumar Das, Waheduzzaman, Ashifuzzaman.
=== 5th edition: 2011 ===Curated by Rahul Ananda. Participants included Satadru Savon Banduri, Koustav Nag and Debashish Barui from India, as well as Shawon Akand, Delwar Hossain, Polash Chowdhury, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Shiek Sabbir Alam, Abdus Salam, Joya Shahrin Haque, ASM Sayeem, Tanjina Khanom, Kanak Aditya, Rahul Ananda, Mahbubur Rahman, Sadya Mizan, Rajon, Journal, Jem, Progga, Bonna, and Ananto Kumar Das from Bangladesh.
=== 6th edition: 2012 ===Curated by Shawon Akand (Bangladesh) and Satadru Savon Bhanduri (India). Participants included Asmar Atham Atham (Sri Lanka), Aarthiee Kushawaha (India) Aishwaryan K (India), Imran Nafees Siddique (Pakistan), Ishan Pariyar (Nepal), Jaya Shankar Son Shrestha (Nepal), Marjan Safarzadeh (Iran), Rakesh Patel (India), Sabita Dangol (Nepal), Sameer Rao (India), Satadru Sovan Bhanduri (India), Shiblee Muneer (Pakistan), Sunil Sree (India), Tapati Chowdhury (India), Tayyaba Anwaar Ahmad (Pakistan), Vipul Prajapati (India) and 14 artists from Bangladesh — Delwar Hossain, Ananta Kumar Das, Polash Chowdhury, Anarja Tapos, Shakti Nomaan, Shaheen Mahmood Reza Rajon, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Bizu Somoy, Afsana Sharmin Zhuma, Mazhar Ronni, Karishma Chowdhury, Rajib Ashraf, Sagor Zahid, Shawon Akand.
=== 7th edition: 2013 ===Curated by Rahul Anand (Bangladesh). Participants included Sikan Kumar (India), Jeewan Suwal (Nepal), Polash Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Darrell Roberts (USA), atadru Sovan Bhanduri (India), Kanak Aditya (Bangladesh), Shakti Nomaan (Bangladesh), Prabin Shrestha (Nepal), Nilanjana Nandy (India), Rhine Bernardino from (the Philippines), Rahul Anand (Bangladesh), Santos Sigdel (Nepal), Pratap Morey (India), Raihan Ahmed Rafi (Bangladesh), Debasis Beura (India), Azmain Azad Katha (Bangladesh), Shegufta Sehnila Hena (Bangladesh), Koustav Nag (India), Saiful Islam Jarnal (Bangladesh), Murari Jha (India), Sadika Swarna (Bangladesh), Bhuvanesh Kumar (India), Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy (Bangladesh), and Shawon Akand (Bangladesh).
=== 8th edition: 2014 ===Curated by Nilanjana Nandy (India). Participants included Ram Maharjan (Nepal), Riti Maharjan (Nepal), Sujan Dangol (Nepal), Anupam Singh (India), Cacilda Espindola (Brazil), Murari Jha (India), Razia Rezaie (Afghanistan), Satadru Sovan Bhanduri (India), Chirantan Mukhopadhyay (India), Gopa Roy (India), Jinal Sangoi (India), Dinesh Ishantha (Sri Lanka), Jinal Patel (India), and several artists from Bangladesh — they are Anadi Boiragi, Rahul Anand, Kanak Aditya, Mahadi Masud, Tahmina Hafiz Lisa, Polash Chowdhury, Shakti Nomaan, Shaheen Mahmood Reza Rajon, Saiful Jarnal, Azmain Azad Katha, Raihan Rafi, Afsana Sharmin Zhuma, Sadika Swarna, Delowar Hossain, Ananta Kumar Das, Tanzim Ahmed Bijoy, Anarja Tapos, ABS Xem and Shawon Akand.
=== 9th edition: 2015 ===
Curated by Tapati Chowdury (India). Participants included Ram Maharjan (Nepal), Ritesh Maharjan (Nepal), Anil Subba (Nepal), Chirantan Mukhopadhyay (India), Jyotirmoy Saha (India), Rajarshi Dasgupta (India), Erandi Chandima (Sri Lanka), Renu Bariwal (India), Srimoy Roy Chaudhury (India), Suman Majumder (India), Suresh K. Nair (India) and several artists from Bangladesh — Mahadi Masud, Tahmina Hafiz Lisa, Raihan Rafi and Farah Naz Moon.
=== 10th edition: 2016 ===Jointly curated by Rajarshi Das Gupta from India and Shawon Akand from Bangladesh. Participants included Anil Prajapati (Nepal), Bibhu Nath (India), Hiroko Tsukamoto (Japan), Kamal Pruthi (India), Mahesh Bastakoti (Nepal), Mariva Zacharof (Greece), Mohan Jangid (India), Muna Bhadel (Nepal), Pavitra Mehta (USA), Pramila Lama (Nepal), Rupsa Kundu (India), Sohini Sengupta (India) and from Bangladesh - Anadi Boiragi, Farah Naz Moon, Mahadi Masud, Mridul Kanti Goshami, Sultana Sharmin Akhi, Tahmina Hafiz Lisa and Zahid Hossain Sagor.
== External links ==2013: Kushtia art camp on YouTube
Channel 24 Report on CRACK International Art Camp 2013 on YouTube
2015 Crack International Art Camp 2015 - Report on ekattor TV on YouTube
Crack International Art Camp 2015 on YouTube
Crack International Art Camp 2015 (Musical afternoon) on YouTube
2016: 10th edition of the CRACK International Art Camp (CIAC) 2016 - 71 Television Report on YouTube |
1,029 | 494,435 | 0 | Public holidays in Bangladesh | Bangladesh | Bangladesh has numerous public holidays, including national memorial, religious and secular holidays of Bengali origin. The Bengali traditional calendar, known as Baṅgābda is the national and official calendar in Bangladesh. The holidays are celebrated according to Bengali, Islamic or Gregorian calendars for religious and civil purposes, respectively. Religious festivals like Eid are celebrated according to the Islamic calendar, whereas other national holidays are celebrated according to the Bengali and Gregorian calendar. While, the Islamic calendar is based on the movement of the moon, it loses synchronization with the seasons, through seasonal drift. Therefore, some public holidays are subject to change every year based on the lunar calendar.
There are fifteen public holidays in Bangladesh. Muslims and non-Muslims have four religious holidays each in addition to the seven secular national holidays. For the Muslims, nine major Islamic holidays: Ashura, Mawlid, Isra' and Mi'raj, Shab-e-Barat, first day of Ramadan, Revelation of the Quran, Laylat al-Qadr, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are observed. For the Hindus: Holi, Krishna Janmashtami, Durga Puja, Diwali and Raksha Bandhan are celebrated. As for the Christians: New Year, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Halloween, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Boxing Day, St. Patrick's Day and New Year's Eve are celebrated. Buddhists: Vesak and Chinese New Year are celebrated.
== General holidays ==
=== List ===
== Government holidays ==
=== List ===
== Optional holidays ==
=== List ===
== Former holidays ==
List of festivals in Bangladesh
List of countries by number of public holidays
=== External Links ===
বাংলাদেশ ২০২৫ সালের সরকারি ছুটির ক্যালেন্ডার এবং তালিকা
Bangladesh Public Holidays 2025 Calendar |
1,030 | 53,370,395 | 0 | Nazrul Jayanti | Bangladesh | Nazrul Jayanti (Bengali: নজরুল জয়ন্তী) is the birthday of Kazi Nazrul Islam the national poet of Bangladesh on 25 May. The day is organized and celebrated by various schools, colleges & universities of Bengal, and also celebrated by Bengalis around the world, as a tribute to Nazrul and his works. 125th birthday 2024
List of festivals in Bangladesh
List of festivals in West Bengal |
1,032 | 68,474,690 | 0 | Rajpunyah | Bangladesh | Rajpunyah is a conventional celebration where the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh, assemble to pay taxes to their king (circle head). This festival takes place after every five or six years, though it used to take place every year previously. Following this occasion, a folk fair starts and goes on for three days. Thousands of local and foreign tourists visit Bandarban every year during the festival.
== History ==
The Bohmong kings have been organizing the Rajpunyah Festival since 1875 AD to collect Jhum tax. The ninth Bohmong king started the formal tax collection in 1875. However, after the death of the 14th Bohmong King Manshaiprue Chowdhury in the 1990s, Rajpunyah did not take place for two years. Rajpunyah Festival has been much enhanced in the last 134 years assimilating different cultural aspects of different people living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. For the people of the hill districts, Rajpunyah is one of the biggest festivals at present.
== Place ==
The Chakma circle celebrates Rajpunyah in Rangamati. On the other hand, the Bohmong circle arranges Rajpunyah in Bandarban. Different indigenous people come to see the king with great interest from different places.
== Festival ==
The Rajpunyah festival was first introduced during British rule. Rajpunyah is better known as ‘Poingjara Powaye’ to various local tribal communities. According to the hill tradition of about two hundred years, the king collects taxes by organizing a fair at the beginning of the year. At the Rajpunyah ceremony, the headmen of the mouzas under the king paid tribute to him and expressed their allegiance. Later the king addresses the people and rewards the tribals who have contributed in various fields.
The king ascends the royal throne through thousands of flower rugs. Later, one by one, the king receives taxes and various gifts from the people. Every year in Bandarban, during Rajpunyah, the courtyard of the palace becomes a unique gathering place for the indigenous people and the Bengalis. Not only has the people of Bandarban, Rangamati, but also Rajpunyah fair attracted thousands of domestic and foreign tourists. As a result, there is an acute seat crisis in hotels and motels in Bandarban during Rajpunyah. This traditional fair of the hill has circus, puppet dance, indigenous instrumental music, dance, song, drama staging and the whirligigs. Besides, businessmen set up hundreds of shops with different products. |
1,033 | 50,554,118 | 0 | RockNation | Bangladesh | RockNation is a series of rock and metal festivals organized in Bangladesh, regularly starring eminent rock and metal bands of the nation. The first RockNation event was held on at Winter Garden, Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, Dhaka on April 12, 2013. Six more RockNation events have taken place since then, including one in Sylhet.
== History ==
=== 2013 ===
The first RockNation concert was held on April 12, 2013, and it starred the talents of Warfaze, Cryptic Fate, Arbovirus, Nemesis, Shunno, Band Lalon, Chirkutt and Jon. RockNation II took place on September 20, 2013, with the addition of rock band Indalo and thrash metal act Powersurge as new additions to its lineup. RockNation III added metal bands Aurthohin, Karnival, Mechanix and Minerva to the lineup, taking place on December 6, 2013, and featured a centrally positioned stage.
=== 2014 ===
The fourth episode of RockNation, titled RockNation: Overload, took place on April 19, 2014, marking the addition of Bangladesh's most famous progressive metal band Artcell and alternative rock band Black to the lineup of RockNation. RockNation: The Revolution of Rock, was the last chapter of RockNation to take place at Winter Garden, and featured a radically different lineup, featuring newer rock and metal bands like AvoidRafa, Echoes and Owned. Smaller-scale concerts featuring fewer bands also took place at various Dhaka venues under the RockTown and RockCity banners over the course of this year as preludes to the main RockNation events.
=== 2015 ===
The sixth chapter of RockNation, RockNation: Resurrection, took place on April 3, 2015 at the International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka, and heralded the return of Bangladeshi hard rock band Vikings after a decade-long hiatus, alongside the other regular performers of RockNation.
=== 2016 ===
2016 marked the beginning of the RockNation Tours program, the first episode of which was held on February 5, 2016 at the open-air D Building Ground of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, featuring Warfaze, Artcell, Vikings, AvoidRafa and Powersurge from Dhaka, with the lineup further augmented by the addition of Sylhet's own metal bands Nongar, Psychotron and Rim.
== Art and stylistic direction ==
RockNation is well-known for its innovative stage designs and signature fire-based art direction, which is prevalent in all of their visual and printed communications, ranging from its posters to the original introductory and showtime animations which are displayed at the venues over the course of the show. The series is also noted for their whimsically shaped tickets, which have ranged from simple two-dimensional polygons to a three-dimensional cube.
== External links ==
RockNation (Official Website) |
1,034 | 53,653,830 | 0 | Rokeya Day | Bangladesh | Begum Rokeya Day (Bengali: বেগম রোকেয়া দিবস) is the 9 December anniversary of the birth and death of Begum Rokeya, a Bengali writer, educationist, social activist, and advocate of women's rights. The day is organized and celebrated by schools, colleges and universities of Bangladesh, as well as the Bengali Government, as a tribute to her works and legacy. On that day, Bangladesh government confers Begum Rokeya Padak on individual women for their exceptional achievement.
List of festivals in Bangladesh
Begum Rokeya Padak |
1,042 | 2,972,320 | 0 | List of festivals in Iran | Iran | The following list is a list of festivals in Iran.
== Iranian cultural festivals ==
Nowruz: The word of Norouz includes two parts; no that means new and ruz OR rouz which means day, so Nowruz means starting a new day and it is the Celebration of the start of spring (Rejuvenation). It starts on the first day of spring (also the first day of the Iranian Calendar year), 21 March, in that 12 days as a sign of the past 12 months, all Iranian families gather around to visit each other.
Sofre-ye Haft-Sin: sofre (tablecloth), haft (seven), sin (the letter S [س]). Al-Bīrūnī said: Haft-sin came from Jamshid since he destroyed the evil that made Persian lands weak, so on the first day of Iranian calendar people celebrated Norouz and they put 7 different symbolic items on their table as a sign of thanking nature for giving humans all they need. Since then every year Iranians put Haft-sin on their tables, but nowadays they put 7 things that start with letter S (س).
Sizdah Bedar: Persian Festival of Joy and Solidarity. The 13th and last day of Norouz celebration. Because of the end of twelve days (a sample of twelve month) they celebrate the 13th day as a new beginning of the next twelve month and it has no relations with the number 13 (as an unlucky number).
Mehregan: Festival of Mehr (or Mithra). A day of thanksgiving. It is a day which everyone shows the mehr or the love they have for each other and it is one of the most important days in the year.
Jashn-e Sade: A mid-winter feast to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost and cold in which people gather around and build a fire so that they can assist the revival of the sun to bring back warmth and summer.
Shab-e Yalda: Also known as The turning point. End of the longest night of the year, and beginning of growing of the days.
Sepandarmazgan: Day of Love, Friendship and Earth in ancient Persian culture.
Chaharshanbe Suri: Festival of Fire, last Wednesday night in the Iranian Calendar year.
== Religious festivals ==
=== Zoroastrianism ===The basis of nearly all of Iranian national festivals are from its Pre-Islamic Zoroastrian era. However, there are some festivals that are celebrated exclusively by Zoroastrians and some with less extent in other communities too.Khordadgân: Celebration of the 6th day of Iranian calendar. Khordad is one of the Izadans name which means completeness. In this day people used to go near the river or a sea to thank God for everything and they gave each other flowers as a sign of happiness.
Bahmanagân: Also maintained by Iranian Muslims until the Mongol invasion. The festival was celebrated on the second day of the month of Bahman. Bahmanjana is a later modified form of Bahmanagân.
Sepandarmazgân Bahmanagân: Esfandegān or Spandegān is the day of love.
Farvardingân: Festival of the Forouhar .
Jašne Sade: Festival of Fire. Lit. the 100th day (before Nowruz).
Jašne Mehregân: Festival of Mihr (or Mehr). A day of thanksgiving dedicated to the highest Angel, Mithra.
Jašne Tiregân: Festival of Tir. A day dedicated to Tishtrya, Angel of the star Sirius and rain. Also celebrated in some Muslim regions in Iran including Mazandaran.
Nowruz: New Year's Day. March (first day of Spring).
Khordad Sal: Birthday of the Prophet Zarathushtra.
Zartosht No-Diso: Anniversary commemorating the death of the Prophet Zarathushtra.
Azargân: The day of fire commonly held by Zoroastrians in their Fire Temples.
Abanegân: A celebration for the goddess Naheed (Anahita).
Amordadegân: without Death
=== Islamic ===Eid-e Fetr: The Festival of Fast-Breaking which comes at the end of Ramadan. People give gifts and money to the poor, the sick and others.
Ramadan (Ramazan in Persian): Iranians have special recipes as Zoolbia-Bamieh, Shole Zard, Ferni, Halva and Ash Reshteh in Ramezan.
Nimeh Şaabân: celebration for the twelfth and final Shi'a Imam. The festival consists of some fireworks and decorating the cities with lights, bulbs and trees.
Shab-e Qadr: the Night of Qadr towards the end of Ramadan, which is when the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad. Iranians stay awake during the nights and some light candles and listen to Dua while reciting the Qur'an.
Eid-e Qurban: The Festival of Sacrifice. In Iran, some wealthy people and farmers sacrifice their herds and offer the meat to neighbors and the poor as charity.
Eid-e Ghadir Khumm: is a Shia feast, and is considered to be among the significant feasts of Shia Islam. The Eid is held on 18 Dhu Al-Hijjah at the time when the Islamic prophet Muhammad (following instruction from Allah) was said to have appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor.
Shiite and Sunni unity week for the birth of the Prophet of Islam: 12-17 Rabiʽ al-Awwal
Birth of Hasan ibn Ali: 15 Ramadan
Birth of Husayn ibn Ali: 3 Sha'ban
Birth of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin: 5 Sha'ban
Birth of Ali al-Akbar ibn Husayn (Young Day): 11 Sha'ban
Birth of Ali ibn Abi Talib: 13 Rajab
Fatimah bint Musa birthday (Girl's Day): 1 taste
Birth of Ali al-Ridha: 11 Dhu al-Qadah
Eid al-Fitr of the Prophet of Islam: 27 Rajab
Celebrating the beginning of the Imamate of Muhammad al-Mahdi: 9th of Rabiʽ al-Awwal
Marriage celebration of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah: 1 Dhu al-Hijjah
=== Christian ===
The majority of Iranian Christians are Armenian-Iranians also known as Parska-Hye who follow the Armenian Apostolic Church, an Oriental Orthodox branch of Christianity. This minority has their very own special festivals and traditions.
There is also a significant minority of Assyrian people who follow the Oriental Orthodox Christian Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church, these two church groups also have a minority of Persian followers. The followers of this church have a blend of Persian and Assyrian culture.
Iran has a large and fast growing Christian community gaining popularity amongst Persians. During Christmas times, Christmas trees can be seen from windows in Tehran and north-western provinces. Although Christmas has an official recognition in Iran, it is not a national holiday.
=== Jewish ===
Iranian Jews celebrate all the same holidays as Jews worldwide, but often maintain unique customs in the observance of those holidays. Some more uniquely Iranian traditions include:Purim is particularly special among Jews in Iran because it recounts the story of a Jewish queen married to a Persian king in Susa, Iran and the central figures of the story Mordechai and Esther are customarily believed to be buried in Hamedan
Illanout (tree festival) Celebrated in February, it is nearly identical to Shab-e Cheleh and is a lot more elaborate, reminiscence of the pre-Islamic celebrations
Shab-e Sal, lit. Night of the Year: The night of the end of Passover, when chametz can once again be eaten. It is usually celebrated with many types of breads and dairy items. This festival is unique to Persian Jews due to the holiday’s proximity to Nowruz and is not celebrated in this way by most other Jews. The day after Passover is similarly known as Rooz-e Sal, which would often involve outdoor picnics similar to Sizdah Be-dar
== Film festivals ==
Cinéma Vérité documentary film festival, Tehran
Fajr International Film Festival, the major film festival
Hassanat short film festival, Esfahan
International Film Festival for Children and Youth, held in different cities each year
Nahal International Short Film Festival, a student festival dedicated to short films
Roshd International Film Festival, focused on films with educational themes
Tehran International Film Festival, a former film festival, held before the Iranian revolution (1972-1977)
Tehran International Short Film Festival, from 2020 a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards
Urban International Film Festival, held in Tehran by the Tasvir Shahr Institute
== Bibliography ==
Shirzad Aghaee, Nouruz - Berliyan-negin-e jashnha-yi irani va digar jashnha va jashn-aiyinha-yi mardomi-yi iran (Nouruz and other Iranian National Festivals), Stockholm, Sweden, 2002.
Festivals in Encyclopædia Iranica |
1,043 | 41,546,854 | 0 | Amordadegan festival | Iran | The Amordadegan festival, also transliterated as Amordadegan or Amardadegan, is an ancient Iranian tradition celebrated 127 days after Nowruz. Amordadegan in Persian means without death. The 5th month of Persian calendar is Mordad that came from Amordad or Ameretat word. The Amordadegan festival was celebrated by the Zoroastrians over 4000 years. It falls on the 7th day of Mordad.
List of festivals in Iran |
1,044 | 31,421,846 | 0 | Bahmanagān | Iran | Bahmanagān (Persian: بهمنگان) or BAHMANJANA (Arabicized form of Middle Persian Bahmanagān; forms such as Bahmaṇča (Persian: بهمنجه) or Bahmaṇčena are also found) was a Zoroastrian Iranian festival which was maintained until the Mongol invasion by Iranian Muslims. It takes place on the 2nd day of Bahman.
== Festival ==
In the old Zoroastrian calendar, when the day of the month coincides with the name of the month, then a feast (Persian: Jashn) was held. In this case, the month of Bahman which was the 11th month coincides with the day of Bahman (Bahman-rūz). Bahman is one of the archangels of Zoroastrianism. Henceforth, for each such a day in the calendar, the Middle Persian names of these were formed by addition of the suffix agān (association suffix and also a plural suffix) to the day-name. Festivities to celebrate the day took place among both the common people as well as the people associated with the courts. The festival is recorded by many authors including Biruni, Gardizi, Asadi Tusi, Anwari etc. According to Biruni and Gardizi, in Khorasan, an assortment of meat and all sorts of grain, vegetables, and fruits were cooked together in a pot called dīg-e Bahmanjana (the pot of Bahmanagān). The population cooked this dish, treated each other to this dish and also sold it on the Bazar. According to Gardizi, the flowers of the plant named the red-Bahman (Persian: Bahman-e Sorkh) were mixed with fresh milk. He further continues that the people believed it to be beneficial for the memory as well to keep away the evil eye. It was usual to wear new clothes for this festival.
Today, the modern day Zoroastrian-Iranian festival of Bahmanrūz continues to be an especially holy day for Zoroastrians of Iran.
=== Bahman Plant ===
This plant is the same as the equivalent modern Persian term zardak-e ṣaḥrāʾī (a wild carrot), which blooms in the month of Bahman (January–February). It has a red or white root. Since it was a medical plant, it is mentioned in Arabic medical texts from which it passed into Latin and in the form béhen into French. Two varieties, béhen rouge and béhen blanc, are found and still used in medicine.
== Notes ==
Abū Rayḥān Bīrūnī, al-Tafhīm le-awāʾel ṣenāʿat al-tanjīm, 2nd ed., Tehran |
1,046 | 49,277,028 | 0 | Fajr decade | Iran | The Fajr decade (Persian: دهه فجر, romanized: Daheye Fajr, lit. 'decade of dawn') is a ten-day celebration of Ruhollah Khomeini's return to Iran in 1979. The annual celebration is held between 1 and 11 February. Its beginning coincides with the date of Khomeini's arrival and ending with the Iranian Revolution; a day called the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, Islamic Revolution's Victory Day, or 22 of Bahman.
== The ten days ==Dahe-ye Fajr marks the anniversary of the ten-day period between Khomeini's return to Iran (1 February) until the Iranian Revolution (22 Bahman; 11 February) in 1979.
=== 1 February (12 Bahman 1357) ===On 1 February 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran after a period of exile in France imposed by the Shah of Iran, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi. Several million people went to Mehrabad International Airport to welcome Khomeini. Khomeini then went to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, where he gave a lecture. Khomeini said Shapour Bakhtiar's cabinet was illegal, and that he would crash in the mouth of Bakhtiar's government.
=== 2 February (13 Bahman 1357) ===
Khomeini spoke to a crowd of clerics. He said; From the beginning, the royal regime was against reason ... each nation must determine their own destiny. Radio Moscow reported that Iranian students living in America were opposed to American interference in Iran's internal affairs, and mounted demonstrations against the White House.
=== 3 February (14 Bahman 1357) ===
A press conference attended by nearly 300 Iranian and foreign correspondents was held at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday 14 Bahman, at Allawi School No. 2. At the beginning, a summary of Khomeini's views was read, then the journalists' questions began. Khomeini's response was as follows:They do nothing that invites the nation to Jihad. We can make a weapon if jihad's time comes. The government will be introduced soon.
Bakhtiar's government was illegal. The government must be formed on the basis of God's decree and the people's vote. Members of the Revolutionary Council were appointed.
The first book on the Iranian crisis, written by Ahmad Naruqi and published in Paris, was called Iran Against the Shah. Israel's Minister of Justice announced We have lost our most important provider of oil.
=== 4 February (15 Bahman 1357) ===
British foreign secretary David Owen discussed the situation in Iran with his American counterpart during a visit to the US. Baghdad sent a delegation to Saudi Arabia to review the situation in Iran and the region. In a council on the Islamic Revolution, Mehdi Bazargan was suggested as the Prime Minister of Iran's interim Government. A number of senior Air Force officers involved with the government were imprisoned. Because the Iranian monarchy was in danger, the American government opposed their own interests to sell weapons, including several AWACS aircraft. General Huyser then decided to cancel the contract so America's interests would not be jeopardized. Airmen held a rally in Behbahan to support Khomeini. Bakhtiar's government limited the people's access to their bank deposits. Javid Shari'atian was banned from Iran by Bakhtiar's administration. Several resigned members of Majlis visited Khomeini. Khosro Qashqaie, a leader of Qashqaees, returned to Iran after 25-years of exile in the US. Stansfield Turner, the director of the CIA said We did not understand who Khomeini was and the support his movement had. Ayatollah Taleqani requested a general explanation from the government for the disappearance of a number of air force students.
=== 5 February (16 Bahman 1357) ===
Khomeini chose Mehdi Bazargan as prime minister of his interim government. Iran now has two governments. Henry Kissinger condemned recent events in Iran following the human rights law of the US. General Robert Huyser, US special envoy to Iran, left Tehran after a month. A number of military personnel supported Khomeini.
=== 6 February (17 Bahman 1357) ===
The Shah's Army fires at Bazargan's supporters in Zahedan. The staff of the prime minister's office announced their support for Bazargan with demonstrations. The revolutionaries announced Iran will leave the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). Most members of Iran's parliament struck to topple Bakhtiar's government. Hojatoleslam Fallahi delivered a speech in the presence of Khomeini and his followers after an eight-year ban on lectures. The parliament ratified the dissolution of SAVAK, Iran's secret police service, and the trial of its former commanders.
=== 7 February (18 Bahman 1357) ===
On 7 February 1979, Khomeini spoke with the Kurdish community about the necessity of unity between Shia and Sunni sects of Islam. At a gathering of lawyers of the High Court, Khomeini expressed that colonialism's plot in create differences between people and clergy. The US Secretary of State announced the United States recognition of the Bakhtiar administration and said Bakhtiar must act in the will of the people. Khomeini's movement and the Army began to negotiate. Opposition groups including academics announced their support for the Bazargan government. People and clerics of Zanjan held a 50,000-strong rally to express their overwhelming support for Khomeini and his government. Hojatoleslam Aboulfazl Shakouri, on behalf of the people and the clergy, recited a 30-article resolution on the dissolution of the monarchy, the parliament and government of Bakhtiar and the legitimacy of Bazargan government. The army, which was fired because of its opposition to the Shah, declared support for Khomeini. Due to the people's disregard for the government-imposed curfew, its length was reduced. An American striker, who injured a driver in Isfahan, was condemned by a Sharia court and was released on payment of atonement. Iranian courts were not eligible to try American nationals. The creation of this court refers to the empowerment of Muslim people. The United Nations expressed its concern about the situation in Iran.
=== 8 February (19 Bahman 1357) ===Iranian air force officers went to Khomeini's home and promised their loyalty to the revolution.
=== 9 February (20 Bahman 1357) ===
Millions of Iranians came on to the streets to welcome the return of the religious leader Ruhollah Khomeini. The street fights between people and imperial guard intensified.
=== 10 February (21 Bahman 1357) ===
On 10 February 1979, civilians were armed by the revolutionary personnel of the air force. A curfew was announced by Bakhtiar's government but Khomeini disparaged it and said people had to break it. The revolutionaries subjugated police stations, prisons, and governmental centers.
=== 11 February (22 Bahman 1357) ===Senior military commanders announced that they were neutral in conflict between Bakhtiar's government and revolutionaries. Thus they withdrew from the streets. Bakhtiar resigned and went to Paris. Revolutionaries gained a victory in this day.
== Customs ==
Dahe-ye Fajr is celebrated in various ways, including commemorations at Khomeini's mausoleum and rallies for the achievements of the revolution. The Fajr International Film Festival has been held every year since 1982 in Tehran during Dahe-ye Fajr. It is organised by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, and is the largest public film, theater, and music festival in Iran.Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution
Iranian Revolution
Timeline of the Iranian Revolution |
1,047 | 56,039,834 | 0 | Kafbikh | Iran | Kafbikh (Persian: کفبیخ)is a kind of traditional Iranian sweet is made in Khorasan, specially in the city of Gonabad and Birjand. This is made for Yalda, the Iranian celebration of winter solstice.
== Preparation ==
The sweet Kaf is based on the root of Acanthophyllum squarrosum the root should be cleaned and boiled at least three times and the boiled water be discarded until the water has a good smell and good taste.[1]During this ceremony, the root of the plant called Chubak, or Bikh which is known as Acanthophyllum , is soaked in water and after several boils, they are shed in a large pot called Tegar. Families and men, with a handful of thin pods of pomegranate trees, called the batches shake of the liquid, for hours, to become rigid, and this should be done in a cool environment so that the liquid is foamed and then hardened to dry. Like Isfahan Gaz
The prepared Kaf shuld sweetened at the end by mixing the juice or sugar or honey , and after being decorated, the walnut and pistachio are taken to the guests. at the beginning before sweetening the kaf , a youngs are allowed to throwing it to each other and rubbing the kaf to face of each other adding happiness to the guests.[2]Another custom performed in certain parts of Iran and khorasan on the night of yalda (Chelleh) involves young engaged couples. The men send an edible arrangement containing seven kinds of fruits and a variety of gifts to their fiancees on this night. In some areas, the girl and her family return the favor by sending gifts back for the young man.
== Gallery ==
Nowruz
yalda
Gonabad
zibad
Jesuite
Konditorei
Kuo Yuan Ye Museum of Cake and Pastry
List of baked goods
List of desserts
List of food preparation utensils
List of pastries
Mold (cooking implement)
Pan dulce (sweet bread)
Parssea magazine what is Kaf? Gonabadis traditional festivals by Dr Mohammad Ajam Gonapa magazine December 2016[3]
KafBikh in khorasan for Yalda [4]
South Khorasan traditions.Kaf[5]
KafBikh in khorasan for Yalda Firdausi university [6]
== Further reading ==
Castro DC, Berridge KC (2014). Opioid hedonic hotspot in nucleus accumbens shell: mu, delta, and kappa maps for enhancement of sweetness liking and wanting. J. Neurosci. 34 (12): 4239–50. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4458-13.2014. PMC 3960467. PMID 24647944.
Peciña S, Berridge KC (2005). Hedonic hot spot in nucleus accumbens shell: where do mu-opioids cause increased hedonic impact of sweetness?. J. Neurosci. 25 (50): 11777–86. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2329-05.2005. PMC 6726018. PMID 16354936. |
1,049 | 2,172,629 | 0 | Mehregan | Iran | Mehregan (Persian: مهرگان) or Jashn-e Mehr (جشن مهر lit. Mithra Festival) is a Zoroastrian and Iranian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra (Persian: Mehr), which is responsible for friendship, affection and love.
== Name ==
Mehregan is derived from the Middle Persian name Mihrakān/Mihragān, itself derived from Old Persian Mithrakāna.
== Introduction ==
Mehregan is an Iranian festival honoring the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra. Under the Achaemenid Empire (330–550 BC), the Armenian subjects of the Persian king gave him 20,000 horses every year during the celebration of Mehregan. Under the Sasanian Empire (224–651), Mehregan was the second most important festival, falling behind Nowruz. Due to these two festivals being heavily connected with the role of Iranian kingship, the Sasanian rulers were usually crowned on either Mehregan or Nowruz.
In al-Biruni's eleventh-century Book of Instructions in the Elements of the Art of Astrology (233), the astronomer observed that some people have given the preference to Mihragān [over Nowruz, i.e. New Year's day/Spring Equinox] by as much as they prefer autumn to spring.
As Biruni also does for the other festival days he mentions, he reiterates a local anecdotal association for his description of Mehrgan (ha al-mirjan in the author's Arabic parlance) with a fragment of a tale from Iranian folklore: On this day, Fereydun vanquished the evil Zahhak and confined him to Mount Damavand. This fragment of the legend is part of a greater cycle that ties Mehrgan with Nowruz; Dahak vanquished Jamshid (who the legends have as the one establishing Nowruz or New Year's Day), and Fereydun vanquishes Zahhak, so restoring the balance. The association of Mehrgan with the polarity of spring/autumn, sowing/harvest and the birth/rebirth cycle did not escape Biruni either, for as he noted, they consider Mihragān as a sign of resurrection and the end of the world, because at Mihragān that which grows reaches perfection.
== In ancient times ==Mehrgān was celebrated in an extravagant style at Persepolis. Not only was it the time for harvest, but it was also the time when the taxes were collected. Visitors from different parts of the Persian Empire brought gifts for the king all contributing to a lively festival.
During pre-Islamic and early Islamic Iran, Mehrgān was celebrated with the same magnificence and pageantry as Nowruz. It was customary for people to send or give their king, and each other, gifts. Rich people usually gave gold and silver coins, heroes and warriors gave horses while others gave gifts according to their financial power and ability, even as simple as an apple. Those fortunate enough would help the poor with gifts.
Gifts to the royal court of over ten thousand gold coins were registered. If the gift-giver needed money at a later time, the court would then return twice the gift amount. Kings gave two audiences a year: one audience at Nowruz and other at Mehregān. During the Mehregān celebrations, the king wore a fur robe and gave away all his summer clothes.
After the Mongol invasion of Iran, the feast celebration of Mehrgān lost its popularity. Zoroastrians of Yazd and Kermān continued to celebrate Mehrgān in an extravagant way.
== In the present-day ==
On October 2, 2022, which coincided with Mehregan, there were series of ceremonies conducted across Iran. These ceremonies were involved in the provinces of Tehran, Yazd, Kordestan, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Isfahan, Bushehr, North Khorasan, and Golestan.
== Basis for the date ==
As noted above, Mehrgān is a name-day feast. These name-day feasts are festivals celebrated on the day of the year when the day-name and month-name dedicated to a particular angel or virtue intersect. Indeed, Zoroastrian Persians before Islam had 30-days months, which means that each day in a month had a different name, with 12 of the days also being names of the 12 months. The day whose name corresponded to the name of the month was celebrated.
List of festivals in Iran
Zoroastrian festivals
== Sources ==
Boyce, Mary (1983). Iranian festivals. In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 3(2): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 792–816. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521200929.006. ISBN 0-521-24693-8.
Boyce, Mary; Grenet, Frantz (1991). Beck, Roger (ed.). A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-9004293915.
Calmard, J. (1993). Mihragān. In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W. P. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume VII: Mif–Naz. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 15–20. ISBN 978-90-04-09419-2.
Canepa, Matthew (2018). The Iranian Expanse: Transforming Royal Identity Through Architecture, Landscape, and the Built Environment, 550 BCE–642 CE. Oakland: University of California Press. ISBN 9780520379206.
Cristoforetti, Simone (2000). Mehragān. Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition. New York.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Payne, Richard E. (2015). A State of Mixture: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Iranian Political Culture in Late Antiquity. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-29245-1.
Rose, Jenny (2015). Festivals and the Calendar. In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw; Tessmann, Anna (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley And Sons Ltd. pp. 379–393.
Russell, James R. (1987). Zoroastrianism in Armenia. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674968509.
Sanders, P.; Chalmeta, P.; Lambton, A.K.S.; Groot, A.H. de & Burton-Page, J. (1991). Marāsim. In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 518–534. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
Shaked, Shaul (2015). Islam. In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw; Tessmann, Anna (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley And Sons Ltd. pp. 491–499. |
1,050 | 60,299,827 | 0 | The National Festival of Entrepreneurs in Iran | Iran | The National Festival of Entrepreneurs of Iran has been organizing festivals since 2006 by the Ministry of Co-operation, Labor and Social Welfare which has presented the top entrepreneurs at the national and provincial levels of Iran. These festivals, based on indicating jobs and facilities related, are designed to identify entrepreneurs, included of approximately 3,000 top entrepreneurs in the provinces and 130 top national entrepreneurs in various fields of economic sectors (industry, agriculture, and co-operational services) will be nominated to be rewarded. In different periods of time, the procedures and indicators for identifying entrepreneurs, have been updated on the basis of the country's major policies and technologies. Some terms and conditions have also been modified based on the needs of the country. The establishment of entrepreneurship centers in the provinces around the country, with the presence of provincial and national superior entrepreneurs and their participation with executive agencies as an entrepreneurial think tank, is one of the achievements of these festivals, which has resulted in the effective development of entrepreneurship in different regions of the country. The Provincial Entrepreneurship Centers, which will be selected and awarded as the top entrepreneurs, experts, in entrepreneurship in each province, are currently serving as the think tank to the governorate and additionally offer suggestions and plans to create employment-ships and entrepreneurial development in the country. They make appropriate decisions about the possible implications of decisions and policies. They also find the better solutions based on the scientific, experimental, technical and financial advantages of the top entrepreneurs; this clue are focused on the values of the government officials who can help improve the business environment in the provinces and, moreover, nationwide in the whole country of Iran. The main theme, logo, monument, and statue of this festival has been designed by Hesam Film and Animation Studio directed by Dr. Hesam Bani-Eghbal.
== The goals of the festival ==
Promoting the culture of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation.
Identifying entrepreneurs across the country and selecting the best of them and introducing them as a model to the community, especially young people.
Creating an atmosphere of interaction and cooperation among various economic actors in the industrial, agricultural and service sectors.
Creating vitality and competition in business spaces, Enhancing the partnership and participatco-operationaleneurs in the country's economic development and promoting the culture of work and entrepreneurship.
Encouraging entrepreneurship supporters to participate and invest in entrepreneurship programs and especially engage seriously with entrepreneurs and innovators present at the festival.
Spiritual support from entrepreneurs to create a new business. The growth of self-esteem and self-esteem in youth. Awards, scope of participants, festival topics.
== Awards, scope of participants, festival topics ==
The manner and amount of awards selected by the provincial and national festival of top entrepreneurs will be determined by the proposal of the executive committee and the approval of the policy council. The range of participants and festival topics (groups and sectors) will be determined by the National Science Workshop and will be announced through the National Policy Council.
== Deputies ==
The ministry consists of six deputies as:Deputy for Coordination & International affairs
Deputy for Labour Relations
Deputu for Planning & Employment Policies
Deputy for Social & Cultural affairs
Deputy for Legal & Parliamentary affairs
Deputy for Patronage
Iranian labor law
Iranian Labour News Agency
Cabinet of Iran
Government of Iran
Ministry of Welfare and Social Security (Iran)
Iran Technical and Vocational Training Organization
== External links == |
1,052 | 3,157,432 | 0 | Sadeh | Iran | Sadeh (Persian: سده also transliterated as Sade), is an Iranian festival that dates back to the Achaemenid Empire. Sadeh celebrates 50 days before Nowruz. Sadeh in Persian means hundred and refers to one hundred days and nights remains to the beginning of spring. Sadeh is a mid winter festival that was celebrated with grandeur and magnificence in ancient Persia. It was a festivity to honor fire and to defeat the forces of darkness, frost, and cold.
== History ==
Legends have it that King Hushang, the 2nd king of the mythological Pishdadian dynasty (Pishdad means to give the Law), established the Sadeh tradition. It is said that once Hushang was climbing a mountain when he saw a snake and wanted to hit it with a stone. When he threw the stone, it fell on another stone and since they were both flint stones, fire broke out and the snake escaped. This way he discovered how to light a fire. Hushang cheered up and praised God who revealed to him the secret of lighting a fire. Then he announced: This is a light from God. So we must admire it.
According to religious beliefs, Jashn-e Sadeh recalls the importance of light, fire and energy; light which comes from God is found in the hearts of his creatures.
During ancient times, Jashn-e Sadeh was celebrated by lighting fire. For Zoroastrians the chief preparation for Sadeh was and still in some parts is the gathering of wood the day before the festival. Teenage boys accompanied by a few adult males would go to local mountains to gather camel thorns, a common desert shrub in Iran. For most, this is the first time they are away from their families. The occasion resembles a ritual of passage to adulthood, a notable step for the boys enroute to manhood. The boys would take the camel thorns to the temples in their cities. If it was their first time doing this, on their return, a celebration was held at home with the presence of friends and families.
During ancient times, the fires were always set near water and the temples (see also: Fire temple). The fire originally meant to assist the revival of sun and bring back the warmth and light of summer. It was also meant to drive off the demons of frost and cold, which turned water to ice, and thus could kill the roots of plants.The fire was kept burning all night. The day after, women would go to the fire in the morning, each taking a small portion of the fire back to their homes to make new glowing fire from the blessed fire of the temple. This is to spread the blessing of the Sadeh fire to every household in the neighborhood. Whatever is left from the fire would be taken back to the shrine to be placed in one container and kept at the temple until the next year. This way the fire is kept burning all year round. The eternal fire also symbolizes the love of homeland which is always alive like a fervent fire in the people's hearts.
The festivities would normally continue for three days. The evenings are spent eating and giving out foods as donations, food that is prepared from slaughtered lambs and is distributed among the poor.
The most elaborate report of the celebration of Sadeh after the Muslim conquest of Persia in 7th century AD comes from the 10th century AD during the reign of Mardavij of Ziyarid dynasty, the ruler of Isfahan. The Ziyarid dynasty did their best to maintain Persian traditions. Bonfires were set up on both sides of the Zayandeh River to remember the Sadeh custom. The fires were kept in specially built metal holders. Hundreds of birds were released while the fireworks were lighting the sky. There were fireworks, dancing and music with lavish feasts of roasted lamb, beef, chicken and other delicacies.
Today the ceremony is celebrated somewhat like the ancient times in some Iranian cities such as Kerman and Yazd. Jashn e Sadeh is also celebrated every year in the Kushke Varjavand gardens in Karaj (a township of Tehran province) splendidly with the presence of Persian Zoroastrians and others interested in traditional Persian ceremonies. Sometimes the fires are not lit outside and all activities take place inside the Zoroastrian temples. The activities of camel thorn gathering have almost been stopped though there are efforts to preserve the tradition. However, the bulk of the Iranians/Persians are becoming more familiar with the occasion and there are gatherings and celebrations even outside the country on 30 January each year. People will gather and pray, and then they will hold each other's hands, form a circle, and dance around the fire.Every year, on 30 January, thousands of Zoroastrians in Iran and other countries celebrate the religious feast of Jashn-e Sadeh by burning firewood in an open space to signify the coming of spring and as a symbolic token of the eternal fight with mischief.
There is a cave in a mountain near Yazd, called Chak-Chak Fire Temple. Every year special ceremonies are held there during the Sadeh Feast. It is believed that the last Zoroastrian princess took shelter there in 640 AD when the Muslims expanded their power to the east.
Although for the majority of Iranians Sadeh has no religious significance and no specific rituals are involved other than lighting fires at sunset and having a cheerful time, Iranians of all faiths make a collective effort at this day to keep up with their ancient traditions and to celebrate the preciousness of creation.
Sadeh has a complex history and two different days were observed for the festival's veneration. In addition to 50 days (100 days and nights) before the beginning of the new year (or hundredth day after the gahambar of Ayathrima), already noted, the other celebration marked the hundred day before the religious new year (religious new year is not necessarily the same as spring new year). It is not clear why there are two Sadeh Festivals and why different regions have had different dates. Many of Zoroastrian holy days were and are celebrated twice; this is most likely caused by the calendar reform in the 3rd century AD.
Since 2017 Sadeh is officially recognized and celebrated by the Government of Tajikistan.
On January 30, 2023, people in multiple different cities of Iran, celebrated Sadeh. In the wake of the ongoing protests, Sadeh was celebrated by great number of people, and they prepared fire as a symbol of Sadeh feast all across the Iran. Among the cities that celebrated Sadeh, were Tehran, Tabriz, Izeh, Ahvaz, Shiraz, Kerman, Sanandaj, Isfahan, Zanjan, Kermanshah, Yazd, Malayer, Mashhad, and some cities of Hormozgan. In Tehran, the districts of Amanieh, Shahr-Ara, Andisheh, Shahriyar, Haft-howz, Ekbatan, Beheshti, and Sohrevardi were some of the neighborhoods in which Sadeh was celebrated by preparing fire. Some people also gathered in mountains of northern Tehran, and made fire to celebrate Sadeh.
Culture of Iran
Fire in ancient Iranian culture
Iranian festivals
Iranian culture
Zoroastrian calendar
== External links ==Muslims Convert to Zoroastrianism in Sadeh Festival in Holland (Video)
Articles related to Sadeh / Zoroastrian News
News about Zoroastrian ceremonies: World Zoroastrian News Network (WZNN)
Mahtāj Rasouli, The Feast of Fire, in Persian, Jadid Online, 29 January 2010, [1].Mehrāveh Soroushiān, audio slideshow, Jadid Online, 29 January 2010, [2] (4 min 35 sec).
Krasnowolska ,Anna . SADA FESTIVAL – Encyclopaedia Iranica. Encyclopædia Iranica. 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2015-01-27. |
1,053 | 6,367,468 | 0 | Sepandārmazgān | Iran | Sepandārmazgān (Persian: سپندارمذگان) or Espandegān (اسپندگان), is an ancient Iranian day of women with Zoroastrian roots dating back to the first Persian Empire, the Achaemenid Empire.
This day is dedicated to Spənta Ārmaiti (Avestan for Holy Devotion, Spandārmad in Middle Persian, Persian: سپندارمذ Spendārmad or Sepandarmaz), the Amesha Spenta who is given the domain of earth. The date of the festival as observed in the Sassanid era was on the 5th day of the month Spandarmad. When the name of the day and the month of the day were the same, a name-feast celebration was always done.
According to the testimony of al-Biruni, in the 11th century CE there was a festival when the names of the day and the month were the same. The deity Spandarmad protected the Earth and the good, chaste and beneficent wife who loves her husband. According to him, the festival used to be dedicated to women, and men would make them liberal presents, and the custom was still flourishing in some districts of Fahla.
== Barzegaran Festival ==
The jashn-e barzegarán (Festival of Agriculturists), is celebrated in Iran also on the 5th day of Spandarmad month (the Spandarmad day). People pray for good harvest, honor the deity of Earth Spandārmad, and put signs on doors to destroy evil spirits.
The observation of this festival has been revived in modern Iran, where it is mostly set on the 5th day of Esfand in the Solar Hejri calendar introduced in 1925, corresponding to 24 February. The modern festival is a celebration day of love towards mothers and wives.
== Historical festival ==
Descriptions of this festival are given in medieval historiographical sources such as Gardizi, Biruni and Abu al-Hasan al-Mas'udi.
According to Biruni, it was a day where women rested and men had to bring them gifts. In the section about Persian calendar, Biruni writes in The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries that:On the 5th day or Isfahdmah-Roz (day of Isfand), there is a feast on account of the identity of the names of the month and the day. Isfandarmah is charged with the care of the earth and with that the good, chaste, and beneficient wife who loves her husband. In the past times, this was a special feast of the women, when the men used to make them liberal presents. This custom is still flourishing in Ispahan, Ray, and in other districts of Fahla. In Persian it is called Mardgiran.
Furthermore, Biruni notes that on this day, commoners ate raisins and pomegranate seeds.
According to Gardizi, this celebration was special for women, and they called this day also mard-giran (possessing of men).
== Modern revival ==
The revival of the festival dates to the Pahlavi dynasty, advocated by Ebrahim Pourdavoud as Nurses' Day (روز پرستار) in 1962.
The date of the modern festival is on the 5th of Esfand in the Iranian calendar (24 February) due to the reorganization of the calendar, once by Omar Khayyam in the 11th century.
Persian culture
Iranian woman
== Notes == |
1,054 | 4,401,864 | 0 | Tirgan | Iran | Tirgan (Persian: تیرگان, Tirgān), is a early summer ancient Iranian festival, celebrated annually on Tir 13 (July 2, 3, or 4).
It is celebrated by splashing water, dancing, reciting poetry, and serving traditional foods such as spinach soup and sholezard. The custom of tying rainbow-colored bands on wrists, which are worn for ten days and then thrown into a stream, is also a way to rejoice for children.
== Overview ==
Tirgan is an ancient Iranian tradition which is still celebrated in various regions of Iran, including Mazenderan, Khorasan, and Arak. It is widely attested by historians such as Gardezi, Biruni, and Masudi, as well as European travelers during the Safavid era.
The celebration is dedicated to Tishtrya, a Yazata who appeared in the sky to generate thunder and lightning for much needed rain.
Legend says that Arash the Archer was a man chosen to settle a land dispute between the leaders of the lands Iran and Turan. Arash was to loose his arrow, on the 13th day of Tir, and where the arrow landed, would lie the border between the two kingdoms. Turan had suffered from the lack of rain, and Iran rejoiced at the settlement of the borders, then rain poured onto the two countries and there was peace between them.
It is stated in Biruni's chronology that by the order of God, the wind bore the arrow away from the mountains of Amol and brought the utmost frontier of Khorasan between Fergana and Tapuria. Gardizi has given a similar description, although he notes that the arrow of Arash fell in the area between Fargana and Bactria.
== Ceremony ==
Tirgan is celebrated every year in Mazandaran Province and Amol in northern Iran, the capital Tehran, Karaj, and the central and southern cities of Yazd, Meybod, Ardakan, Kerman, Bam, Shiraz, Isfahan, Ahvaz, and Farahan. Iranians of the Zoroastrian faith also celebrate this outside Iran, in Europe and the US.
Tirgan Festival
Summer solstice
== Notes == |
1,055 | 12,084,606 | 0 | Yaldā Night | Iran | Yaldā Night (Persian: شب یلدا shab-e yalda) or Chelle Night (also Chellah Night, Persian: شب چلّه shab-e chelle) is an ancient festival in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Dagestan and Turkey that is celebrated on the winter solstice. This corresponds to the night of December 20/21 (±1) in the Gregorian calendar, and to the night between the last day of the ninth month (Azar) and the first day of the tenth month (Dey) of the Iranian solar calendar.
The festival is celebrated in Iran and the regions of greater Iran, including Azerbaijan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Balochi areas, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The longest and darkest night of the year is a time when friends and family gather together to eat, drink and read poetry (especially Hafez) and Shahnameh until well after midnight. Fruits and nuts are eaten and pomegranates and watermelons are particularly significant. The red color in these fruits symbolizes the crimson hues of dawn and the glow of life. The poems of Divan-e Hafez, which can be found in the bookcases of most Iranian families, are read or recited on various occasions such as this festival and Nowruz. Shab-e Yalda was officially added to Iran's List of National Treasures in a special ceremony in 2008.
== Names ==
The longest and darkest night of the year marks the night opening the initial forty-day period of the three-month winter, from which the name Chelleh, fortieth, derives. There are all together three 40-day periods, one in summer, and two in winter. The two winter periods are known as the great Chelleh period (1 Day to 11 Bahman, 40 full days), followed/overlapped by the small Chelleh period (10 Bahman to 30 Bahman, 20 days + 20 nights = 40 nights and days). Shab-e Chelleh is the night opening the big Chelleh period, that is the night between the last day of autumn and the first day of winter. The other name of the festival, 'Yaldā', is ultimately borrowing from Syriac-speaking Christians. According to Dehkhoda, Yalda is a Syriac word meaning birthday, and because people have adapted Yalda night with the nativity of Messiah, it's called the name; however, the celebration of Christmas (Noël) established on December 25, is set as the birthday of Jesus. Yalda is the beginning of winter and the last night of autumn, and it is the longest night of the year. In the first century, significant numbers of Eastern Christians were settled in Parthian and Sasanian territories, where they had received protection from religious persecution. Through them, Iranians (i.e. Parthians, Persians etc.) came in contact with Christian religious observances, including, it seems, Nestorian Christian Yalda, which in Syriac (a Middle Aramaic dialect) literally means birth but in a religious context was also the Syriac Christian proper name for Christmas, and which—because it fell nine months after Annunciation—was celebrated on eve of the winter solstice. The Christian festival's name passed to the non-Christian neighbors and although it is not clear when and where the Syriac term was borrowed into Persian, gradually 'Shab-e Yalda' and 'Shab-e Chelleh' became synonymous and the two are used interchangeably.
== History ==
Yalda Night was one of the holy nights in ancient Iran and included in the official calendar of the Iranian Achaemenid Empire from at least 502 BC under Darius I. Many of its modern festivities and customs remain unchanged from this period.
Ancient peoples such as the Aryans and Indo-Europeans were well attuned to natural phenomena such as the changing of seasons, as their daily activities were dictated by the availability of sunlight, while their crops were impacted by climate and weather. They found that the shortest days are the last days of autumn and the first night of winter, and that immediately after, the days gradually become longer and the nights shorter. As such, the winter solstice, as the longest night, was called The night of sun’s birth (Mehr) and considered to mark the beginning of the year.
== The Iranian calendar ==
The Iranian (Persian) calendar was founded and framed by Hakim Omar Khayyam.
The history of Persian calendars initially points back to the time when the region of modern-day Persia celebrated their new years according to the Zoroastrian calendar. As Zoroastrianism was then the main religion in the region, their years consisted of Exactly 365 days, distributed among twelve months of 30 days each plus five special month less days, known popularly as the ‘stolen ones’, or, in religious parlance, as the ‘five Gatha Days'.
Before the creation of the Solar Hijri calendar, the Jalali calendar was put in place through the order of Sulṭān Jalāl al-Dīn Malikshāh-i Saljūqī in the 5th c. A.H. According to the Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, “After the death of Yazdigird III (the last king of the Sassanid dynasty), the Yazdigirdī Calendar, as a solar one, gradually lost its position, and the Hijrī Calendar replaced it”.
Yalda Night is celebrated on the winter solstice, the longest and darkest night of the year.
== Customs and traditions ==
In Zoroastrian tradition the longest and darkest night of the year was a particularly inauspicious day, and the practices of what is now known as Shab-e Chelleh/Yalda were originally customs intended to protect people from evil (see dews) during that long night, at which time the evil forces of Ahriman were imagined to be at their peak. People were advised to stay awake most of the night, lest misfortune should befall them, and people would then gather in the safety of groups of friends and relatives, share the last remaining fruits from the summer, and find ways to pass the long night together in good company. The next day (i.e. the first day of Dae month) was then a day of celebration, and (at least in the 10th century, as recorded by Al-Biruni), the festival of the first day of Dae month was known as Ḵorram-ruz (joyful day) or Navad-ruz (ninety days [left to Nowruz]). Although the religious significance of the long dark night has been lost, the old traditions of staying up late in the company of friends and family have been retained in Iranian culture to the present day.
References to other older festivals held around the winter solstice are known from both Middle Persian texts as well as texts of the early Islamic period. In the 10th century, Al-Biruni mentions the mid-year festival (Maidyarem Gahanbar) that ran from 11-15 Dae. This festival is generally assumed to have been originally on the winter solstice, and which gradually shifted through the introduction of intercalation.cf. Al-Biruni also records an Adar Jashan festival of fire celebrated on the intersection of Adar day (9th) of Adar month (9th), which is the last autumn month. This was probably the same as the fire festival called Shahrevaragan (Shahrivar day of Shahrivar month), which marked the beginning of winter in Tokarestan. In 1979, journalist Hashem Razi theorized that Mehregan — the day-name festival of Mithra that in pre-Islamic times was celebrated on the autumn equinox and is today still celebrated in the autumn — had in early Islamic times shifted to the winter solstice. Razi based his hypothesis on the fact that some of the poetry of the early Islamic era refers to Mihragan in connection with snow and cold. Razi's theory has a significant following on the Internet, but while Razi's documentation has been academically accepted, his adduction has not. Sufism's Chella, which is a 40-day period of retreat and fasting, is also unrelated to winter solstice festival.
Food plays a central role in the present-day form of the celebrations. In most parts of Iran the extended family come together and enjoy a fine dinner. A wide variety of fruits and sweetmeats specifically prepared or kept for this night are served. Foods common to the celebration include watermelon, pomegranate, nuts, and dried fruit. These items and more are commonly placed on a korsi, which people sit around. In some areas it is custom that forty varieties of edibles should be served during the ceremony of the night of Chelleh.
Light-hearted superstitions run high on the night of Chelleh. These superstitions, however, are primarily associated with consumption. For instance, it is believed that consuming watermelons on the night of Chelleh will ensure the health and well-being of the individual during the months of summer by protecting him from falling victim to excessive heat or disease produced by hot humors. In Khorasan, there is a belief that whoever eats carrots, pears, pomegranates, and green olives will be protected against the harmful bite of insects, especially scorpions. Eating garlic on this night protects one against pains in the joints.
In khorasan, one of the attractive ceremony was and still is preparing Kafbikh a kind of traditional Iranian sweet is made in Khorasan, specially in the cities of Gonabad and Birjand. This is made for Yalda.
After dinner the older individuals entertain the others by telling them tales and anecdotes. Another favorite and prevalent pastime of the night of Chelleh is fāl-e Ḥāfeẓ, which is divination using the Dīvān of Hafez (i.e. bibliomancy). It is believed that one should not divine by the Dīvān of Hafez more than three times, however, or the poet may get angry.
Activities common to the festival include staying up past midnight, conversation, drinking, reading poems out loud, telling stories and jokes, and, for some, dancing. Prior to the invention and prevalence of electricity, decorating and lighting the house and yard with candles was also part of the tradition, but few have continued this tradition. Another tradition is giving dried fruits and nuts and gift to family and friends specially to the bride, wrapped in tulle and tied with ribbon (similar to wedding and shower party favors) in khorasan giving gift to the bride was obligatory.
== In film ==
The storyline of the 2019 Iranian film Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness is based on an actual top-rating Iranian reality television show which was actually aired during Ramadan, but which in the film, under dramatic licence, is aired on Yalda night. In the film, a young woman convicted of murder pleads for the daughter of the victim to grant her forgiveness and save her from the death penalty.
== Gallery ==
Dongzhi (solar term)
Hanukkah
Mehregan
Nowruz
== Footnotes ==
=== Group 1 ===
=== Group 2 ===
== External links ==
Media related to Yalda night at Wikimedia Commons
Čella at Encyclopædia Iranica
Article about Yalda night on Irpersiatour website |
1,079 | 15,566,246 | 0 | Festivals in Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka, having a history as long as many ancient civilizations, positioned at the crossroads of the East and the West, and being a multicultural society, celebrates a wide variety of festivals, ceremonies and events.
Every year on or about April 13 Sinhalese and Tamil people celebrate
Sinhalese and Tamil New Year Festival, Muslims celebrate Mawlid, fast during the Islamic month Ramadan and celebrate at the end of the month with the festival which is (Eid al-Fitr) and (Eid al-Adha) is celebrated on the final month of the Islamic calendar known as Dhu al-Hijjah. Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas. Esala Perahera (A-suh-luh peh-ruh-ha-ruh) is a grand festival in the month of Esala held in Sri Lanka. Happening in July or August in Kandy, it has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist festival consisting of dances and richly decorated elephants. There are fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandyan dances and various other cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments. The festival ends with the traditional 'diya-kepeema'. The elephant is paraded around the city carrying a casket venerated by Buddhists as bearing the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
== Festivals and events by Gregorian calendar dates ==
(This order may differ from year to year due astrological and astronomical reasons)
=== January ===
January - Duruthu Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
January - The Initial Aluth Sahal Mangallaya (New Rice Festival) at the Temple of the Tooth; - (Customary/Sinhalese/Agriculture related)
January - Patti Pongal - (Religious/Hindu/Agriculture related)
January - Patti Kiri Ithirima - (Customary/Sinhalese/Agriculture related)
=== February ===
February - The National Day (Independence Day) - (Customary/Political/Commemorating the Political Freedom attained from the British Empire)
February - Navam Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
=== March ===
March - Maha Shivaratri - (Religious/Hindu)
March - Mawlid - (Religious/Islam)
March - Medin Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
=== April ===
April - Day Prior to Sinhalese and Tamil New Year - (Religious/Customary/Buddhist/Hindu/Sinhalese/Agriculture related/Astrology related)
April - Sinhalese and Tamil New Year - (Religious/Customary/Buddhist/Hindu/Sinhalese/Agriculture related/Astrology related)
April - National herbal oil ceremony - (Customary/Buddhist/Sinhalese/Astrology related)
April - Bak Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
April - Good Friday - (Religious/Catholic/Christian)
April - Easter - (Religious/Catholic/Christian)
=== May ===
May - May Day - (Customary/Political)
May - Watching the new moon for the new Solar year - (Customary/Astrology related)
May - Vesak Full Moon Poya (Vesak) - (Religious/Buddhist)
=== June ===
June - Poson Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
June - Ramadan (Eid al-Fitr) (Religious/Muslim)
=== July ===
July - Esala Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
=== August ===
August - Nikini Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
August - Esala Perahera - (Customary/Religious/Political/Buddhist/Hindu/Sinhalese)
=== September ===
September - Binara Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
=== October ===
October - Vap Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
October - Diwali - (Religious/Hindu)
=== November ===
November - Il Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
Hajj (Eid al-Adha) - (Religious/Islam)
=== December ===
December - Unduvap Full Moon Poya - (Religious/Buddhist)
December - Christmas - (Religious/Catholic/Christian) |
1,080 | 57,336,797 | 0 | Abhimani Film Festival | Sri Lanka | Abhimani Film Festival, also known as Celluloid Rainbows, is an annual LGBTIQ film festival held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was established in 2006, and is the only LGBTIQ film festival in Sri Lanka. The 2018 Festival begins on 18 June 2018.
== Background ==
The Abhimani Film Festival (formally known as Celluloid Rainbows), screens local and international feature and short length movies from around the world. It is the oldest LGBT Film Festival in the South Asian region and the only LGBT Film Festival in Sri Lanka. Abhimani also aims to educate all communities on daily issues faced by LGBT people.
List of LGBT events
List of LGBT film festivals
&PROUD, Yangon, Myanmar
Bangalore Queer Film Festival, India
Chennai International Queer Film Festival, India
KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, India
== External links ==
Official webpage |
1,081 | 38,614,548 | 0 | ABU Radio Song Festival 2014 | Sri Lanka | The ABU Radio Song Festival 2014 was the second edition of the biennial ABU Radio Song Festivals, organised by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). The festival took place on 23 May 2014 in the Sri Lankan city of Colombo. The Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre was originally chosen as the host venue, but was later moved to the Stein Studios. Twelve countries participated the song festival. The festival was to be originally hosted by ABC Australia however for unknown reasons this did not occur.
== Location ==Colombo is the largest city and the commercial, industrial and cultural capital of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte suburb or the parliament capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is also the administrative capital of Western Province, Sri Lanka and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo. Colombo is a busy and vibrant place with a mixture of modern life and colonial buildings and ruins with a population of about 752,993 in the city limits. It was the political capital of Sri Lanka, before Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte.
The original venue selected to host the festival was the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, in Colombo. The theatre is equipped with ultra modern facilities such as an auditorium with 1,288 seats, a library, and training facilities.
On 21 March 2014, ABU announced Stein Studios would be the new venue for this year's edition. Its Founders Block studio is over 15,600sq ft (1500 sq m) in area and can turn into a 2000-seat theater.
== Format ==
Unlike the format used in the Eurovision Song Contest there are two versions of the Song Festivals, ABU Radio and ABU TV Song Festivals. The ABU Radio Song Festival which took place on 23 May 2014 coincided with the Radio Asia 2014 event that took place between 22–24 May 2014.
== Participating countries ==
A total of 12 countries took part in this years festival. Host country Sri Lanka, who withdrew prior to the inaugural 2012 festival, and Thailand made their debut at the radio song festival whilst Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Vanuatu and Vietnam withdrew from the radio festival this year.
Unlike the 2012 festival, this year's festival had no awards presented to the top five acts. The festival organiser's presented 'Tokens of Appreciation' to the performers as a sign of recognition of the diverse range of musical genre.
=== Order of performance ===
=== Did not qualify ===
Of the sixteen preliminary entries, twelve were selected to proceed to the final of the ABU Radio Song Festival. The remaining four did not qualify (as shown in the following table)
== Other countries ==
Bhutan – On 30 December 2013, the station manager of Centennial Radio confirmed to Eurovoix.com that they would not be taking part in the 2014 contest.
ABU Song Festivals
ABU TV Song Festival 2014
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Eurovision Young Musicians 2014
Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014
== External links ==
Official website of ABU Radio Song Festival |
1,082 | 76,665,167 | 0 | Colombo Pride | Sri Lanka | Colombo Pride is an annual LGBTQ+ pride celebration held in Sri Lanka, chiefly hosted by Equal Ground, along with other queer rights advocacy groups since 2005. Although being mostly unpopular during the 2010s, the post COVID-19 period and subsequent socio-political crises paved the way for a larger, week-long celebration in 2022, with a three-day film festival titled Abhimani, a music and dance festival, competitions and related events.
It was recorded that in the first event held in 2005, 350 people had attended, and participation has increased ever since, with the movement gaining much recognition, praise and support, and being headlined in both local and international media outlets. The newspaper Ceylon Today describes the event as a week-long joyous celebration with a variety of events full of color, music and diversity.
Abhimani Queer Film Festival
Equal Ground
LGBT rights in Sri Lanka
Sexual minorities in Sri Lanka |
1,083 | 64,703,416 | 0 | Disrupt Asia | Sri Lanka | null |
1,084 | 1,352,324 | 0 | Esala Mangallaya | Sri Lanka | The Esala Mangallaya is a Sinhalese festival celebrated in the month of Esala, a month in the Sinhalese calendar which occurs during July and August in the Gregorian calendar. The most famous being the Esala Perahera.
Esala Perahera |
1,085 | 34,383,821 | 0 | Galle Literary Festival | Sri Lanka | Galle Literary Festival is an international literary festival held annually in the beautiful south coastal fort town of Galle, Sri Lanka. In recent years the profile of the festival has increased substantially, with attendance by many internationally acclaimed and well-known authors and speakers.
In 2024 the title sponsor of the festival was Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
== History ==
The festival was founded in 2007 by Anglo-Australian hotelier Geoffrey Dobbs with an ambition to promote the boutique tourism industry in Sri Lanka as well as to bench mark Sri Lankan authors alongside internationally recognised authors.
There were an operational setbacks in 2013 resulting in a brief hiatus until 2017 and then once again from 2020 - 2023 due to COVID and funding restrictions. 2025 will be the 12th edition of Galle Literary Festival.
The festival is now one of the leading cultural festivals in South Asia has expanded its remit to include an art trail, gourmet programme, comedy, music and entertainment. In 2024 the festival received recognition for its diversity and openness to spotlighting sensitive issues of the day
== Past Speakers ==
Galle Literary Festival has featured many notable international, diaspora and local authors over the years including Tom Stoppard, Shehan Karunatilaka, Michael Morpurgo, Julian Barnes Richard Dawkins, Simon Sebag Montefiore, David Thompson, Sashi Tharoor, Shyam Selvadurai, Romesh Gunasekera, Dame Maggie Smith, Richard Flanagan, Siddharth Dasgupta, Ashok Ferrey, Ameena Hussein, DBC Pierre and Tishani Doshi.
In 2024 headliners included Mary Beard, Shehan Karunatilaka, Sebastian Faulks, Christina Lamb, Anthony Horowitz and Alexander McCall Smith.
Other past events included:
A talk from Dame Maggie Smith
Cabaret from Dillie Keane
Fashion show by Beatrice von Tresckow
Photo exhibition by Chris Dawes
Music from Bangladeshi fusion band Chirkutt
== Gourmet Galle ==
Since its inception, Galle Literary Festival has invited international chefs from around the world to host intimate author dinners. Building on the success of these events, Gourmet Galle was introduced in 2024. The Gourmet Galle programme invites a different international chef every weekend from Jan - March to host a dinner and a masterclass. Events are held at boutique hotels along the coast from Hikkaduwa to Tangalle.
The 2024 chef lineup included James Lowe (Lyle's, London), O Tama Carey (Lanka Food), Jeremy Lee, Cynthia Shanmugalingam (Rambutan restaurant & cookbook), Karan Gokani (Hoppers, London), Mark Hix, Rishi Naleendra (Cloud Kitchen, SG), Paul Flynn (Tannery Restaurant), Mandy Yin (Sambal Shiok) and Peter Kuruvita
== External links ==
Galle Literary Festival
Festival programme
Gourmet Galle |
1,086 | 464,479 | 0 | Ghost Festival | Sri Lanka | The Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival in Taoism and the Yulanpen Festival in Buddhism, is a traditional festival held in certain East and Southeast Asian countries. According to the Chinese calendar (a lunisolar calendar), the Ghost Festival is on the 15th night of the seventh month (14th in parts of southern China).: 4, 6
In Chinese culture, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day or (especially in Taiwan) Pudu (Chinese: 普渡; pinyin: Pǔdù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Phó͘-tō͘) and the seventh month is generally regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm (diyu or preta). Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (or Tomb Sweeping Day, in spring) and Double Ninth Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, during Ghost Festival, the deceased are believed to visit the living.
On the fifteenth day the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Intrinsic to the Ghost Month is veneration of the dead, where traditionally the filial piety of descendants extends to their ancestors even after their deaths. Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold, and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Elaborate meals (often vegetarian) would be served with empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. Ancestor worship is what distinguishes Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival because the latter includes paying respects to all deceased, including the same and younger generations, while the former only includes older generations. Other festivities may include buying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.
== Origins ==The name relates to the concept of the hungry ghost, the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. It plays a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion, and represents beings who were originally living people, who have died, and who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way.
As a Taoist festival: Taoism has the Three Yuan theory (representing the Three Great Emperor-Officials), which the name Zhong Yuan comes from.: 195–196 The festival flourished during the Tang dynasty, whose rulers were partial to Taoism; and Zhongyuan became well established as the holiday's name.
As a Buddhist festival: The origin story of the modern Ghost Festival, ultimately originated from ancient India, deriving from the Mahayana scripture known as the Yulanpen or Ullambana Sutra.: 301, 302 The sutra records the time when Maudgalyāyana achieves abhijñā and uses his newfound powers to search for his deceased parents. Maudgalyayana discovers that his deceased mother was reborn into the preta or hungry ghost realm. She was in a wasted condition and Maudgalyayana tried to help her by giving her a bowl of rice. Unfortunately as a preta, she was unable to eat the rice as it was transformed into burning coal. Maudgalyayana then asks the Buddha to help him; whereupon Buddha explains how one is able to assist one's current parents and deceased parents in this life and in one's past seven lives by willingly offering food, etc., to the sangha or monastic community during Pravarana (the end of the monsoon season or vassa), which usually occurs on the 15th day of the seventh month whereby the monastic community transfers the merits to the deceased parents, etc.,: 185 : 293 : 286
The Theravadan forms of the festival in South and Southeast Asia (including Cambodia's Pchum Ben) are much older, deriving from the Petavatthu, a scripture in the Pali Canon that probably dates to the 3rd century BC. The Petavatthu account is broadly similar to that later recorded in the Yulanpen Sutra, although it concerns the disciple Sāriputta and his family rather than Moggallāna.
== Observance ==The Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. It also falls at the same time as a full moon, the new season, the fall harvest, the peak of Buddhist monastic asceticism, the rebirth of ancestors, and the assembly of the local community. During this month, the gates of hell are opened up and ghosts are free to roam the earth where they seek food and entertainment. These ghosts are believed to be spirits of those without descendants (or, traditionally, without descendants in the male line) or whose descendants did not pay tribute to them after they died. They are desperately hungry, thirsty, and restless as a result. Family members offer food and drink to the ghosts and burn hell bank notes and other forms of joss paper. Joss paper items are believed to have value in the afterlife, considered to be very similar in some aspects to the material world. Families pay tribute to wandering ghosts of strangers so that these homeless souls do not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune. A large feast is held for the ghosts on the day of the ghost festival or thereabouts, when people bring samples of food and place them on an altar or outside a temple or house, to please the ghosts and ward off bad luck.: 196–197 Lotus-shaped lanterns are lit and set afloat in rivers to symbolically guide lost souls to the afterlife.
In some East Asian countries today, live performances are held and everyone is invited to attend. The first row of seats are always empty as this is where the ghosts sit. The shows are always put on at night and at high volumes as the sound is believed to attract and please the ghosts. Some shows include Chinese opera, dramas, and in some areas, even burlesque shows. Traditionally Chinese opera was the main source of entertainment but the newer shows, concerts, dramas, wars, and so forth are referred to as Getai. These acts are better known as Merry-making.
For rituals, Buddhists and Taoists hold ceremonies to relieve ghosts from suffering, many of them holding ceremonies in the afternoon or at night (as it is believed that the ghosts are released from hell when the sun sets). Altars are built for the deceased and priests and monks alike perform rituals for the benefit of ghosts. Monks and priests often throw rice or other small foods into the air in all directions to distribute them to the ghosts.
During the evening, incense is burnt in front of the doors of households. Incense stands for prosperity in Chinese culture, so families believe that there is more prosperity in burning more incense. During the festival, some shops are closed as they want to leave the streets open for the ghosts. In the middle of each street stands an altar of incense with fresh fruit and sacrifices displayed on it.
Fourteen days after the festival, to make sure all the hungry ghosts find their way back to hell, people float water lanterns and set them outside their houses. These lanterns are made by setting a lotus flower-shaped lantern on a paper boat. The lanterns are used to direct the ghosts back to the underworld, and when they go out, it symbolizes that they have found their way back.
== Celebrations in other parts of Asia ==
=== Singapore and Malaysia ===
Concert-like performances are a prominent feature of the Ghost Festival in Singapore and Malaysia. Those live concerts are popularly known as Getai in Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 歌台; traditional Chinese: 歌臺; pinyin: gētái) or Koh-tai (Hokkien Chinese: 歌臺; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko-tâi). They are performed by groups of singers, dancers, entertainers, and opera troops or puppet shows on a temporary stage that is set up within a residential district. The festival is funded by the residents of each individual district. During these Getai the front row is left empty for the special guests—the ghosts. It is known to be bad luck to sit on the front row of red seats, if anyone were to sit on them, they would become sick or similarly ailed.
=== Indonesia ===
In Indonesia, the festival is popularly known as Chit Gwee Pua (Hokkien Chinese: 七月半; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chhit-goe̍h-pòaⁿ) or Chit Nyiat Pan (Hakka Chinese: 七月半; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ:Chhit-ngie̍t-pan), Cioko, or Sembahyang Rebutan in Indonesian (Scrambling prayer). Observers gather around temples and bring an offering to a spirit who died in an unlucky way, and after that, they distribute it to the poor. The way people scramble the offerings is the origin of the festival name, and the festival is mostly known in Java Island. Other areas like North Sumatra, Riau, and Riau islands also conduct live concerts known as Getai (Mandarin simplified Chinese: 歌台; traditional Chinese: 歌臺; pinyin: gētái) like those in Malaysia and Singapore, and there are also times when observers conduct Tomb sweeping known as Sembahyang Kubur to respect ancestor spirits and garner luck. This is done by buying hell notes or Kim Cua (Hokkien Chinese: 金紙; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kim-chóa) and paper-based goods like paper house, paper horse, paper car, etc., which will end up being burned as it is believed that burned goods will be sent to help the spirits feel better in afterlife.
=== Philippines ===
In the Philippines, the occasion is more popularly known as Ghost Month, as it affects the entire seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar around August to September. The month-long observances are mostly traditionally practiced and originated by Chinese Filipinos which its observance has since spread to other Filipinos that have become aware of it, since it reverberates economically through the stock market as a sizable amount of investors stop investing and put off their investments for later dates past the occasion. Generally, those who observe it find it to be a very unlucky time of the year, as traditional belief states that the souls of dead relatives, wandering souls or vengeful spirits roam the earth during the month-long occasion. This means that practitioners take extra precautions and caution others of making important decisions when it comes to relationships, professions, businesses, and finances. People avoid practices like, making life-changing decisions, getting married or engaged, starting new businesses, moving to a new home, traveling, signing contracts, making impulsive major financial decisions, committing to big professional projects, inaugurations, buying or selling off high priced possessions such as cars, phones, or real estate properties, staying late out at night especially kids and elderlies, making noise or whistling at night, leaving food or hanging clothes out after sunset and leaving them overnight since their human-like shape may invite spirits, or even taking pictures at night, wearing black clothes, tapping people on the head or shoulders as it may affect their luck, picking up coins or strange items you find since these may belong to the dead, or even constantly talking to oneself, or going to cemeteries alone, or answering unknown whispers or sobbing, or being constantly close to bodies of water, or constantly talking about ghosts or death. Besides these many avoidances, practitioners also make offerings and prayers for the souls of the dead, such as burning spirit money, lighting incense, and laying out food like fruits and drinks on home or temple altars or cemetery tombs or graves or mausoleums of deceased relatives that people during this month also start to visit. Some people also start to hold memorial services to deceased relatives or ancestors held either at home or at a Chinese temple, a church or funeral home.
=== Taiwan ===
Traditionally, it is believed that ghosts haunt the island of Taiwan for the entire seventh lunar month, when the mid-summer Ghost Festival is held. The month is known as Ghost Month. The first day of the month is marked by opening the gate of a temple, symbolizing the gates of hell. On the twelfth day, lamps on the main altar are lit. On the thirteenth day, a procession of lanterns is held. On the fourteenth day, a parade is held for releasing water lanterns. Incense and food are offered to the spirits to deter them from visiting homes and spirit paper money is also burnt as an offering. During the month, people avoid surgery, buying cars, swimming, moving house, marrying, whistling, and going out or taking pictures after dark.
=== Vietnam ===This festival is known as Tết Trung Nguyên and is viewed as a time for the pardoning of condemned souls who are released from hell. The homeless should be fed and appeased with offerings of food. Merits for the living are also earned by the release of birds and fish. The lunar month in which the festival takes place is colloquially known as Tháng Cô Hồn - the month of lonely spirits, and believed to be haunted and particularly unlucky.Influenced by Buddhism, this holiday coincides with Vu Lan, the Vietnamese transliteration for Ullambana.
In modern times, Vu Lan is also seen as Parents' Day. People with living parents would bear a red rose and would give thanks while those without can choose to bear a white rose; and attend services to pray for the deceased.
=== Related Buddhist traditions in other parts of Asia ===
In Asian Theravadin Buddhist countries, related traditions, ceremonies, and festivals also occur. Like its Ullambana Sutra-origins in Mahayana Buddhist countries, the Theravada scripture, the Petavatthu gave rise to the idea of offering food to the hungry ghosts in the Theravada tradition as a form of merit-making. In stories published in the Petavatthu Maudgalyayana, who also plays the central role in the rise of the concept in the Mahayana tradition, along with Sariputta also play a role in the rise of the concept in the Theravada tradition. Similarly to the rise of the concept in Mahayana Buddhism, a version of Maudgalyayana Rescues His Mother, where Maudgalyayana is replaced by Sariputta is recorded in the Petavatthu and is in part the basis behind the practice of the concept in Theravadin societies. The concept of offering food to the hungry ghosts is also found in early Buddhist literature, in the Tirokudda Kanda.
==== Cambodia ====In Cambodia, a fifteen-day-long annual festival known as Pchum Ben occurs generally in September or October. Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives up to seven generations. The gates of hell are believed to open during this period and many people make offerings to these hungry ghosts.
==== Laos ====
In Laos, a festival known as, Boun khao padap din usually occurs in September each year and goes on for two weeks. During this period, it is believed that hungry ghosts are freed from hell and enter the world of the living. A second festival known as Boun khao salak occurs directly after the conclusion of Boun khay padab din. During this period, food offerings are made to the hungry ghosts.
==== Sri Lanka ====
In Sri Lanka, food offerings are made to the hungry ghosts on the seventh day, three months and one year after the death day of a deceased person. It is a ceremony conducted after death as part of traditional Sri Lankan Buddhist funeral rites and is known as mataka dānēs or matakadānaya. The offerings that are made acquire merit which are then transformed back into the equivalent goods in the world of the hungry ghosts. The offering that is offered on the seventh day, comes a day after personalized food offerings are given in the garden to the spirit of the deceased relative, which occurs on the sixth day. The deceased who do not reach the proper afterworld, the Hungry Ghost realm, are feared by the living as they are believed to cause various sicknesses and disasters to the living. Buddhist monks are called upon to perform pirit to ward off the floating spirits. The rite is also practiced in Thailand and Myanmar and is also practiced during the Ghost Festival that is observed in other Asian countries.
==== Thailand ====In Thailand, a fifteen-day-long annual festival known as Sat Thai is celebrated between September and October in Thailand especially in southern Thailand, particularly in the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Like related festivals and traditions in other parts of Asia, the deceased are believed to come back to earth for fifteen days and people make offerings to them. The festival is known as Sat Thai to differentiate it from the Chinese Ghost Festival which is known as Sat Chin in the Thai language.
==== Japan ====
===== Chūgen =====
Chūgen (中元), also Ochūgen (お中元), is an annual event in Japan on the 15th day of the 7th month, when people give gifts, especially to their superiors. Originally it was an annual event for giving gifts to the ancestral spirits.
One of the three days that form the sangen (三元) of Daoism, it is sometimes considered a zassetsu, a type of seasonal day in the Japanese calendar.
===== Bon =====Obon (sometimes transliterated O-bon), or simply Bon, is the Japanese version of the Ghost Festival. It has since been transformed over time into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean the resting places of their ancestors.
Traditionally including a dance called Bon Odori, Obon has existed in Japan for more than 500 years. In modern Japan, it is held on July 15 in the eastern part (Kantō) and on August 15 in the western part (Kansai). In Okinawa and the Amami Islands, it is celebrated as in China, on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. In 2019, Obon was held on the same date in Kansai, Okinawa, and the Amami Islands, as August 15 on that year, was also the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.
=== Related Hindu traditions in other parts of Asia ===
==== India ====The performance of Shraddha by a son during Pitru Paksha is regarded as compulsory by Hindus, to ensure that the soul of the ancestor goes to heaven. In this context, the scripture Garuda Purana says, there is no salvation for a man without a son. The scriptures preach that a householder should propitiate ancestors (Pitris), along with the gods (devas), ghosts (bhutas), and guests. The scripture Markandeya Purana says that if the ancestors are content with the shraddhas, they will bestow health, wealth, knowledge and longevity, and ultimately heaven and salvation (moksha) upon the performer.
==== Indonesia ====
In Bali and some parts of Indonesia, particularly among the indigenous Hindus of Indonesia, ancestors who have died and cremated are said to return to visit their former homes. This day is known as Hari Raya Galungan and celebrations typically last over two weeks, often in the form of specific food and religious offerings along with festivities. The festival date is often calculated according to the Balinese pawukon calendar and typically occurs every 210 days.
All Souls' Day
Buddhist art
Chinese ghosts
Lantern Festival
Nine Emperor God / Festival of Nine Emperor God (Chinese: 九皇, Hokkien: Kow Ong Yah, Cantonese: Kow Wong Yeh)
Phi Ta Khon
Tōrō nagashi
== Notes on references ==
== General and cited bibliography ==
Bandō, Shōjun, ed. (2005), The Ullambana Sutra (Taishō Vol. 16, No. 685), Apocryphal Scriptures (PDF), Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai English Tripitaka Series, Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, pp. 17–44, ISBN 978-1-886439-29-0, archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2013.
Chow, Shu Kai (周樹佳) (2015), 鬼月鉤沉-中元、盂蘭、餓鬼節 [Investigation of Ghost Month - Zhong Yuan, Ullambana and Hungry Ghost Festivals] (in Traditional Chinese), Hong Kong: Chung Hwa Books (Hong Kong), ISBN 9789888366392
Langer, Rita (2007), Buddhist Rituals of Death and Rebirth: Contemporary Sri Lankan Practice and Its Origins, Abingdon: Routledge, ISBN 9781134158720.
Karashima, Seishi (2013a), The Meaning of Yulanpen 盂蘭盆 Rice Bowl On Pravāraṇā Day, Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advance Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 2012, XVI: 289–305
Karashima, Seishi (辛嶋静志) (2013b), 「盂蘭盆」の本当の意味 ―千四百間の誤解を解く [The Real Meaning of Urabon [Yulanpen] –The Solution to a 1400 Year Misunderstanding], 大法輪 (The Great Wheel of the Dharma) (in Japanese): 182–189{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Karashima, Seishi (辛嶋静志)(in Chinese as 辛島靜志) (2014), 盂蘭盆之意-自恣日的“飯鉢” [The Meaning of Yulanpen 盂蘭盆 Rice Bowl On Pravāraṇā Day], 中華文史論叢 (Journal of Chinese Literature and History) (in Traditional Chinese) (114), translated by Qiu, Yun Qing (裘雲青): 279–301{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Mair, Victor H. (1989), T'ang Transformation Texts, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, ISBN 9780674868151.
Teiser, Stephen F. (1988), The Ghost Festival in Medieval China, Princeton: Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-02677-0.
== External links ==The Bristol University Buddhist Death Ritual Project Images and a documentary film by Ingmar Heise and Han Zhang The Spirit's Happy Days: Buddhist Festivals for the Dead in Southeast China can be downloaded there.
Zhong Yuan Jie (Hungry Ghost Festival) - INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Zhongyuan Festival
Chinese Ghost Culture
Hong Kong University Library Digital Archives Oral History Project of Hong Kong
Waters, Dan (2004). The Hungry Ghosts Festival in Aberdeen Street, Hong Kong (PDF). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch. 44: 41–55. |
1,088 | 7,228,707 | 0 | Sinhalese New Year | Sri Lanka | Sinhalese New Year, generally known as Aluth Avurudda (Sinhala: අලුත් අවුරුද්ද) in Sri Lanka, is a Sri Lankan holiday that celebrates the traditional New Year of the Sinhalese people and Tamil population of Sri Lanka. It is a major anniversary celebrated by not only the Sinhalese and Tamil people but by most Sri Lankans. The timing of the Sinhala Tamil New Year coincides with the new year celebrations of many traditional calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The festival has close semblance to the Tamil New year and other South and Southeast Asian New Years. It is a public holiday in Sri Lanka (02 Public Holidays - Normally Shops Close for Around One Week Following the New Year). It is generally celebrated on 13 April or 14 April and traditionally begins at the sighting of the new moon.
According to Sinhalese astrology, New Year begins when the sun transitions from Meena Rashiya (the house of Pisces) to Mesha Rashiya (the house of Aries). It also marks the end of the harvest season and of spring.
== History ==
Cultural anthropological history of the 'Traditional New Year' which is celebrated in the month of April, goes back to an ancient period in Sri Lankan history. People think that the celebration of the new year is the change of thoughts too. Various beliefs, perhaps those associated with the fertility of the harvest, gave birth to many rituals, customs, and ceremonies connected with the New Year. The advent of Buddhism in the 3rd century BC led to a re-interpretation of the existing New Year activities in the Buddhism light. The majority of the people in the country are Buddhists, and as such, the Buddhistic outlook was predominant in transforming the New Year rites to what they are now.
Hinduism, on the other hand, existed side by side with Buddhism, in medieval times. New Year practices interpreted in the Hinduism way developed among the Hindus. Buddhism and Hinduism were historically connected with each other. Their philosophies were running along parallel dimensions, except for certain ultimate truths concerning the self, the way to achieve emancipation and the nature of a creative god (which Buddhism denies) and nirvana. There was no serious contradiction in New Year rituals that are found among the Buddhists and Hindus.
The mythological backdrop of the New Year is probably based on Hindu literature. The Prince of Peace called Indradeva descends upon the earth to ensure peace and happiness. He comes in a white carriage wearing on his head a white floral crown seven cubits high. He first dips, like a returning space capsule plunges, breaking earth's gravity, into a `Kiri Sayura' or sea of milk.
Modern-day activities related to the celebration of the traditional New Year is based on auspicious times given by the astrologers. The New Year celebration, therefore, can be thought as a complex mix of Indigenous, Astrological, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions.
== Celebrations ==The month of Bak, which represents prosperity in the Sinhalese calendar (or in the month of April according to the Gregorian calendar), is when the sun moves (in an astrological sense) from the Meena Rashiya (House of Pisces) to the Mesha Rashiya (House of Aries) in the celestial sphere; Sri Lankan people of Sri Lanka begin celebrating Sinhala New Year or Aluth Avurudu (in lfivo]\
Sinhala). It marks the end of the harvest season and also coincides with one of two instances when the sun is directly above Sri Lanka.
However, unlike the celebration of the new Gregorian calendar year at midnight on 31 December, the Sinhalese traditional New Year begins at a time determined by astrological calculations. Also unlike 31st night celebrations, where an old year ends at midnight and new year begins immediately afterwards; the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the new year occur several hours apart from one another (this span of time is usually 12 hours and 48 minutes, which starts when the sun, as a disk, starts to cross the astrological boundary between 'House of Pisces' and 'House of Aries' and ends when the crossing is complete. The halfway point is considered as the dawn of the new year). This period is, referred to as the Nonagathe (or the 'neutral period' or 'Auspicious Time' ). During this time Sri Lankans are, according to tradition, encouraged to refrain from material pursuits, and engage solely in either religious activities or traditional games.
Cultural rituals begin shortly after the beginning of the Sinhalese New Year, with the cleaning of the house and lighting of an oil lamp. In some communities, women congregate to play upon the Raban (a type of a drum) to announce the incipient change in the year. Families carry out a variety of rituals, the exact timings of which are determined by astrological calculations - from lighting the fire to making the Kiribath (milk rice) to entering into the first business transaction and eating the first morsels. The rituals vary slightly based on the locale. However, the core of the celebrations remains the same.
The approach of each auspicious time for various rituals is heralded by the unmistakable sign of very loud firecrackers. Fireworks play a major role in the celebration of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
Once the important rituals are done, the partying begins as families mingle in the streets, homes are thrown open and children are let out to play. The ubiquitous plantain is dished out alongside celebratory feasts of Kavum (small oil cake) and Kokis (crisp and light sweetmeat, originally from the Netherlands). However, the extent of outdoor activities depends largely on the neighbourhood. The suburban communities tend to have such social gatherings than urban or city dwellers. The blossoming of the flowers of the Yak Erabadu is associated with the advent of the Sinhalese New Year.
Aluth Aurudu is an important national holiday for both the cultures of the Sinhalese people and the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. The celebrations are given wide coverage and patronage from state-owned media as well as private media. Programs dedicating to celebrations of the New Year are broadcast for at least 2 days straight. Media Companies organize special New Year festivals in different parts around the country throughout the month of April.
== Harvest Festival ==
The date upon which the Sinhalese New Year occurred, while determined by astrological calculations, also tends to coincide with one of the paddy harvest seasons. For farming communities, the traditional new year is a festival of harvest as well.
== Related festivals in other cultures ==
Aluth Avurudda coincides with the new years in many other South Asian calendars, including:
== Notes ==
Traditional games of Sri Lanka, several of which are played during the Sinhalese New Year
List of Buddhist festivals
South and Southeast Asian New Year
== External links ==
Sinhala New Year 2016 - Auspicious Times
Sinhala New Year and Traditional Food Culture Archived 9 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine
April New Year & Sri Lankan Food Culture
Sinhala New Year Games-Sri Lanka |
1,094 | 52,825,634 | 0 | Rusinga (Cultural) Festival | Kenya | Rusinga Cultural Festival is an annual two-day celebration of the culture of the Abasuba people of Kenya. It is held on the last Thursday and Friday before Christmas on Rusinga Island. The festival was founded by Anne Eboso and administered through Chula Cultural Foundation.
The cultural festival is the sole initiative preserving the culture of the Abasuba who are mainly found on the Rusinga Island and Mfangano Island on Lake Victoria on the Kenyan portion of the Lake. Abasuba culture is under pressure from the neighboring Luo community due to assimilation and intermarriage. Suba language has been listed by the United Nations Educational Scientific and cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger as one of the thirteen endangered languages in Kenya where it is classified as vulnerable.
The festival addresses societal ills within the Abasuba community such as the sex-for-fish practice that impacts negatively on efforts to curb the spread of HIV.
The Rusinga Cultural Festival is a mixed-type of festival; it incorporates more than one item of celebration with music, cultural sporting activities, art and food from traditional Suba cuisine being the main features of the Rusinga Cultural Festival. There is additionally a street procession that is used to invite residents of the Rusinga Island to the festival grounds.
The festival producer is a long-standing promoter of culture, education and literacy through book-reading. The Rusinga Festival utilizes a boat-library that also serves the purpose of providing a safe space for discussion of various sensitive issues affecting the Abasuba.
== Music ==
The Rusinga Cultural Festival has performances of both traditional and contemporary music. Traditional music is in form of performances by cultural troupes and Abasuba traditional music groups. The traditional music is performed in Subanese language. The highlights of the cultural performances are at the festival’s sporting events. Just before the boat races, performers and festival attendees move from the grounds of the festival and move to the waters of Lake Victoria, accompanied by traditional music and dances.
== Culture ==
Abasuba culture is the primary celebration of the Rusinga Cultural Festival. Different facets of Abasuba culture are on display at the festival. Artifacts in clay-work, woodwork and daily Abasuba life showcasing the Abasuba culture are displayed at the festival. The music, cuisine, sporting events and any other event happening at the festival are primarily aimed at promoting and preserving Abasuba culture.
== Food ==
Food at the Rusinga Cultural Festival includes traditional delicacies and modern foods. Some of the Traditional foods available at the festival takes long periods to prepare and is available only for a short period – usually the first day of the festival. Delicacies available include traditionally prepared meats, vegetables and other dishes.
== Sports ==
Popular sports at the Rusinga Cultural Festival are Wrestling(Eminyiika), Oluko/Oruko(Ajua) Tug-of-War and Boat Racing. These sports are not unique to the Abasuba community alone, but they are the most powerful and valued sports for the Abasuba. Boats in the races at the Rusinga Cultural Festival are human powered boats. They are manned by teams of seven people; six to paddle and one team leader who doubles as the helmsman. There is a separate category for women at the boat race. Sports in Suba community and at the festival pull large crowds. There are other smaller competitive sports at the festival including board games.
== Tourism ==
Tours around the Suba islands of Lake Victoria – Rusinga Island, Takawiri Island and Mfangano Island are available to attendees of the Rusinga cultural Festival. The festival organizers often work with tours and travel companies to facilitate these tours. The festival has opened up the Western Kenya tourism circuit and exposed it to both domestic and international tourists.
== Community involvement ==
Abasuba community members are highly engaged in preparation, management and running of the Rusinga Cultural Festival. This results in very high attendance of the festival. There is no age restriction to attend the festival, and it is open entry. Issues affecting the Abasuba are addressed at the festival. The festival provides a forum for discussing health & sanitation, HIV, banking, social security protection and other things affecting the Abasuba community.
== Organizing the festival ==
=== Financing ===
The Rusinga Cultural Festival is financed by partners and sponsors. Relevant government departments, private sector and various embassies are the major partners of the Rusinga Cultural festival. Partnerships and Sponsorships are both financial and in-kind. Administration of the festival is through the Chula Cultural Foundation.
=== Communication ===
The Rusinga Cultural Festival utilizes both mainstream and new media. Access to mainstream media in the form of broadcast media is provided through partnerships with media houses. Digital media is a major communication channel for the festival. The 2016 festival utilized the services of Mutahi Muriithi as its digital media and publicity consultant. Rusinga Cultural Festival has used effective and timely communication to support its growth and ensure it meets its objectives of preserving Abasuba culture and promoting literacy in the Abasuba community. |
1,095 | 65,400,242 | 0 | Tobong'u Lore | Kenya | The Tobong'u Lore, known in English as the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival, is a celebration of indigenous culture held every spring in Turkana, northern Kenya. The festival is hosted by a number of indigenous communities adjacent to the lake, and is meant to promote peace, cultural exchange, and tourism. The El Molo people host the festival in Loiyangalani every June, and the Turkana people host the festival in Lodwar in April. The Tobong'u Lore is considered among the largest of cultural festivals in Kenya, and has become a venue for appearances by prominent Kenyan politicians.
== Scope ==
The festival in Loiyangalani was first held in 2008 as a mechanism of promoting peace and cooperation among the communities that border Lake Turkana. In Lodwar, the festival began being held in 2014. Participating communities, which extend across national borders, include the Turkana, the Dassanech, the Samburu, the Somali, the Borana, the Gabbra, the Rendille, the Sakuye, the Wata, the Burji, the Garee, the Konso, and the El Molo people. The festival's creation was supported by the National Museums of Kenya and the German Government, and coincided with the opening of a museum in the town.
The festival attracts thousands of visitors every year. Some visitors are from countries that border Kenya, including Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda. A delegation from Nigeria has also attended. Turkana County officials state that the festival is intended in part to promote tourism and development. The Tobong'u Lore is one of a number of initiatives advanced by the Kenyan government to promote cultural tourism and preserve local culture among smaller ethnic groups in Kenya.
The phrase Tobong'u Lore is described as meaning welcome back home in the Turkana language. The phrase is a reference to the archaeological and paleontological heritage of the Turkana Basin.
In 2019 Turkana officials reduced spending on the festival from 70 million Kenyan Shillings to 33, diverting funds to address a local drought crisis.
== Activities ==The festival features local culture, nature, and archeological heritage. Participants wear traditional attire during ceremonies. Activities include a three-day carnival, with music and dance from local groups, and speeches by local leaders. Consistent with local customs, the festivities continue after sundown.
Exhibitions promote local crafts and food. The protection of wildlife is another theme addressed by the festival.
== Political appearances ==
Many Kenyan officials have attended the festival, and some politicians have used the event to make announcements related to political campaigns or policies. In 2019 the festival was attended by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and by the Deputy President William Ruto; in 2020 Governor Kivutha Kibwana used the festival as a venue to announce his bid for the presidency in upcoming elections.
Culture of Kenya
Demographics of Kenya
The Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival
Maragoli Cultural Festival
Rusinga (Cultural) Festival |
1,101 | 60,937,212 | 0 | Al Qassim Date Festival | Saudi Arabia | Al Qassim Date Festival is the largest date festival in the world held annually in the central Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. It is estimated that about 300,000 tonnes of dates are sold annually. The festival is also accompanied by heritage activities that attract visitors from neighboring countries. Saudi Arabia has the highest number of palm trees in the world representing around 25% of the world's date production. Al Qassim region, where the festival is held, has more than 8 million palm trees.Tourism in Saudi Arabia |
1,102 | 60,937,036 | 0 | Historic Jeddah Festival | Saudi Arabia | The Historic Jeddah Festival is an annual festival held in the Al Balad district of Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia, and usually coincides with the month of Ramadan. The festival celebrates the culture and heritage of Jeddah.
== Activities ==
The activities and events in the Historic Jeddah Festival mainly focus on daily life in old Jeddah during the past decades. The area where the festival is held includes historical buildings and mosques as well as historic open squares, like Al-Mazloom, Al-Sham, Al-Yemen, and Al-Bahr Haras.Al-Balad, Jeddah |
1,103 | 73,302,973 | 0 | Noor Riyadh | Saudi Arabia | Noor Riyadh (Riyadh Light in Arabic) is an annual light and art festival that illuminates Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's capital city. Considered the largest light art festival of its kind in the world, it falls under the umbrella of Riyadh Art, a project launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as an initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz to transform the Saudi capital into an open art exhibition.
== Noor Riyadh launch ==
Noor Riyadh kicked off its inaugural edition in March 2021 at the Saudi National Museum and King Abdullah Financial District under the theme Under One Sky, examining the human tendency to view light from an artistic and creative point of view. The event saw an ensemble of pioneering artists hailing from 20 countries, 40% of them Saudi artists, present 60 historic, visual, and engineering artworks in the form of sculptures, light shows, immersive experiences, kinetic art, and outdoor installations. The festival was curated by the Saudi curator, Dr Eiman Elgibreen, and Dutch curator, Pam Toonen. The festival also included a retrospective art exhibition by 30 artists titled Light Upon Light, which tracked the progress of light art since the 1960s.
== Noor Riyadh second edition ==
Noor Riyadh's second edition was held in November 2022 under the theme We Dream of New Horizons, symbolizing optimism and trust in the Saudi Arabia's path-breaking transformation and renewal journey. Based in four key locations across Riyadh, the festival delved into how light has evolved to play a role in shaping our worldly relations. The Saudi capital was lit up across 40 different sites, thanks to 130 artists (34% of them local talent) who brought to life 190 light artworks, including 90 pieces that went on display for the first time.
The event featured a charity auction where works by leading Saudi artists went under the hammer, with proceeds going to various art programs run by nonprofit foundations.
== Noor Riyadh third edition ==
In November 2023 Noor Riyadh held its third edition under the theme The Bright Side of the Desert Moon. Over 100 artists from 35 different countries participated, including 35 Saudi artists. The event showcased 120 artworks in five main locations across Riyadh, namely King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), JAX District, Salam Park, Wadi Hanifa, and Wadi Namar. The artworks included large-scale installations, immersive projections, drone shows, light reflections on various buildings, and interactive artworks.
The third edition featured an accompanying exhibition titled Refracted Identities, Shared Futures, held at the JAX District in Diriyah from November 2023 to March 2024. The exhibition had the participation of 32 artists from all over the world and featured workshops, art seminars, panel discussions, and community programs to provide a creative artistic space for all those interested and creative from all segments of society.
== Major light shows ==
=== Star in motion ===
One of Noor Riyadh's standout installations, the Belgian artist Koert Vermeulen's creation featured a five-tonne star hanging from a height of 256 metres atop the Kingdom Tower, symbolizing stellar movement, with the light installation moving at the start of each hour for a minute to represent the lifecycle of a star from birth to extinction.
=== The Order of Chaos: Chaos in Order ===
Another work that graced the festival was by American artist Marc Brickman. Inspired by tRiyadh, over 2000 drones were used in this work. It also claimed a Guinness World Record for the highest number of drones that took part in an art show.
=== Pulse of Light ===
Conceptualized by French artist Yann Kersalé, Pulse of Light was a night-time laser show that started from three skyscrapers in Riyadh and intersected in the night sky to create a bridge of gleaming rays connecting the Kingdom Tower, Faisaliah Tower, and Majdoul Tower. The show could be viewed from anywhere in the city and received four Guinness World Records for the longest distance covered for a light laser display, biggest light laser display, highest laser show, and largest display on a building interface.
Jenadriyah
Riyadh Season
Riyadh International Book Fair |
1,104 | 77,415,682 | 0 | Riyadh Art | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh Art is a public art project in Saudi Arabia. It is one of Riyadh’s four megaprojects launched by King Salman bin Abdulaziz in March 2019, and one of the largest public art projects in the world. It is overseen by the National Megaprojects Committee led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. The project is one of the initiatives that contribute to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Turning the Saudi Capital into an open-air art gallery, Riyadh Art will install more than 1,000 artworks and landmarks created by local and international artists across the city’s public spaces. Annual art events are bringing additional creative experiences to Riyadh.
== Project vision ==
Riyadh Art gives people in the city new cultural, artistic, and recreational experiences that will contribute to the city’s quality of life.
== Noor Riyadh ==
Noor Riyadh is an annual celebration of light, art, and life, with light-based artworks across the city.The first edition of Noor Riyadh was held from March 18 to April 3, 2021, at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) based on the theme “Under One Sky” with the participation of more than 60 artists from over 20 countries; two of the artworks were of a scale that actually set world records: Beacon and Star in Motion.
The second edition of Noor Riyadh had the theme “We Dream of New Horizons” and took place between November 3 to 19, 2022. It featured 190 artworks at 40 locations – ranging from creative light mediums to light sculptures. The festival included an art auction at the JAX District in Diriyah, which took place on 14 and 15 November as one of Riyadh Art’s charitable initiatives.
This edition of Noor Riyadh featured the world’s largest display of lighting art, including the Pulse of Light by French show designer Martin Arnaud and the light installation The Order of Chaos: Chaos in Order by American artist Marc Brickman.In November 2023, Noor Riyadh’s third edition had the theme “The Bright Side of the Desert Moon.” Taking place at five main locations across Riyadh – King Abdullah Financial District, JAX District, Salam Park, Wadi Hanifa, and Wadi Namar. More than 100 artists from 35 different countries participated, among them 35 Saudi artists. The event showcased 120 artworks, including large-scale installations, immersive projections, drone shows, light reflections on various buildings, and interactive artworks. The event also included an accompanying exhibition titled “Refracted Identities, Shared Futures,” held at the JAX District in Diriyah from November 2023 to March 2024, which attracted 32 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world.
== Tuwaiq Sculpture ==
Sculptures are a key expression of art in the public space, and Riyadh Art is supporting the art form through the annual Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium.
=== First Edition ===
In March 2019, the first edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held with 23 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world taking part.
=== Second Edition ===
The second edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held in January 2020 with the participation of 20 artists from Saudi Arabia and around the world.
=== Third Edition ===
The third edition of the Tuwaiq International Sculpture Symposium was held in November 2021 under the theme “The Poetics of Space” at Diriyah’s JAX District, gathering 20 artists from 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia.
=== Fourth Edition ===
Tuwaiq Sculpture 2023 was launched in January 2023. This fourth edition of the event had the theme “Energy of Harmony” and displayed more than 1,000 artworks across Riyadh; the symposium was joined by 30 artists from Saudi Arabia and 20 countries around the world.
=== Fifth Edition ===
The fifth edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture was held between 12 and 24 February 2024 under the theme “Dimensions of Movement” and saw the participation of 30 artists representing 20 countries.
Riyadh Green
King Salman Park
Sports Boulevard |
1,105 | 69,703,649 | 0 | Riyadh Season | Saudi Arabia | Riyadh Season (Arabic: موسم الرياض, romanized: mawsim ar-Riyāḍ) is a series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. The event was introduced in 2019 by the General Entertainment Authority as part of the larger Saudi Seasons initiative in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
Riyadh Season is typically scheduled from October through March, falling between the early-winter and early-spring, with seasonal events and experiences dispersed into zones such as the Boulevard City, Boulevard World, Roshn Front, Al Malazz, and National Museum Park districts, and major events such as concerts, music festivals, and sporting events (particularly boxing and mixed martial arts events) promoted under the banner held at venues such as Mohammed Abdo Arena and Kingdom Arena.
== History ==
Riyadh Season was introduced in 2019 as part of an initiative by the General Entertainment Authority known as Saudi Seasons, a portfolio of 11 regional cultural festivals that aim to promote tourism in Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi Vision 2030.
The inaugural edition of Riyadh Season resulted in a sizable increase in tourism during the period; the General Entertainment Authority estimated that the events collectively generated six billion riyals in revenue, there were at least 11 million visitors to the city during the 66-day period, a 106% increase in flight bookings to the city (71% of which coming from other parts of the country), and a 240% increase in bookings to one, two, and three-star hotels.
Riyadh Season was not held in 2020–21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned for 2021–22, extended through March 2022. With COVID-19 restrictions eased, its opening ceremony (which featured a performance by American rapper Pitbull) was attended by 750,000 people in the boulevard district. The 2022 opening ceremony set a record for the largest number of drones simultaneously launching fireworks. At least five million visitors attended events in the first two months of the period.
In October 2024, sports streaming service DAZN reached an agreement with the General Entertainment Authority making it the exclusive broadcaster of all Riyadh Season-sponsored events, including international distribution rights to all of its boxing cards outside of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
== Riyadh Season 2019 ==
The first edition of the festival was launched on 11 October 2019 and was set to end on 15 December, but it was extended to January 2020 after the number of visitors exceeded 10 million. In 17 October 2019, the opening parade of the first edition of Riyadh Season was held in Riyadh Boulevard zone with an attendance of more than 600,000 visitors. It included 100 events that took place at 12 different zones, and was hosted under seven themes and experiences: Joy, inspire, taste, explore, fantasy, speed and desert. The Taste theme originated in accordance with opening 31 restaurant from different cuisines all across the following zones:Riyadh Boulevard
Riyadh Front
Riyadh Car Exhibition
Riyadh Winter Wonderland
Riyadh Sports Arenas
Diplomatic Quarters
Al-Murabaa
Al-Malazz
Wadi Namar
Riyadh Beat
Riyadh Safari
Riyadh Sahara
== Riyadh Season 2021 ==
The second edition of Riyadh Season was launched on 20 October 2021 and lasted until the end of March 2022. It lies in an area measuring 5.4 million square meters in which it hosts more than 7,000 events at 14 different zones.Riyadh Boulevard
VIA Riyadh
Combat Field
Riyadh Winter Wonderland
Riyadh Front
Al-Murabaa
Riyadh Safari
Al-Athriyah
Riyadh Oasis
The Groves
Nabd al-Riyadh
Zaman Village
al-Salam Tree
Khalooha
== Riyadh Season 2022 ==
The third edition of Riyadh Season was launched on 21 October 2022 and lasted until March 2023. This included 8,500 activity days. This season had a principal of 15 zones in the Riyadh Boulevard and represented many cultures such as:America
France
Greece
Italy
India
China
Spain
Morocco
Mexico.
Qassim.
The 2022 Riyadh Season also included 2023 Riyadh Season Cup, a friendly football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Riyadh XI (combined Al Hilal and Al Nassr all-star team) held at King Fahd International Stadium on 19 January 2023. The game received global attention as the game pitted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the greatest football players in the world and the subject of intense debate, directly against each other for the first time since 2020, as Messi played for PSG and Ronaldo joined Al Nassr days prior to the friendly match. PSG won the match 5–4.
== Riyadh Season 2023 ==
The fourth edition of Riyadh Season launched on 28 October 2023 with new identity and tagline (Big Time) and title sponsorship from SNB. The opener event, Battle of Baddest, featuring Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou, was held at Boulevard Hall on the same day.
This year's Riyadh Season was marked with the addition of Boulevard Hall (named Kingdom Arena for sponsorship reasons), an indoor arena with a FIFA and AFC-approved football pitch capable of hosting various types of events with more than 40,000 spectators in attendance (27,000 for football matches). It was fully opened in January 2024 and serves as the new home ground of Al Hilal.
The following events took place as part of 2023 Riyadh Season:On 28 October 2023, the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou heavyweight boxing fight was held in Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall) to kick off the Riyadh Season.
On 4 November 2023, WWE Crown Jewel 2023 was held in Mohammed Abdu Arena.
On 17 November 2023, If Y'all Weren't Here, I'd Be Crying Tour by American rapper Post Malone was held in Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
Soundstorm Festival by MDLBEAST was held between 14–16 December 2023.
On 23 December 2023, a boxing event billed as the Day of Reckoning, headlined by Anthony Joshua vs Otto Wallin and co-main event Deontay Wilder vs Joseph Parker, was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
On 26–27 December 2023, the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup, featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka, was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
On 10–14 January 2024, the 2023–24 Supercopa de España featuring Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Osasuna, was held at the Al-Awwal Park (King Saud University Stadium).
On 21–25 January 2024, the 2023 Supercoppa Italiana featuring Napoli, Inter Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina, was held at the Al-Awwal Park (King Saud University Stadium).
The 2024 Riyadh Season Cup football tournament featuring Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Inter Miami, in a single-round robin group, where the table toppers were crowned champions. The matches between Al Hilal and Inter Miami, Al Nassr vs Inter Miami and Al Hilal vs Al Nassr was held on 29 January, 1 February and 8 February 2024 respectively at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall). All three of these clubs signed well-known world-class players in 2023, with Paris Saint-Germain players Lionel Messi and Neymar transferring to Inter Miami and Al Hilal, respectively, while Cristiano Ronaldo transferred from Manchester United to Al Nassr. Due to Messi and Ronaldo both being 36 and 38 years old respectively, it is likely the last time the two will play against each other in a match, leading many to dub it The Last Dance.
On 24 February 2024, the mixed martial arts event PFL vs. Bellator: Champs was held outside the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
On 4–6 March 2024, the first professional Snooker tournament was held in Boulevard City. Ronnie O'Sullivan won the World Masters of Snooker title.
On 8 March 2024, the Anthony Joshua vs Francis Ngannou boxing match was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
Riyadh Season secured front-of-shirt sponsorship with Serie A club AS Roma, worth €8 million per year, to promote its series of events and Saudi tourism globally.
On 18 May 2024, the Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk boxing match was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall). It was originally scheduled to be held in February 2024, but was postponed after Fury was injured in training.
=== Zones ===
There are 12 Zones in Riyadh Season 2023:1. Boulevard World
2. Boulevard City
3. Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall)
4. Ramla Terraza
5. VIA Riyadh
6. Wonder Garden
7. Food Truck Park
8. Riyadh Zoo
9. Roshn Front
10. The Groves
11. Souq Al Awaleen
12. Suwaidi Park
== Riyadh Season 2024 ==
The fifth edition of Riyadh Season will launch on October 12th.
The following events will take place as part of 2024 Riyadh Season: On September 27, 2024 (15 days before the official start of the season), the 2024 CAF Super Cup between Al Ahly (champions of the 2023-24 CAF Champions League) and Zamalek (winners of the 2023-24 CAF Confederations Cup), was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall).
Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol was held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall) on October 12, 2024.
Riyadh Season hosted the 6 Kings Slam from October 16-19, 2024. A tennis tournament featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.
PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants headlined by Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira was held at the Mayadeen on October 19, 2024.
WWE Crown Jewel will be held at the Mohammed Abdo Arena on November 2 2024.
Chris Billam-Smith vs Gilberto Ramirez will be held at The Arena on November 16, 2024. It will be marketed as Latino Night.
PFL 10 the finale of the playoffs for all 2024 divisions will be held at Al-Awwal Park on November 29, 2024.
Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury 2 will be held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall) on December 21, 2024.
On 2–6 January 2025, the 2024 Supercoppa Italiana featuring Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus and Atalanta will be held in Riyadh.
On 8-12 January 2025, the 2025 Supercopa de España featuring Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca will be held in Riyadh.
UFC Fight Night 250 will be held at the Kingdom Arena (Boulevard Hall) on February 1, 2025.
Black Hat Middle East and Africa, a cybersecurity and hacking convention that is annually held during Riyadh Season |
1,106 | 53,042,171 | 0 | Saudi Comic Con | Saudi Arabia | The Saudi Comic Con (Arabic: سعودي كوميك كون) was a comic book and pop culture convention held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was the country's first comic-con.
== History ==
=== Inauguration ===
Inaugurated in 2017, the comic book convention was organised by local company Time Entertainment; it was held over three days in February 2017 in Jeddah. Unusually for an event sponsored by the government's General Entertainment Authority, under the aegis of the Saudi Vision 2030 program to diversify the economy the genders were allowed to mingle and cosplay (albeit crossplaying is prohibited), which is unheard of in a nation where segregation of the sexes is pivotal.
A hashtag denoting it as a devil-worshipping festival became popular on Twitter, however, and there were calls for a boycott. Nonetheless the convention was popular, and included both national and international talent: Charles Dance and Julian Glover from Game of Thrones, Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad, Mads Mikkelsen from Doctor Strange, and assorted Saudi producers and actors, including cast members from the upcoming Saudi superhero show Mas'hour (meaning Bewitched in Arabic) appeared on panels.
20,000 people attended the inauguration, and the event was noted both for being a recognition of the importance of anime and pop culture in Saudi Arabia, and for giving a platform to local artists and the national entertainment industry in the global economy. |
1,111 | 67,512,906 | 0 | Autonomy March | Poland | The Autonomy March (Polish: Marsz Autonomii, Silesian: Marsz Autōnōmije) is a demonstration that has taken place annually since 2007 around the 15th of July (the anniversary of adopting the Statute of the Silesian Voivodeship in 1920) in Katowice, Upper Silesia, Poland. It consists of a march through the streets of Katowice in front of the Voivodeship Office (the building of the former Silesian Parliament). According to the organizers, the March is a manifestation of support for the idea to restore autonomy to Upper Silesia in a modern form, modeled on Spanish or German solutions.
The participants of the March carry flags, banners, and symbols in the Upper Silesian yellow and blue colors, coats of arms with a golden eagle on a blue background. The Silesian Flag Day (Dzień Ślonskij Fany) is also celebrated on the 15th of July. The main organizer of the March is the Silesian Autonomy Movement. According to the organizers, it is the largest cyclical manifestation of local community issues in Poland.
Several hundred people took part in the first Autonomy march in 2007. The route of the march led from the Market Square to the Voivodship Office. The march ended with a rally, during which postcards were sent to the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, asking him to restore autonomy. Afterwards, participants had the opportunity to watch films about Upper Silesia at the Upper Silesian Cultural Centre. In 2012, during the VI March, this amount increased to approximately 5000. In 2011 was also celebrated the 1st Upper Silesian Day, aimed at maintaining and nurturing the culture and identity of the region. |
1,112 | 28,305,509 | 0 | Baltic Days of Jewish Culture | Poland | Baltic Days of Jewish Culture (Polish: Bałtyckie Dni Kultury Żydowskiej) is an annual two-day festival of Jewish culture which takes place in Gdańsk, Poland at the beginning of June. The festival has been held since 1999.
The activities available during the festival include concerts, seminars, Hebrew lessons, exhibitions, meetings with prominent authors, and readings of Hebrew poetry. The festival is organized by the Social and Cultural Organization of Jews in Poland (Towarzystwo Społeczno-Kulturalne Żydów w Polsce).
Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw
Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków
[1]
[2] |
1,113 | 24,770,672 | 0 | Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw | Poland | Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw – Singer's Warsaw is an annual celebration of Jewish culture that has been held in Warsaw since 2004.
The Festival includes Jewish (both Hebrew and Yiddish) theater, music, films, exhibits and expositions. It attempts to recreate Jewish culture from the period of interwar Poland, complete with historical buildings and atmosphere. Regular features include kosher food (along with instructions as to how to prepare it in one's own kitchen), dancing, songs, crafts, ceramics and posters. Numerous workshops, discussion groups and seminars are also held on topics related to Yiddish culture.
The festival is organized by the Polish-Israeli-American Shalom Foundation, which began in 1988 on the initiative of Gołda Tencer, an actress and producer of the Jewish Theatre in Warsaw. The purpose of the foundation is the popularization of Jewish culture in Poland, and the remembrance of its Jewish communities.
The first annual festival was held in 2004 on the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Isaac Bashevis Singer (note that Singer's actual birth date is uncertain).
The logo of the festival consists of a combination of a fiddler on a rooftop (to symbolize Polish Jewish culture) and that of the Warsaw Syrenka (to symbolize Warsaw). It was designed by Lech Majewski.
The 2009 festival was held from the 29 August until 6 September. Guests and participants included: Nigel Kennedy David Krakauer and Klezmer Madness!, the Gorale folk band Zakopower, Benzion Miller, Kroke, the author Hanna Krall, Michał Piróg, Trombenik, Janusz Tylman, Israel's ambassador to Poland Zvi Rav-Ner and many others.
Baltic Days of Jewish Culture
Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków |
1,114 | 604,396 | 0 | Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków | Poland | The Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków (Polish: Festiwal Kultury Żydowskiej w Krakowie, Yiddish: ייִדישער קולטור־פֿעסטיוואַל אין קראָקע) is an annual cultural event organized since 1988 in the once Jewish district of Kazimierz (part of Kraków) by the Jewish Culture Festival Society headed by Janusz Makuch, a self-described meshugeneh (crazy person), fascinated with all things Jewish. The main goal of the festival is to educate people about Jewish culture, history, and faith (Judaism), which flourished in Poland before the Holocaust, as well as to familiarize them with modern Jewish culture, developing mostly in the United States and Israel, and finally, to provide entertainment.
Each festival is held in late June or early July and takes nine days, from Saturday to Sunday. During that time concerts, exhibitions, plays, lectures, workshops, tours, etc. are organized. The two most important concerts are: the inaugural concert on the first Sunday, and the final concert on the last Saturday of the festival. The former usually takes place in one of seven synagogues of Kazimierz and features cantoral music; the latter is always held outdoors, in Ulica Szeroka, the main street of the Jewish part of Kazimierz, and features klezmer music. In between, there are many more concerts, usually with some variations of klezmer music.
The workshops provide an occasion to learn about traditional Jewish cuisine, dance, music, calligraphy and other aspects of Jewish culture. More about Jewish culture, as well as about topics related to the Holocaust, is taught at numerous lectures. Exhibitions of Jewish art, particularly paper-cut, are also organized. The program of the festival also includes tours of the synagogues and cemeteries of Kazimierz as well as the former Nazi-era Kraków Ghetto in the nearby district of Podgórze. During the festival Gentiles are also invited to watch or participate in Jewish prayers at the synagogue.
Jewish Culture Festival brings together artists of Jewish culture from all over the world – music bands, soloists, choirs, jazz musicians, and dance teachers. The festival promotes a whole variety of different styles of Jewish music: synagogue song, hasidic, classical, Jewish folk and – very popular in Krakow nowadays – klezmer. For the Poles this event is a way of promotion of Jewish culture and paying a homage to the community that used to live in Poland, although many Jews were reportedly offended by the commercialization of Polish Jewish culture. Others argue that there is something deeper taking place in Poland as the country heals from the double wounds of Nazi and Communist domination.
It is one of Poland's major annual cultural events and one of the biggest festivals of Jewish culture in the world. Artists and entertainers usually associated with the festival include: Benzion Miller, Yaakov Stark, David Krakauer, Frank London, Leopold Kozłowski, Michael Alpert, Theodore Bikel, Paul Brody, and many others. Jewish dances are led by Steven Weintraub.
Culture of Kraków
Events in Krakow
Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture
Festival of Jewish Culture in Warsaw
Jewish culture
== Notes ==
Jewish Culture Festival official website
Jewish Culture Festival official website
Jewish Press article about Jewish Culture Festival
The New York Times article on Jewish Culture Festival
Poland's New Jewish Question. Ian Buruma on the Jewish revival in Poland.
In Krakow, a Jewish Woodstock. International Herald Tribune. |
1,115 | 17,733,045 | 0 | List of events in Kraków | Poland | The historic city of Kraków, Poland, especially the Old Town, is the hub of many outdoor and indoor festivals, cultural events and street parades. Many of them are seasonal and take place only one time, while others are organised annually for many years by various festival societies. All of them draw interest from the locals and visitors alike.
Some of the events are organised by the city, some by private companies, but most express Polish and Kraków living traditions kept and celebrated by its citizens.
Below is the list of popular cultural events arranged by month.
== January ==
=== Welcoming of the New Year ===
The New Year's party is organised on the Main Market Square of Kraków. During this open-air show the locals and the tourists have the opportunity to welcome the New Year and take part in concerts (performed also by international artists) that are organised by the city.
=== New Year's concert ===
Each year the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra organises a concert that takes place exactly on 1 January.
=== Carol Songs concerts in churches ===
In Poland there is a very strong tradition of singing Carol songs during Christmas and after. It is a custom that in January many churches organise Carol songs concerts during which one can listen to traditional versions of the songs and traditional music of Polish folk groups.
== February ==
=== International Sea Songs Festival (Shanties) ===
Sailing songs (so called: Shanties) are popular, and not only among sailors or people living in coastal areas. For many years a Shanties Festival has been held in Kraków, where Polish and international performers present songs of this type.
== March / April ==
=== Easter Celebrations in Krakow ===
Easter Holidays is the period full of customs celebrated by the locals (some of them are spread around Poland while others are typical only for Kraków). Among them one may take part in Rekawka, Emaus, food blessing or Smigus Dyngus. Easter is movable feast that falls somewhere between March and late April.
=== Misteria Paschalia Festival ===
The festival presents historical music and takes place parallel to Easter Holidays. The concerts are held at the Kraków Philharmonic as well as in historic churches around the city.
== May ==
=== The Night of Museums ===
This event gives you the opportunity to visit all the museums in Kraków (for a symbolic fee of 1 zloty). All of them prepare special concerts, show interactive exhibitions - to attract visitors and gain their interest. The museums are open till late in the night.
=== International Soup Festival ===
The festival is organised in Kazimierz district (on Nowy Square). It is a musical event joined with the contest of the best soup (between the local restaurant-keepers) that may be tried out by the visitors.
=== Juwenalia ===
The feast of Kraków students. During the three days of the event, the students rule Kraków. Numerous concerts are organized and the students (who traditionally get dressed) are welcome by the President of the city who gives them the keys to Kraków.
=== The great Dragon Parade ===
A parade is a spectacular event during which huge dragons (created by Kraków youth) are carried to the banks of Vistula river — all accompanied by brass bands, stilt walkers and dancers.
=== Equality March ===
Equality March in Kraków is an annual demonstration in the form of a street march of people opposed to homophobia and discrimination against sexual minorities in Poland, part of the May Queer Festival.
== June ==
=== Corpus Christi ===
Corpus Christi is a movable feast that falls in May or June. Churches of Kraków organises colourful processions for the locals (during which some of the citizens take part in the event dressed in folk costumes). About week after the Corpus Christi, the parade of Lajkonik (a man traditionally dressed as a Tatar) takes place.
=== Floating of the Wreaths (Wianki) ===
Midsummer festival is organised by Vistula river (at the foot of the Wawel castle). There are concerts held, artistic shows - and the whole event is culminated with huge fireworks.
=== The bread festival ===
The event takes place in the Kazimierz district. The bakers present traditional methods of baking bread, while the whole event is accompanied by folk dances and singing. The visitors may purchase regional fare.
=== Jewish Culture Festival ===
The festival became internationally renowned happening. During a week of festival the visitors can take part in workshops, exhibitions and numerous concerts - all connected with Jewish Culture. The festival culminates with an open-air concert Shalom on Szeroka street.
== July ==
=== Summer Jazz Festival ===
The festival features jazz concerts that are held in various places of Kraków (many in legendary Under the Rams cellar). Polish and international performers are invited.
=== Traditional Music Festival Crossroads ===
The festival presents the variety as well as common elements of traditional music from numerous countries, but especially those situated along the Carpathian mountains.
== August ==
=== Pierogi (Dumplings) Festival ===
The festival presents one of the most famous item of Polish cuisine - the dumpling. The event will help you to get to know Polish tradition of cuisine better as well as to try out the specialties.
=== Music in Old Cracow Festival ===
The annual event during which the soloists, orchestras and eminent musicians take part. The concerts are held in historical places of Kraków - such as churches, Wawel castle and the Kraków Philharmonic.
== September ==
=== Sacrum Profanum Festival ===
The main idea of the event is to present instrumental and vocal-instrumental music masterpieces in geographical order.
=== International Cycling Film Festival ===
The International Cycling Film Festival is an independent film festival that screens films related to bicycle culture. The best film is awarded with the Trzy złote szprychy (English: Three Golden Spokes), the audience award of the film festival.
== October ==
=== International Festival of Old Music ===
This event presents old music, played on old, traditional instruments in historic parts of Poland.
== November ==
=== All Saints' Day ===
During 1 November (as well as the 2nd) the Poles pay visits to the cemeteries to embellish the graves with flowers and light the candle. During those days the cemeteries become a spectacular site with thousands of candles. Especially it is worth visiting the cemeteries that boast unique architecture (such as Rakowicki cemetery).
=== International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima ===
Etiuda&Anima International Film Festival, organized in Kraków since 1994, is the oldest international film event in Poland confronting the achievements of art and film school students from all over the globe with the works of the authors of artistic animation including professional, student and independent filmmakers. It always take place in November.
=== Jazz at All Saints' Day ===
It is the oldest Jazz festival in Europe during which one can listen to Polish and international jazz musicians. Concerts and workshops are organised within this event.
=== Christmas Market ===
The opening of the Christmas Market falls in November. The visitors can purchase hand-made local products, exceptional gifts, as well as to try out specialties of Polish cuisine.
== December ==
=== Nativity Scenes Contest ===
Building colourful Nativity Scenes is an old Kraków tradition. The Christmas Cribs (called: Kraków szopka ) are exceptional as they remind Kraków in their architecture (especially St Mary's church). The contest takes place on the Main Market Square - by Adam Mickiewicz monument. After the contest the most interesting pieces (together with the ones presented in previous editions) are displayed in Historical Museum of Kraków.
=== Jazz Juniors ===
The international contest of young Jazz groups gives the opportunity for the well-known groups as well as inexperienced musicians to meet together and present their skills in front of the Kraków audience.
=== New Year's Eve ===
The locals and the visitors, who decide to celebrate the New Year's Eve on the Main Market Square of Kraków, are entertained by concerts and additional happenings organised by the city.
Culture of Kraków |
1,116 | 28,557,723 | 0 | Kutno Rose Festival | Poland | The Rose Festival is an annual exhibition of roses and florist arrangements which takes place in Kutno, Poland.
The event takes place according to tradition on the first (sometimes second) weekend of September. The first exhibition took place in 1974. The exhibition is accompanied by gardening and firms bazaars, fairs on area of the city and concerts. In 2009 the automobile Rally of the Rose had its premiere.
Roses and other flowers come from breeders of Łódź province while floristic arrangements are prepared by florists from Poland and elsewhere, for instance Russia, Latvia or Lithuania.
== Origins of the festival ==The Rose Festival for the first time was organised in 1975 from 20 to 21 September by Kutno House of Culture (Kazimierz Jóźwiak had the initiative) named Kutno Rose Fair. During the event, rose exhibitions and handicrafts of Kutno artists were presented along with performances of folk instrumental music bands and solo performers.
At first, the Kutno Rose Fair had no sponsorship; florists presented their exhibitions for free, bands performed for the proverbial meal in other words it was a festival cost-free event. In 1990 the name of the event was changed and the formula of the festival was enriched by broader artistic arrangements.
== The Rose Festival nowadays ==Since 1990, the biggest artistic/entartainment/cultural event in Kutno is organised under a different name and progressively improving form. On the Rose Festival annually organised on the beginning of September, many concerts of both Polish and foreign music stars take place (for instance: Dżem, Myslovitz or Bad Boys Blue.
Moreover, the Rose Festival consists mainly of exhibitions of rose compositions and events related to the rose topic. The festival is very popular amongst Kutno inhabitants, people who visit Kutno or everyone who wants to spend their time pleasantly.
=== Concerts ===
An important and inseparable part of The Rose Festival are the concerts of groups playing folk and popular music. Their performances are free and thanks to that gathers publicity from the whole Kutno region. Their diverse styles attract various kinds of audiences.
=== Rose exhibitions and artistic arrangements ===For 35 years Kutno has been associated with the rose exhibitions (delivered by the local breeders) prepared by florists of Kutno, Poland region as well as the whole world. The form of the arrangements has been changing since the festival beginnings.
Originally they were exhibitions of simple flower bouquet (of various kinds of roses) but with time, the form evolved into more plastic arrangement projects which had led into the current open form of extended artistic installations. Annual exhibitions are presented in a free form of interpretation but with an earlier set main theme. Themes of particular festival editions are: 33 Rose Arts/33 Roses (33 Sztuki Róż) in 2007, Garden of poetry (Ogród Poezji) in 2008, Treasures of the Queen (Skarby Królowej) in 2009.
Exhibitions are created by such great artists of floristics like Druvis and Inge Ciritis from Latvia, Agnieszka Bogusz from Kraków|Crokow or Marek Melerski. Flower exhibitions are supplemented by folk artists handicraft of works that interprets modern art with flower (or rose itself) related topics.
=== Rally of The Rose ===Initiated for the first time in 2009, the rally has a 60 kilometers long route which begins on the Pope John Paul II st. and lead through the Kutno industry zone to end at the city center. Every car driver can take part in the rally (number of crews had been limited to 50). However, cars with valid car inspection and OC+NNW insurance are required. Second edition of the event is planned to take place on The Rose Festival in 2010.
== Chronology ==
=== 33rd Rose Festival in 2007 ===Took place from 7 to 9 September 2007 and traditionally main part of the event was 33rd Exhibition of flowers and decorative plants named: 33 roses/rose arts on which amongst others Bogdan Ziętek, Marijus Gvildys presented their artistic interpretation of Andy Warhol, Maurits Cornelis Escher or Vincent van Gogh works. Festival program anticipated live performances of well-known Polish and foreign bands like Pidżama Porno Dżem or Bad Boys Blue.
=== 34th Rose Festival in 2008 ===
Took place from 12 to 14 September 2008 (exceptionally second weekend of the month), festival program anticipated:
34th Rose and Floristic Arrangements named Garden of Poetry. Exhibition theme made lower hall of Kutno House of Culture filled with various floral-artistic interpretations of lyric called W pracowni (In the workshop) by Zbigniew Herbert. Installations executives amongst others were Janina Kwapisz from Łódź (a florist), Iwona Gajewska and Kasia Fidura-Tratkiewicz (florists) from Warsaw or Artur Śledzianowski (plastic) from Poznań.
Part of festival were also musical performances of Kutno Land's Song and Dance band and celebrities of Polish popular music: Wilki band and Monika Brodka.
=== 35th Rose Festival in 2009 ===Took place from 4 to 6 September 2009, festival program anticipated:
35th Exhibitions of Roses and Floristic arrangements named Treasures of the Queen: theme of the expo had given large field of interpretation, so that installations created by artists like Druvis and Inga Ciritis from Latvia, Anna Nizińska, Katarzyna Fidura- Tratkiewicz, Iwona Gajewska or Marek Melerski had diverse ideas.
Framework of the festival also complied performances of such Polish celebrities like Bajm, Majka Jeżowska,
Afromental or Robert Janowski.
Fair took place on main streets of the city, Piłsudski square, Królewska st. and traditionally on Romuald Traugutt park and Kutno House of Culture. In the framework of festival first edition of The Rally of Rose which was one of the round of Bydgoszcz Car Rally Championship of Amateur Drivers. Rally was organised by Agency of Kutno Trade Development on commission and with the cooperation of Kutno City Hall.
=== 36th Rose Festival in 2010 ===
Festival program consisted of36th Exhibition of roses and flower arrangements in Regional Museum (Marshall Józef Piłsudski square which was opened with live performance of Dorota Miśkiewicz with band called A Girl with a Rose (Dziewczyna z różą) in Magnolia restaurant.
Amusement park - biggest amusement park (with a roller coaster) that ever visited Kutno was located at Wolności square. Lunapark among other things consisted of Ferris wheel, huge propeller kind of attraction called Extreme or the Catapult. For younger participants of The Rose Festival the Kinder Carousel, inflatable castle of slides was provided.
The Rose Fair - trade and gastronomy fair was locates in the city center at Marshall J.Piłsudski square, Królewska st, Wolności square and Zamenhofa st
music part of the festival mainly consisted of live performances of Kult and Budka Suflera
== External links ==
The Rose Festival Official webpage
Rally of the Rose official webpage Archived 11 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine |
1,117 | 11,932,059 | 0 | Lajkonik | Poland | The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Mongol attire, with a wooden horse around his waist (hobby horse). It is the subject of the Lajkonik Festival (Polish: Lajkoniki) that takes place each year on the first Thursday after the religious holiday of Corpus Christi.
== Origin ==
The origin of the Lajkonik is uncertain, but there are some common stories associated with its popularity. Some think that it originated in pre-Christian times when it was believed that in the spring the horse brought good luck and high crop yields.
Other stories are associated from the 13th century, when the city was attacked during the Mongol invasion of Poland. One, likely counterfactual story, says that the people of Kraków successfully repelled the Tatar invasion. Because they killed one of the leaders, a Tatar Khan, the victorious defenders dressed up in the Khan’s clothing and triumphantly rode into the city.
Another version recalls that the Tatars arrived at the city gates at night in 1287, but chose not to attack the city until morning and instead camped along the Vistula. Some locals transporting wood on the river saw them and decided to play a joke on the city. They entered the city gates and dressed up like Tatars on horses trying to scare people into thinking the gates were breached. To the relief of the people of the city their true identity was soon discovered and the incident's popularity led the mayor to declare this to be an annual celebration.
== History ==
On Ash Wednesday, 10 March 1241, Tatars ravaged Sandomierz and crossed the Vistula to Kraków. The dukes of Sandomierz and Opole joined battle briefly before retreating. At Legnica the Silesian duke Henry II the Pious, intercepted the invaders only to perish with his knights... The Tatars returned to ravage southern Poland again in 1259 and 1287 and the threat they posed dominated central and east European political and religious life for the next 200 years or so... In regional folklore the Tatar assumed the position of bogeyman, as the Kraków Corpus Christi Lajkonik procession colorfully reminds one
== Festival ==Whatever the origin, the city continues the tradition with a festival that has taken place every June for the past 700 years. The Lajkonik is a man dressed up as a warrior from the East. He rides a prancing white hobbyhorse through the city streets from the Premonstratensian (Norbertine) Convent in Zwierzyniec to the Main Market Square. People in traditional folklore dress accompany him while others are adorned in oriental garments and hold horsetail insignia in their hands. The procession winds its way through the historic streets of the city, followed by musicians, children, and revelers. On his way, the Lajkonik touches spectators with his golden mace and collects money for the traditional ransom. Being touched by the Lajkonik's mace is believed to bring good luck. At the Market Square, the mayor of the city awaits the Lajkonik with a pile of ransom money and a chalice with which they make a toast to the wellbeing of Kraków and its inhabitants. Music and dancing continues in front of the Old Tower Hall at the Main Square.
== Everyday ==
Some Polish folk groups use the figure of the Lajkonik in their performances. The costume of the Lajkonik is worn also by street disguisers as a tourist attraction. However, the true Lajkonik is only the one at the festival on the first Thursday after Corpus Christi.There are numerous souvenirs and folk art items depicting the Lajkonik.
The Lajkonik is so popular that the name has become a trade name for numerous products sold in Poland and abroad, including hotels ([1]), snacks ([2]).
Lajkonik is also the name of a brand of Polish snack manufacturers based in Skawina.
Since 2012, seats in public transport in Kraków are upholstered in a Lajkonik pattern.
== Lajkonik Polish dancing groups ==
There are numerous folk dance groups in Poland named after Lajkonik. In the United States, two groups based in Tucson and Chicago have also adopted the folk figure's name. There is one dance ensemble in Western Sydney called Lajkonik.Symbols of Kraków
Culture of Kraków
Hejnał mariacki
Wawel Castle
== Notes ==
Krakow Historical Museum - Lajkonik page, Retrieved on: 26 June 2007.
European Institute of Cultural Routes - Lajkonik page, Retrieved on: 26 June 2007.
Municipality of Krakow official Traditions page, Retrieved on: 26 June 2007. |
1,118 | 18,409,713 | 0 | Name days in Poland | Poland | Traditionally, name day celebrations (Polish: imieniny [imjɛˈɲinɘ] ) have often enjoyed a celebratory emphasis greater than that of birthday celebrations in Poland. However, birthday celebrations are increasingly popular and important, particularly among the young as well as the older generation in the territories regained after the Second World War due to remaining Prussian Protestant influences.
Name day celebrations involve the gathering and socialising of friends and family at the celebrant's home, as well as the giving of gifts and flowers at home and elsewhere, such as at the workplace. This tradition doesn't include regions of Upper Silesia and Kashubia. Local calendars often contain the names celebrated on a given day. If a name is celebrated on more than one day, it is customary to choose the first day after the celebrant's birthday.
Name day
Polish name
Polish phonology
== External links ==
Kalendarz imienin (in Polish)
Imieniny Polska (in Polish)
Polish name days
Name days in Poland
http://www.imiennik.pl/index.php?ids=1 Name days (in Polish) |
1,119 | 27,447,866 | 0 | Night of Culture | Poland | Night of Culture (Noc Kultury in Polish) is a cultural event held annually in the city of Lublin, Poland. During this night people are allowed to attend, late into the night, theater plays, classical, popular, gospel and folk music concerts, exhibitions, film showings or street happenings, free of charge. Visitors are allowed to access among other things any cultural institution in the city such as underground basements or the cathedral tower. All night long people can party in clubs from all over the city.
== History ==
Leszek Hadrian the head of Musical Theater in Lublin was the first one to come up with the idea of the Night of Culture. He claimed it to be a 'demonstration of culture'. Apart from that, the Night of Culture was an opportunity and help at the same time for Lublin in achieving the title of 2016 European Capital of Culture. To date, many of the artistic and community centres in the city have joined the Night of Culture. Night of Culture should not be mistaken for the Long Night of Museums. The Night of Museums is a separate event which takes place in many different cities in Poland, whereas the Night of Culture is unique and takes place only in Lublin. Both events are held on various dates.The first night of culture took place in 2007, 70 institutions participated and it embraced 80 events.
The second edition was much more prestigious and involved 100 institutions and included 150 events
The third edition in June 2009 was held under the name “Man in city – City in man”. The events took place on the streets which created a man's silhouette from a bird's eye view. 100 institutions took part and 250 events were held.
All editions were financed by the town council and the first edition was additionally sponsored by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage who donated a sum of 25,000 zlotys.
== Awards ==
Grand Prix of Culture (organised by Gazeta Wyborcza) in 2007 for the best cultural event of the year
VI place in the plebiscite organised by the Media of Lublin in 2008
III place in the contest for the Best Tourist Product in 2009
== External links ==
Noc Kultury Lublin Official site |
1,120 | 465,251 | 0 | Polcon | Poland | Polcon is the oldest Polish speculative fiction convention, organized each year in a different place by the local speculative fiction club. The Janusz A. Zajdel Award is awarded during the convention. The first Polcon was held in 1985 in Błażejewko near Poznań.
== List of Polcons ==
Polcon's location is chosen two years in advance during the convention itself; for example, the location of 2016 Polcon (Wrocław) was chosen during Polcon 2014 (Bielsko-Biała).2024 - Toruń (Copernicon)
2023 - Łódź
2022 - Kraków
2021 - Zielona Góra
2020 - was not held
2019 - Białystok
2018 - Toruń
2017 - Lublin
2016 - Wrocław
2015 - Poznań
2014 - Bielsko-Biała
2013 - Warsaw
2012 - Wrocław
2011 - Poznań
2010 - Cieszyn and Český Těšín, with Eurocon and Parcon
2009 - Łódź
2008 - Zielona Góra
2007 - Warsaw
2006 - Lublin
2005 - Błażejewko near Poznań
2004 - Zielona Góra
2003 - Elbląg
2002 - Kraków
2001 - Katowice
2000 - Gdynia
1999 - Warsaw
1998 - Białystok
1997 - Katowice
1996 - was not held
1995 - Jastrzębia Góra
1994 - Lublin
1993 - Waplewo
1992 - Białystok
1991 - Kraków
1990 - Waplewo
1989 - Gdańsk
1988 - Katowice
1987 - Warsaw
1986 - Katowice
1985 - Błażejewko near Poznań
== External links ==http://www.polcon.fandom.art.pl |
1,121 | 36,993,748 | 0 | Pyrkon | Poland | Multigenre Fan Convention Pyrkon (pol. Festiwal Fantastyki Pyrkon) (commonly known as Pyrkon) is a Polish fan convention held annually in Poznań on the first weekend after the spring equinox and dedicated to an integration of Science fiction fandom and a promotion of science-fiction/fantasy literature, comics, film, television, video games, RPG, LARP, board games, collectible card games and miniature wargaming. Pyrkon is the biggest event of this type in Poland and one of the biggest in Europe (over 55,000 people in 2022).
== History ==
Pyrkon has been held by the Second Age Science Fiction Club (Klub Fantastyki Druga Era) every year since 2000, except 2005 when they held Polcon. (In 2011 they organised both Pyrkon and Polcon.) Pyrkon has been a non-profit convention from its beginning, and all organizers, lecturers and gofers are volunteers.
Initially Pyrkon was held at the Dębiec district of Poznań in the following placesElementary School nr 21 in Poznań [2000–2010]
Gymnasium nr 42 in Poznań [2008–2010]
Cezamet Hotel [2008–2010]
High and Technical Schools Complex nr 19 in Poznań [2010]
Due to the increasing number of visitors, in 2011 the convention moved to the present location, the Poznań International Fair and the Liceum ogólnokształcące nr 2 in Poznań (Liceum Ogólnokształcące nr 2 w Poznaniu).
On 6 March 1999, Second Age organised Science Fiction Day in the Sun District House of Culture in the Przyjaźni (Polish for friendship) district in Poznań. It was the direct predecessor of Pyrkon.
The tradition of holding Pyrkon on the first weekend after the spring equinox started in 2006. Usually it is also the weekend when Daylight saving time begins – participants are informed in a convention guide book and on posters of the need to adjust their timepieces.
== Etymology ==
According to one theory, the name Pyrkon comes from the 10th Book of Pausanias' Guide to Ancient Greece, where he quotes Eumolpia, a hexameter poem attributed to Musaios, a son of Antiophemos, which states that Delphic Sibyl belonged to Poseidon and Gaia (Earth) in common, and that Gaia gave her oracles herself, but Poseidon used Pyrkon as his mouthpiece in giving responses.
According to the other theory, the name Pyrkon is derived from pyra (potato in Poznań's dialect) and the suffix -kon, which is added to names of all Polish fan conventions.
== Program ==
=== Main Attractions ===
Pyrkon's goals are realized inmeetings and discussion panels with science fiction and fantasy authors
meetings with books and games publishers
thematic lectures related to all spheres of science fiction
popular science lectures, especially about physics, history, linguistics and cultural studies
RPG sessions and LARP-s
lending board games (Games Room)
lending old video games
board games, collectible card games and miniature wargaming tournaments
demonstrations and premieres of board games, collectible card games, miniature wargaming and video games
thematic competitions with prizes
cosplay contest with prizes - The Masquerade
=== Other Attractions ===
The following also take place on Pyrkon:concerts
fighting shows
fireshows
dancing shows and lessons
karaoke and DDR contests
Pyrkon Dance
=== Program Sections ===
Attractions (lectures, discussion panels, meetings with guests, contests, concerts etc.) on Pyrkon are divided into thematic sections. Most attractions are held in Polish.
Pyrkon 2019 had 19 program sections, which are listed below:Integration Section – integration section is a zone to meet new friends and participate in integration games. There, you can strengthen ties with already known people, but also meet other participants with similar passions
Film Section – lectures about films and film-making, amateur film shows, lessons of creating YouTube content
Computer Games Section – computer games contests and tournaments, lectures about game design, creating Let's Play
Literature Section – lectures and discussion panels about science-fiction and fantasy literature and meetings with authors
Science Section – popular science lectures
RPG Section – lessons on making good role-play sessions, presentations of new RPG systems, meetings with role-playing games creators
LARP Section – LARP games, contest for best LARP on Pyrkon, presentations of LARP systems, lectures about making LARP costumes, improving larping skills
Comics Section – lessons of comics drawing, meetings with comic book artists, lectures about comics
Manga & Anime Section – lessons of manga style drawing, lectures about Japanese comics, animation and culture in general
Contest Section – competitions about every part of pop culture
Board Games Section – Games Room – presentations of new board games, games' rules lessons, lending board games
Beginners' Section – short introductory lectures about every aspect of Fandom for beginners who have never visited any convention, played a board game, seen science-fiction film etc.
Kids' Section – science-fiction and fantasy related attractions for children younger than 10 years old
Exhibitions, Shows, Workshops – dance lessons and shows, concerts, Lego exhibitions etc.
Fantasium Suburbium - The zone in which villages created by participants are related to the world of fantasy. There are, among others, handicraft workshops or fight and dance shows. From the groups exhibiting there, participants can hear a bit about reconstruction, as well as learn a bit of the armor creation, sewing or jewelry making
Fantasium Creatium - A place where artists from all over the Poland exhibit their fantasy-related works. Both professional artists and beginners can submit their exhibitions. Inside the Fantasium Creatium there are, among others, science-fiction, fantasy, post-apocalyptic, handicraft and science zones
Fantasium Ludicrum - The block, which includes stage performances - concerts and shows - and film screenings. The Fantasium Ludicrum performed, among others, Percival Schuttenbach, actors of the Poznań Musical Theater, there was also a performance of the Ark of the Theater of the Eighth Day
Fantastic Initiatives Zone - The zone is intended for festival organizers and fantasy conventions from all over Poland. It serves as a place to meet, exchange experiences and make contacts with potential members of fantasy organizations. There are also smaller Polish fantasy events advertised there
The Masquerade - One of the highlights of the program during Pyrkon is The Masquerade cosplay competition. Its participants compete in the categories: Best Cosplay, Best Own Project, Best Group Presentation and Best Solo Presentation. The main prize is the Grand Prix. In addition, the 2019 The Masquerade winner received the right to compete in the Cosplay Champions competition. The condition for joining The Masquerade is to create your own costume. It can depict a character known from the world of fantasy, but it must be made by hand. Each participant presents his disguise first only to the jury, which assesses whether the cosplay was really created from scratch. The Masquerade is traditionally held at the Earth Hall - the largest hall located at the Poznań International Fair. Due to the limited number of seats in the audience and the great interest of the audience, the show is also displayed on a large screen at the Fair, as well as broadcast live on Pyrkon's social media channels.
== Foreign guests ==
== Time and place ==
== Awards ==contest of The Convention Guide-Book Web Portal (Informator Konwentowy): The Best Fan Convention of the Season
Pyrkon 2006 – 2nd place (Winter 2005/2006 edition)
Pyrkon 2007 – 1st place (Winter 2006/2007 edition)
contest of The Convention Guide-Book Web Portal: The Best Fan Convention of the Year
Pyrkon 2008 – 1st place
contest of The Convention Guide-Book Web Portal: Fan's Choice
Pyrkon 2006 – 2nd place (Winter 2005/2006 edition)
Pyrkon 2007 – 1st place (Winter 2006/2007 edition)
Pyrkon 2008 – 1st place (Year 2008 edition)
plebiscite of The Cathedral Web Portal (Katedra): Science Fiction in category The best fan convention or other SF mass event, in year 2012 simply Event
Pyrkon 2007 – 1st place
Pyrkon 2008 – 3rd place
Pyrkon 2009 – 3rd place
Pyrkon 2010 – 1st place
Pyrkon 2011 – 1st place
Pyrkon 2012 – 1st place
== External links ==Pyrkon 2013 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2012 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2011 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2010 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2009 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2008 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2007 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2006 official website
(in Polish) Pyrkon 2004 official website |
1,122 | 3,075,398 | 0 | Radom Air Show | Poland | The Radom Air Show (Polish: Międzynarodowe Pokazy Lotnicze „Air Show Radom“, International air shows – Radom Air Show) is a biannual celebration in the city of Radom, Poland, which began in 2000 (to continue in 2001, 2002, 2003 and then 2005). Every other year during the last weekend of August, military planes from the air forces of Europe and Russia gather in Radom for the show, which entertains visitors through elaborate stunts and performances from the aircraft. According to the authorities behind the show, its aim is to entertain the citizens of Radom and all of Poland, as well as to bring much needed investors to the city.
Since its founding, the Radom Air Show has become the most popular air show in Poland.
== 2007 AZL Żelazny mid-air collision ==On 1 September 2007, three Zlin Z-526 aircraft from the AZL Żelazny aerobatics team were performing their display. One maneuver involved the three aircraft simultaneously flying toward a central point from different directions. Two of the aircraft, one piloted by Piotr Banachowicz and the other by the group's founder, Lech Marchelewski, struck each other at right angles, destroying both aircraft and killing both pilots.
== 2009 Belarusian Su-27 crash ==
On 30 August 2009, a Belarusian Sukhoi Su-27UBM (Number black 63) crashed while performing at the Radom show.
== External links ==
Media related to Radom Air Show at Wikimedia Commons
Radom Air Show official webpage
Videos and photography from Airshow and AWAC in Radom (aviation.net.pl) |
1,123 | 19,371,148 | 0 | Science Picnic | Poland | The Science Picnic is Europe's largest outdoor science-popularization event organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre. It has been held every year since 1997. A wide range of research fields are represented at the Picnic, including the hard, natural, and social sciences together with the humanities. Research and teaching institutions from Poland and abroad reveal here behind-the-scenes aspects of their work and present science in ways accessible to visitors of various ages, using hands-on experiments and interactive exhibits.
The Science Picnic was commended by the European Commission in 2005 as one of 10 model European projects in the Science and Society field. The event has served as the inspiration for many other popular science initiatives, including the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw.
== History ==
The first Science Picnic (as Science Picnic of Polish Radio BIS) was held in the Old Town district of Warsaw. During the first edition, 17 scientific institutions held scientific demonstrations in physics, medicine and archaeology in 13 tents, and the Picnic recorded around 3000 visitors. In subsequent years, the number of participating institutions and visitors grew rapidly. The event was moved to a larger public park in 2009 and then to the grounds of the newly constructed National Stadium in 2013. Since 2008 it has been organized jointly by Polish Radio and the Copernicus Science Centre.
Recent attendance varies between 100,000 and 120,000 people, with the exception of the blowout years of 2006 and 2013, when the Picnic received around 150,000 visitors.
Since 2013, Science Picnics are also held in Ukraine.
== Organizers and initiators ==
Professor Łukasz A. Turski, Center for Theoretical Physics of Polish Academy of Sciences
Robert Firmhofer, Polish Radio (since 2006 director of the Copernicus Science Centre)
Krystyna Kępska-Michalska, Polish Radio
== Participating institutions ==
Each year the Science Picnic is participated in by institutions from Poland and abroad (including from Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Morocco, Mexico, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, United States).
== External links ==Official website (in English) |
1,124 | 72,728,208 | 0 | Sea Holiday | Poland | The Sea Holiday, also known as the Sea Days, is an annual festivity is various cities in Poland, located at the Baltic Sea. It is a celebration of sailors, stevedores, fishermen, shipbuilders, and other workers of industries connected with the sea, and usually include ship parades, fireworks, wreaths, and art installations. It was first held in 1932.
== History ==The Sea Holiday has its beginning in the year 1923, and was incited by Antoni Abraham, Jan Radtke, and Stefan Żeromski. However, the first celebrations took place in 1932 in Gdynia, initiated by Andrzej Wachowiak and the Maritime and Colonial League. Since then, it became an annual festival, traditionally hold on 29 June. The celebrations aimed to popularize the topics related to the sea, as well as promote the good image of the Polish Navy and the shipbuilding industry. In the celebrations participated thousands of people, including notable politicians and religious leaders.
The celebrations did not take place during the World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945. At that time the city of Gdynia was under the occupation by the Nazi Germany. Despite that, they were still secretly promoted and celebrated by the resistance movement, including the Pomeranian Griffin, as well as on the ships of the Polish Navy.
The celebrations were again held in 1945 in Gdańsk, after the end of the war, and begun being celebrated in the others cities across the country, including in Kołobrzeg, Puck, Szczecin, Świnoujście, Ustka, and others.
== Notes == |
1,125 | 25,101,178 | 0 | St. Dominic's Fair | Poland | St. Dominic's Fair (Polish: Jarmark św. Dominika), is an annual cultural and trade event organized between July and August in the port city of Gdańsk, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It was founded in 1260 and together with Weihnachtmarkt and Oktoberfest, it is considered one of the biggest cultural and trade open-air events in Europe attended by 5-8 million national and international visitors annually.
In the past, the fair usually lasted for two weeks but since 2004, a decision was made to extend it to three weeks. In 2020, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the fair was held in a limited format attracting 250,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors (1/3 of the usual number).
== History ==
With 750 years of successful tradition, the history of the Fair goes back to the year 1260, when it was established by the decree of Pope Alexander IV.
Saint Dominic was canonized in 1234 and his feast day was immediately included in the General Roman Calendar for celebration on 5 August. With the introduction of the Tridentine calendar in 1568, his feast was moved to 4 August, where it remained until the 1969 revision moved it to 8 August. It was thus at some time between 1568 and 1969 that it became customary to announce the opening of the Fair by the ringing of bells at noon on 4 August. In the beginning, it was all about prayers and entertainment, but later the Fair began to function as a trade and cultural event with great importance to the city. At first, it was held at the Dominic Square but, as the event developed, it needed greater space, so the Fair was moved into the area of Wały Jagiellońskie and Długa Streets. Also, the new market places, such as Targ Drzewny, Targ Sienny, Targ Węglowy, Targ Wąchany or Targ Rybny were created. Their names were closely related to the goods, which were sold on each market and in the case of Długi Targ the name was derived from its shape. Around 400 ships sailed to Port of Gdańsk for the August fair and the transactions were held in many languages. It was possible to buy famous Toruń gingerbreads, Kashubian ceramics, Czech glass, Eastern furs and carpets, English cloth, gypsy pots, Goldwasser (type of vodka) and amber. Apart from merchants, in the Fair participated also circus performers, jugglers, acrobats and theatre groups.
St. Dominic's Fair became an important event for the city, attended by gentry and even by the king himself. The most memorable fair for the citizens was the one from the year 1310, when, during the absence of the king Władysław the Elbow-high, the Teutonic Knights plundered the city for the first time, killing many merchants and other participants of the Fair.
St. Dominic's Fair had been organized annually for the centuries. However, the outbreak of the Second World War caused the Fair to disappear from the city for 33 years. In 1972, owing to the efforts of Wojciech Święcicki, a journalist from a popular Gdańsk evening paper Wieczór Wybrzeża, the tradition of the Fair was restored. In the 1970s the Fair was mostly viewed as a trade event, providing the opportunity to buy desired goods. During special fashion shows commonly called Live Journal the latest Polish fashion collections were presented.
== St. Dominic's Fair today ==For many years, since its reactivation in 1972, the St. Dominic's Fair lasted for 2 weeks. In 2004, a decision was made to extend it up to 3 full weeks. Every year, about 1000 merchants, artists, artisans and collectors take part in the Fair, and it is visited by an average of 70,000 people daily, whose number usually doubles at weekends. As the organizers declare, approximately 5 million people come and go through the Old Town of Gdańsk during each St. Dominic's Fair (in 2007 there were as many as 8.5 million of them which is still a record). The contemporary character of the event recalls the medieval tradition of fun and trade. One can find there an abundance of food stalls offering cold beer, meat, potatoes, sausages, and shish kebabs baked on a gridiron. Tourists from abroad will additionally have a unique opportunity to taste some traditional Polish dishes, like e.g. pierogi (dumplings), bigos (stewed dish made of sauerkraut and/or fresh cabbage, meat and mushrooms), or farmhouse bread with lard and dill pickles.
Just as before the war, there is a funfair which used to be a major attraction during the times of the free city of Danzig. In year 1938 the funfair became even more famous when a 2-metre crocodile escaped from its menagerie and jumped into the Motława river. It took quite a long time to catch it, and the escape caused a general sensation. For obvious reasons, the funfair has changed its character throughout all those years. The halls of mirrors have disappeared and nobody cuts women into two pieces with a handsaw during magic shows; however, it still remains one of the main attractions for the youngest participants of the St. Dominic's Fair.
The number of stalls increases each year, and the programme of the Fair is diversified by various cultural and entertainment events. On the stalls we can find numismatic and philatelic collections, as well as handicrafts, haberdashery, valuable cloths and antiques. All those products and many more may be bought on the popular flea market. Unfortunately, as it happens in other similar fairs in the world, some fake products are sold as well. In the past, for example, it was possible to buy pictures of Kossak, Witkacy and numerous other well-known painters. However, the majority of merchants and collectors are fair and treat visitors seriously. They arrive not only from the farthest corners of Poland but also from other countries, like Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Austria, Sweden and such distant as Israel or Uzbekistan. All those foreign sellers offer products and souvenirs distinctive for their culture.
== The plan of the Fair ==multibranch stalls – Szeroka, św. Ducha, Grobla I, Grobla II Streets;
craft articles and jewellery – Mariacka Street, Długie Pobrzeże, Rybackie Pobrzeże, Długi Targ;
souvenirs and artists’ stalls – Długa Street, Długi Targ, Zielony Most;
stalls of collectors and hobbyists – Wartka and Straganiarska Streets, Targ Rybny;
gastronomic stalls – Targ Węglowy, Targ Rybny, Szeroka Streets.
== The programme of the Fair ==
outdoor stages,
festivals,
fêtes and concerts,
demonstration of fireworks and laser lights,
street parades,
rock concerts,
chamber and organ music concerts,
sport events and competitions (St. Dominic's Race).
History of Gdańsk
Culture of Poland
Saint John's Fair, Poznań
== External links ==
Official page of St. Dominic's Fair
St. Dominic's Fair - video 1
St. Dominic's Fair - video 2 |
1,126 | 63,115,520 | 0 | Urban Highline Festival Lublin | Poland | The Urban Highline Festival is a worldwide biggest urban highline event held annually in Lublin, Poland. The oldest and largest official rally of slackliners and highliners in Poland organised in last days of July in parallel to Carnaval Sztukmistrzów in Old Town of Lublin. The Urban Highline Festival 2019 had more than 300 highliners from all around the World. in 1996 Der Spiegel Raise mentioned Festival as one of the top 10 highline festivals in the world.
== External links ==
Official website |
1,127 | 11,919,129 | 0 | Wianki | Poland | Wianki (Wreaths, in English) is a cyclical cultural event, taking place annually in Kraków at the bend of Wisła river, near the Wawel hill.
== History ==
In its current form of a mass cultural event, Wianki has existed since 1992, when the patronage of this event was taken over by the Kraków City Hall. However, the tradition of organising cultural events at this spot during the summer solstice reaches back a long time. The festival was primarily a pagan religious event - Noc Kupały. After the adoption of Christianity by Poland, the tradition did not die, however, its context was changed: the night's name became Sobótka, or Noc Świętojańska (St. John's Night). Some elements of the original festival remained, such as telling fortunes, letting wreaths float on water, jumping over bonfires or burning herbs. When Polish territory was annexed by Austria, especially after Kraków was incorporated into the Austro-Hungarian state, Wianki became a patriotic manifestation, when Wanda, the legendary princess from the legend of Prince Krak (the founder of Kraków) was commemorated. Before World War I Wianki was organised by institutions such as Polskie Towarzystwo Gimnastyczne Sokół (Sokół Polish Gymnastic Society).
After World War II Wreaths became a light and sound event - a large-scale open-air performance. The event was partly a dramatic show (which featured theatre plays) and a finale firework show. In the 1970s media patronage was unknown in Poland, but Gazeta Krakowska performed a form of it over the festival.
After martial law was introduced in 1981, Wreaths were not officially organised until 1992. Starting that year, the event is the largest annual cultural event, covering music and other performances, a competition for the most beautiful wreath, firework shows and other attractions
== Music performers during the show (starting 2000) ==
2000 - Brathanki, Maanam
2001 - the event was cancelled due to heavy rainfalls
2002 - Myslovitz, Renata Przemyk
2003 - Kayah
2004 - De Mono, Reni Jusis, show dance OPENTANIEC
2005 - Budka Suflera, Krystyna Prońko, Izabela Trojanowska, Patrycja Gola, Felicjan Andrzejczak, Sebastian Riedel
2006 - Polish performers: Krzysztof Kiljański, T.Love, Lech Janerka. International performers: Marillion, Lou Bega
2007 - Polish performers: Daab, Lombard, Mr. Zoob, Róże Europy, Wanda i Banda. International performers: Alphaville, Bananarama, Desireless, Gazebo
2008 - Jamiroquai, Mosqitoo, June, Loco Star
2009 - The Poise Rite, Wilki, Vavamuffin, Patrycja Markowska, Lenny Kravitz
2011 - SOFA, The Poise Rite, Pablopavo, Marika, Wyclef Jean
2013 - Nigel Kennedy
2014 - Polish performers and Fête de la Musique on various scenes (Old Town, main Market Square Rynek, both sides of the Vistula River, Nowa Huta, etc.)
2017 - Taco Hemingway
== External links ==
History of Wreaths in krakow.pl internet service |
1,128 | 4,630,012 | 0 | 5th World Festival of Youth and Students | Poland | The 5th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held from 31 July to 15 August 1955 in Warsaw, capital city of the then Polish People's Republic.
The World Federation of Democratic Youth organized this festival during the rise of the peaceful coexistence concept introduced by Nikita Khrushchev among the socialist bloc. At the end of the 1950s, the colonialism was in its last years, and in the same year, the Bandung Conference was held. The conference strongly criticized the western powers for keeping their colonial possessions. The need for a struggle against the danger of nuclear annihilation and for the end of colonialism dominated the festival.
More than 30,000 young people from 114 countries participated in this edition of the festival.
The motto of the festival was For Peace and Friendship – Against the Aggressive Imperialist Pacts.
The festival's sports programme featured an athletics competition. The Arsenał art exhibition opened at the festival, featuring striking works by young Polish painters. This exhibition was the subject of debate among art critics over its use of expressionist styles.
== Influence ==
Designed to be a vast propaganda exercise, a meeting place for Eastern European communists and their comrades from Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. This event brought hundred of thousands of Polish spectators to Warsaw for the five days, watching dancing, theater and other attractions. However, the real attractions for the Polish people were the foreigners, of whom many were from Western Europe and contrasted starkly with local Poles because they shared similar culture but were much richer and more open. Deeply stricken, many Poles realized that a decades' worth of anti-Western rhetoric was false. Poles, Germans, Hungarians, Czechs and others from the Communist bloc actively socialized with one another. With the more exotic visitors, Poles also socialized in private apartments all around the city. College students even held debate meetings with foreigners, many of whom turned out not to be communists.
The event may be viewed as a precursor of Polish October. |
1,140 | 56,793,108 | 0 | Bor, Mamor, Benye | Hungary | Bor, Mámor, Bénye Festival (Wine, Shine...Bénye) - festival in the gardens of Erdőbénye was born in 2009 from an ideas session of six wineries in Hungary, Tokaj Wine Region, Erdőbénye. The local wine makers, who later formed an association – have staged this gastro-cultural event every year since.
== History ==
=== The beginnings ===
The event was born in 2009 from an ideas session and cooperation between six local wineries. The first festival was a one-day event on 15 th August 2009 where, as well as the local wineries, Hungarian gastrobloggers and regional restaurants created dishes founded on Zemplén flavours and raw ingredients, thus developing a distinct gastro-thread.
Due to great interest, in 2010 the participants founded the Bor, Mámor, Bénye Association to be able to continue the work more professionally and since then it has been the Festival organizer.
Two years later, in 2011, the festival expanded with a Friday night opening concert and joint tasting of all where the participating wineries came together to present their wines at a guided tasting.
=== Expansion ===
By 2013 the festival ran Friday-Saturday- Sunday with more events. By then over 12 wineries had joined the initiative and the event had become known throughout Hungary and popular with wine lovers from Poland and the Carpathian Basin. The festival also offered a campsite and parking area by then. That is when the entry system was introduced.
=== Today ===
In 2016 the event was a four-day event, to be more precise three days+zero day. The opening concert which had been on Friday moved with the joint tasting to Thursday evening. In 2017 the date of the festival changed to early July. The event will return to the original August time in 2019.
== Venue ==
The event is held in Hungary, in the Tokaj Wine Region village of Erdőbénye, where the venues for the wide range of events are the local gardens and cellars of the wineries, churches, village house museum and nearby vineyards.
Current participants: Ábrahám Wine, Bardon Winery, Béres Vineyards and Winery, Budaházy-Fekete Kúria Winery, Csite Family Estate, Illés Cellar, Jakab Winery, Karádi-Berger Winery, Kerékgyártó Cellar, Préselő Winery, Pro Vinum Winery, Sanzon Tokaj, Vayi Winery.
== Gastronomy ==
It was primarily gastro-bloggers who created the dishes at the beginning. Over the years top restaurants from the region and Hungary came to the forefront. The organizers aim to show local ingredients and recipes in the long term. The Tokaj Wine Region produces white wines and the wines that can be tasted in the wineries’ cellars are mainly white wines: The main varieties are Furmint, Hárslevelű and Muscat Lunel along with cuvées hereof.
== Events ==
The long weekend starts with Thursday evening joint tasting in which all the wineries participate followed by a concert. The other days of the festival see the wineries’ gardens become the venues for events.
Music ranges through jazz, folk music and world music. Artists have performed here including Muzsikás, Viktor Tóth, Vilmos Gryllus, Mihály Dresch, but the organizers place great emphasis on bringing less well-known talents to the festival too. From 2018 the event also provides a home for the coopers’ dance, unique to this barrel-making village, and showing the traditions of barrel making. In addition there are exhibitions, literary readings and interviews, plus handcrafts, children’s events, round table discussions, thematic tastings, bicycle tours and other events.
== More information ==
Wine, Shine... Benye official homepage
Wine, Shine... Benye community page |
1,141 | 36,183,298 | 0 | Budapest Fringe Festival | Hungary | The Budapest Fringe Festival is an annual event held every spring in Budapest, Hungary. It is a fringe festival, on the model of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Budapest Fringe Festival was first held in 2006. The festival brings more than 500 artists in about 50 shows to produce a wide range of interesting works in alternative theatre, dance, music and comedy outside the mainstream.
== History ==
The Budapest Fringe Festival was first held between 31 March and 2 April in 2006 in seven different locations in the centre of the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
== Previous years ==
== External links ==
Official website |
1,142 | 25,729,958 | 0 | Budapest Opera Ball | Hungary | The Budapest Opera Ball (Budapesti Operabál in Hungarian, Budapester Opernball in German) is an annual Hungarian society event taking place in the building of the Budapest Opera (Operaház) on the last Saturday of the carnival season, usually late February. On this occasion the stage and the auditorium of the Opera is transformed into a huge ballroom. The dress code is evening dress: white tie and tailcoat for men, floor-length gowns for women. The ball is opened by more than a hundred debutante dancers after a show consisting of selected arias, followed by the Alles Walzer with people dancing until dawn. Recent international guests include Montserrat Caballé, Ornella Muti, Yevgeny Nesterenko, Walter Berry, Heinz Zednik, Katia Ricciarelli, Patrizio Buanne, Catherine Deneuve, Katarina Witt, Gina Lollobrigida, Daryl Hannah, and Guy de Rothschild. Besides such guests as these, the balls are highlighted by the best-known Hungarian opera singers.
The Opera Ball was first organised on March 2, 1886. Suspended in 1934, it was not revived until 1996. Representing a tradition rooted in Austrian-Hungarian culture of the 1880s, the revival has become the most prestigious meeting point of the participants of the Hungarian public life, fully covered by national media.
In 2011, a charity Gala Concert was substituted for the Opera Ball with as a gesture of contribution to the work of the Government, the leading institutions and the citizens to help those Hungarians afflicted by the ongoing financial crisis and the various natural disasters.
Opernball (disambiguation) |
1,143 | 40,598,439 | 0 | Budapest Spring Festival | Hungary | Budapest Spring Festival (Hungarian: Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztivál, pronounced [ˈbudɒpɛʃti ˈtɒvɒsi ˈfɛstivaːl]) is the major arts festival of Budapest, Hungary, sponsored by the city government.
The festival is focused on traditional arts and is larger than its sister event the Budapest Autumn Festival, which is primarily for modern and avant-garde performances.
== External links ==
Budapest Spring Festival website |
1,144 | 2,753,652 | 0 | Busójárás | Hungary | The Busójárás (Hungarian, meaning Busó-walking; in Croatian: Pohod bušara) is an annual celebration of the Šokci living in the town of Mohács, Hungary, held at the end of the Carnival season (Farsang), ending the day before Ash Wednesday. The celebration features Busós (people wearing traditional masks) and includes folk music, masquerading, parades and dancing. Busójárás lasts six days, usually during February. It starts on a Thursday, followed by the Kisfarsang (Little Farsang) carnival on Friday, with the biggest celebration, Farsang vasárnap (Farsang Sunday) on the seventh Sunday before Easter Sunday; the celebration then ends with Farsangtemetés (Burial of Farsang) on the following Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras). These traditional festivities have been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the UNESCO in 2009.
Locals explain the Carnival with two related but different legends.
According to the most popular legend, during the Ottoman times of the territory, people from Mohács fled the town, and started living in the nearby swamps and woods to avoid Ottoman (Turkish) troops. One night, while they were sitting and talking around the fire, an old Šokac man appeared suddenly from nowhere, and said to them: Don't be afraid, your lives will soon turn to good, and you'll return to your homes. Until that time, prepare for the battle, carve various weapons and scary masks for yourselves, and wait for a stormy night when a masked knight will come to you. He disappeared as suddenly as he arrived. The refugees followed his orders, and some days later, on a stormy night, the knight arrived. He ordered them to put on their masks and go back to Mohács, making as much noise as possible. They followed his lead. The Turks were so frightened by the noise, the masks, and the storm in the night, that they thought demons were attacking them, and they ran away from the town before sunrise.
In the older, less popular story, the busós are scaring away not the Turks but Winter itself.
In any case, the locals have celebrated the Busójárás in early February every year ever since, hosting guest Busó teams from neighbouring countries (Croatia and Serbia, local Šokci Croats and Slovenia) and also from Poland.
== Gallery ==
Kurentovanje
Kukeri
Pre-Christian Alpine traditions
Zvončari
== External links ==
[1] Archived 2019-02-11 at the Wayback Machine (More info: http://www.busofest.hu Archived 2019-02-11 at the Wayback Machine UNESCO: Representative List (2009), The Busó festivities at Mohács)
A film about the festivities in English
(in Croatian) Glas Koncila Stipan Bunjevac: Iz života hrvatskih vjernika izvan Hrvatske - Hrvati u Mohaču: Mohačke buše šokačkih Hrvata, nr.5 (1702), February 4, 2007
Official website of Mohacs |
1,145 | 40,598,385 | 0 | Café Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival | Hungary | The Café Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival, formerly the Budapest Autumn Festival (Hungarian Budapesti Őszi Fesztivál) is an annual dance, jazz, theatre, poetry and fine arts festival founded in Budapest in 1992. The festival usually takes place in early October.
Like the Budapest Spring Festival, the Autumn Festival is also sponsored by the city, but the content is more geared to modern and avant-garde arts.
The festival overlaps with the classical Budapest Music Weeks in late September to early November.
== External links ==
Café Budapest Contemporary Arts Festival website (in English) |
1,146 | 36,884,462 | 0 | Great Kurultáj | Hungary | The Great Kurultáj or briefly Kurultáj is a traditional event of peoples of Central Asian nomadic origins, which takes place in the first week of August in Bugac, Hungary. The aim of this event is to strengthen the unity of the Eurasian steppe-nomadic horse culture and traditions between Hungarians and their cultural relatives, eastern Turkic peoples and Altaic peoples. The first Kurultáj was held in the Torgay Region of Kazakhstan in 2007. The first Kurultáj in Hungary was held in 2008. These events contributed much to the revival of the Altaic self-awareness.
Kurultáj is a widely attended event for professional horsemen and fans of horse riding. Each Kurultáj holds the parade of horsemen, horse races, traditional horsemen wrestling, and various tournaments. Hungary is the only European nation to have preserved the traditional kokpar game, a strategic team sport for riders.
== Background ==
The original Kurultáj were held by nomadic people of the Steppes, especially for various chieftains to gather to elect the successor to a recently deceased Khan.
South Korea participates in the Kurultáj.
== Editions ==2007 in Kazakhstan
By Hungarian Turan Foundation:2008
2013
2014
2015
2016
2018
2020 - cancelled.
2022 - 12-14 August - 27 nations. participating nations and tribes: Azerbaijani, Avar, Bashkir, Bulgarian, Balkar, Buryat, Chuvash, Gagauz, Kabardino, Karachay, Karakalpak, Kazakh, Madjar tribe of Kazakhstan, Kirghiz, Kumi, Mongolian, Nogai, Uzbek, Madzsar tribe of Uzbekistan, Tatar, Turkish, Tuva, Turkoman, Uyghur, Yakut, Hungarian.
== Participating nations and states (47) ==
13 nations and 33 states from:Turkic people
Uralic people
Mongolic people
Tungusic people
Caucasian people
Nations:Asia (6): Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, South Korea, Mongolia
Europe (7): Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Estonia, Finland, Bulgaria, Greece
=== 2022 ===
Participating nations and tribes is 27:
Azerbaijani, Avar, Bashkir, Bulgarian, Balkar, Buryat, Chuvash, Gagauz, Kabardino, Karachay, Karakalpak, Kazakh, Madjar tribe of Kazakhstan, Kirghiz, Kumi, Mongolian, Nogai, Uzbek, Madzsar tribe of Uzebekistan, Tatar, Turkish, Tuva, Turkoman, Uyghur, Yakut, Hungarian.
9 Country + 18 state
== Name ==
The word ”kurultáj” and its variations in the Turkic languages translates as “meeting of the tribes”. It occurs amongst tribal nations and practically in all the nomadic cultures. Hungarian nomadic tribes also held these meetings, a fact that is mentioned in Byzantine and Arab written sources. At such meetings, important decisions were made, in particular, the leaders of the tribes would meet often to discuss military decisions and strategies.
== Events ==
2008: unknown
2013: 9 to 11 August.
2014: Took place at Bugac in the Southern Great Plain region in Hungary.
2015: Organized by the Hungarian Turan Foundation with contributions from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and named the year's event Ancestors Day. Representatives from the governments of Hungary and Turkey joined the festivities as well.
2016: Took place from 12 to 14 August at Bugac.
2018: unknown
2020: cancelled
2022: culture + music + sports (horse + archery + Guresh)
Medalists:
== Gallery ==
Altaic language
Huns
Kurultai
Hungarian Turanism
Pan-Turanism
Pan Turkism
World Turks Qurultai
Treaty of Trianon
Bugac
Jirga
List of festivals in Europe
== External links ==
Media related to Kurultáj (Bugac) at Wikimedia Commons
Bugac // Puszta . com
Information |
1,147 | 18,041,821 | 0 | LOW Festival | Hungary | The LOW Festival (also known as LOW Holland-Flamand Kultfeszt) was a multidisciplinary contemporary cultural festival held in Hungary in the cities Budapest and Pécs from 15 February till 12 March 2008. The name of the festival alludes to the Low Countries, the region encompassing the Netherlands and Flanders.
The aim of the festival was to get the Hungarian audience acquainted with contemporary Dutch and Flemish culture. Besides this the festival's goal was to establish a sustainable cooperation between Dutch, Flemish and Hungarian organisations and artists. The LOW Festival brought a wide variety of Dutch and Flemish visual arts, design, performing arts, feature films, documentaries, contemporary, classical, jazz and pop music to Hungary.
The LOW Festival was initiated by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Flemish Representation in Budapest, the organizational tasks were carried out by the Low Festival Centre, which was opened by the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kinga Göncz, and her Dutch colleague, Maxime Verhagen, in a ceremony on September 12, 2007.
== Location ==
The festival took place at more than 20 locations in Budapest, including popular venues like the A38 Ship, Ernst Museum, Ludwig Museum, Merlin Theatre, Millenáris Park, MU Theatre, Műcsarnok/Kunsthalle, Örökmozgó Filmmuseum, Palace of Arts, Rudas Bath and Trafó – House of Contemporary Arts.
== External links ==
The official site of the LOW Festival |
1,148 | 37,171,981 | 0 | Meat-jelly Festival | Hungary | The Kocsonya Festival is an annual event held in the city of Miskolc, Hungary, celebrating the end of the winter season. The event consists of concerts, performances and stores where visitors can buy traditional Hungarian products and fare. The festival is the largest gastronomic event in Hungary, with an overwhelming range of cuisine from Miskolc and across the country.
== History of the festival ==
The festival has been held annually since 1999. Initially part of 'Vendégségben Miskolcon', a project to enhance the attraction of Miskolc with both international and domestic tourists, the festival has since grown to become a large public event in its own right. In 2001 the first 'Kocsonya Ball' was organized, followed in 2002 by the 'Celebration of Kocsonya'. In 2003 the event was extended again by a 'Kocsonya Gala', and since 2004 the program has been known as the 'Miskolc Winter Kocsonya Festival'.
== Legend of kocsonya ==
The proverb Blinks like frog in the Miskolc kocsonya dates from the nineteenth century. It is based on a legend which describes a careless waiter who didn't realize that a frog had jumped into the kocsonya, which was then left in a cellar in order to congeal. The waiter then served the meat jelly together with the frog which, the legend says, was still blinking. This gave rise to the expression “blinks like a frog in the Miskolc meat jelly”, referring to a glazed look of dumbfounded surprise. After the incident the story was dispersed in the form of postcards and gifts all over the country.
== Kocsonya ==
Kocsonya is a traditional cold meal which can be found in many European nations' cuisine. The recipe appears in the oldest cookbook, written in France in 1395.
=== Ingredients of kocsonya ===
Kocsonya is a Hungarian meat jelly similar to aspic that is served as a chilled main course. It is traditionally made from pork products such as pig ears, pig tail, pig's trotters, and pork skin. Spices include red pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic, hot red pepper, and onion.
Aspic
== Notes ==
'More than a legend...' – MEAT JELLY FESTIVAL - Kocsonyafesztivál. Kocsonyafesztival.hu. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
A fesztivál története - Kocsonyafesztivál. Kocsonyafesztival.hu. 2012-02-26. Archived from the original on 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
Kocsonya (Meat jelly/Aspic). 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2016-04-11. |
1,149 | 72,473,080 | 0 | Mediawave International Film Festival | Hungary | The Media Wave International Film Festival (Mediawave Nemzetközi Filmfesztivál) also known as Fényírók Fesztiválja is one of the significant International Visual Arts festival held in Hungary. It was founded in 1991. The festival presents all Visual arts platforms including feature films, shorts, documentaries, and animated films. All programs, screenings, conferences, and exhibitions are free to attend.
== History ==
The first edition was held as International Film And Video Art Festival of Hungary. The festival uses the name Fényírók Fesztiválja since 1994 onwards. The Festival is also known as Media Wave, Festival of Light Writer and On the Road International Online Film Festival.
== Fesztivál Fődíja (Main Prize) winners of the Media Wave ==
The Main Prize is offered by: Hungarian Motion Picture Public Foundation for the Best Ethnographic or Anthropological film.
== Legjobb játékfilm (Best Feature Film) winners of the Media Wave ==
== International Film Competition Awards ==
The Main Prize
Best Feature Film
Best Animation Film
Best Hungarian Experimental Film
KODAK – Hungary Award for Cinematography
The festival's documentary award
Győr City Award for the best animated film
Best Actor Award
Best Actress Award
Best Direction Award
Big Game Film Award
Best Dance Award
The jury's special award
Special Prizes
== Further reading ==
Iordanova, Dina (2003). Cinema of the Other Europe: The industry and artistry of East Central European film. London: Wallflower. ISBN 9781903364611.
== External links ==Official website |
1,150 | 2,316,527 | 0 | Name days in Hungary | Hungary | This is a calendar of name days in Hungary.
== External links ==
Sortable Hungarian name days list - this is a sortable list allowing one to list alphabetically or chronologically
Hungarian name day search engine with expanded name database - Search by date, name or nickname |
1,151 | 36,288,500 | 0 | Ökofeszt | Hungary | The Ökofeszt or Ecofest was festival which was held to celebrate eco friendly ideas in Hungary. The first Ökofeszt was organized by Védegylet and Zöld Fiatalok and held on 15 and 16 April 2005 in Budapest.
The slogan of the festival was Politics Can Be Different which led to the formation of an eponymous political party in 2009. Politics Can Be Different won seats in the National Assembly in the 2010 parliamentary election. The key issues of the festival were environmental protection, sustainable development and the fight against corruption in the current Hungarian political elite. The public face of the party is András Schiffer, who presented a talk at the first Ökofeszt in 2005 and is a former member of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.
== Talks ==
== Concerts ==
== External links ==
Ökofeszt Official Site |
1,152 | 1,327,495 | 0 | Sziget Festival | Hungary | The Sziget Festival (Hungarian: Sziget Fesztivál, pronounced [ˈsiɡɛt ˈfɛstivaːl]; Sziget for Island) is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbudai-sziget (Old Buda Island), a leafy 108-hectare (266-acre) island on the Danube. More than 1,000 performances take place each year.
The week-long festival has grown from a relatively low-profile student event in 1993 to become one of the prominent European rock festivals, with about half of all visitors coming from outside Hungary, especially from Western Europe. It also has a dedicated party train service (with resident DJs) that transports festival-goers from all over Europe. The second event (1994), labelled Eurowoodstock, was headlined by performers from the original Woodstock festival. By 1997, total attendance exceeded 250,000, and by 2001 reached 360,000. In 2018 that record was broken when 565,000 visitors attended the festival. Since the mid-2000s, Sziget Festival has been increasingly labelled as a European alternative to the Burning Man festival due to its unique features (an electronically amplified, warped amusement park that has nothing to do with reality).
In 2011, Sziget was ranked one of the 5 best festivals in Europe by The Independent. The festival is a two-time winner at the European Festivals Awards in the category Best Major European Festival, in 2011 and 2014.
In 2002, Sziget branched out to Transylvania when its organisers co-created a new annual festival there titled Félsziget Fesztivál (Romanian: Festivalul Peninsula) that soon became the largest of its kind in Romania. In 2007, the organisers co-created Balaton Sound, an electronic music festival held on the southern bank of Lake Balaton that quickly gained popularity.
== History ==Following the end of the Communist era in 1989, the formerly lively summer festival scene in Budapest faced a crisis due to a sudden loss of governmental funding. A group of artists and rock enthusiasts proposed the Sziget event as a way to bridge this gap. The festival was started in 1993, originally called Diáksziget (Student Island). This first event was organised by music fans in their spare time and ran well over budget, taking until 1997 to repay the losses. From 1996 to 2001 it was sponsored by Pepsi and renamed Pepsi Sziget. It has been called Sziget Fesztivál (island festival) since 2002.
A comprehensive survey was done and published on the risktaking behaviour and mood of Sziget visitors (2007) by the National Institute for Health Promotion (OEI). The survey revealed amongst others that the last sexual encounter of 9.4% of its participants was unprotected.Sziget Festival is notable in that it contains acts from many different genres. 2006 saw, among others, a blues stage, a jazz tent, a world music stage, alongside the main stage with more typical popular rock acts.
The festival is popular with west Europeans. Around 50% of visitors come from outside Hungary, with the largest group coming from the Netherlands. Many also come from Belgium, the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Ireland and Romania.
Being located on an island, some festival goers have tried to enter by swimming across the Danube or by paddling across in inflatable rafts. The organisers very much discourage these attempts as it is dangerous due to the tricky nature of the fast-flowing Danube river.
== 2008 ==In 2008, Sziget Festival lasted from 11 to 18 August. The festival, instead of 7+1 days as in 2007, was 5+2 days long, with a zeroeth day that featured one major gig (Iron Maiden) and a special minus first day called Day of Hungarian Songs that headlined a number of popular Hungarian rock bands (including LGT and Beatrice). As well as Iron Maiden, R.E.M., Mass Hysteria, Babyshambles, Sex Pistols, Jamiroquai, Anti-Flag, Flogging Molly, Alanis Morissette, the Killers, the Kooks, Kaiser Chiefs, the Cribs, Speak and many other were also confirmed, the day of their performance is available at the Sziget website. The length of the festival was reduced so that the residents living in the neighborhoods nearby would have less trouble because of the noise. The organizers plan to take further steps to reduce noise: the metal stage will be open until 11 pm only and noise filtering walls will be built near the noisiest stages.
== 2009 ==
Sziget 2009 was 10–17 August 2009. The festival had a 5+2 day schedule again. The zeroeth day had a Rock Against Racism concert, featuring mostly Hungarian bands. The minus first day had one major gig again, this time the 20th anniversary concert of Hungarian rock band Tankcsapda.
The Lineup:
Main Stage
IAMX,
Nouvelle Vague,
Ska-P,
Snow Patrol,
Lily Allen,
Miss Platnum,
The Ting Tings,
Die Toten Hosen,
Bloc Party,
Fatboy Slim,
Haydamaky,
Jet,
Primal Scream,
Pendulum,
The Prodigy,
The Subways,
Editors,
Klaxons,
Manic Street Preachers,
Placebo,
Disco Ensemble,
Danko Jones,
Maxïmo Park,
The Offspring,
Faith No More
World Music Main Stage
So Kalmery,
Napra,
Oi Va Voi,
Calexico,
08001,
Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club,
Figli Di Madre Ignota,
Zamballarana,
Amadou & Mariam
Speed Caravan,
Woven Hand & Muzsikás,
N&SK,
Khaled,
Vieux Farka Touré,
Tiken Jah Fakoly,
Brotherhood of Brass: Boban Marković Orkestar + Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars
A38-WAN2 Stage:
Blasted Mechanism,
De Staat,
La Troba Kung-Fú,
Matatu,
Miloopa,
Muchachito Bombo Infierno,
Squarepusher,
Tricky,
White Lies,
Babylon CircusWhite Lies' performance of The Power and the Glory from Sziget Festival was later used as the music video for the song.
Rock Stage:
Backyard Babies,
Brujeria,
Deathstars,
Donots,
Expatriate,
Life of Agony,
Satyricon,
Turbonegro,
Turisas
Party Arena:
Armin van Buuren,
Birdy Nam Nam,
Coldcut,
Dillinja,
Eric Prydz,
Grooverider,
Jose Padilla,
Paul Oakenfold,
Pete Tong,
808 State
== 2011 ==
=== Mainstage ===
Prince, Thirty Seconds to Mars, The Prodigy, Pulp, Chemical Brothers, White Lies, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Manic Street Preachers, Dizzee Rascal, Interpol, Flogging Molly, Kate Nash, British Sea Power, Skunk Anansie, Gogol Bordello, La Roux, Rise Against, The National, Hadouken!, Good Charlotte, Batucada Sound Machine.
=== Worldmusic Stage ===
AfroCubism, Rotfront, Ojos de Brujo, Gotan Project, Eliades Ochoa, Hurlements d’Leo, Debout Sur Le Zinc, Goran Bregovic Wedding & Funeral Band and Shtetl Super Stars.
=== Party Arena ===
Crystal Castles, 2 Many DJ's, Empire of the Sun, Goose (Belgian band) and Zombie Nation.
=== Europe Stage ===
Söhne Mannheims, Verdena, Go Back to the Zoo and Triggerfinger.
=== A38/Wan2 Stage ===
De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig, Baskerville, DeWolff, Kees van Hondt, Selah Sue, Marina and the Diamonds, Bloody Beetroots, Death Crew 77 and Hurts.
=== Metal Mainstage ===
Deftones, Lostprophets, Within Temptation, Sonata Arctica, Judas Priest and Motörhead.
== 2014 ==
=== Mainstage ===
Monday, August 11:
Ivan & The Parazol, Leningrad, The 1975, Tankcsapda, Blink-182
Tuesday, August 12:
Anti-Flag, Ska-P, Queens of the Stone Age, Deadmau5
Wednesday, August 13:
Jake Bugg, Imagine Dragons, Placebo, Skrillex
Thursday, August 14:
Mary PopKids, Bastille, Lily Allen, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Friday, August 15:
Die Fantastischen Vier, CeeLo Green, Manic Street Preachers, Korn
Saturday, August 16:
Bombay Bicycle Club, Punnany Massif, Madness, The Prodigy
Sunday, August 17:
Triggerfinger, The Kooks, Outkast, Calvin Harris
=== A38 Stage ===
Tuesday, August 12:
Brody Dalle, A Day to Remember, Casper, Jimmy Eat World, The Bloody Beetroots, Deniz Koyu, Thomas Gold (DJ), Sikztah
Wednesday, August 13:
Girls in Hawaii, The Big Pink, Tom Odell, Miles Kane, Clean Bandit, R3hab, Madeon, Andro
Thursday, August 14:
Michael Kiwanuka, Fink, Irie Maffia, Bonobo, Stromae, Kavinsky (Outrun Live), Axwell, Muzzaik
Friday, August 15:
Palma Violets, Band of Skulls, Angel Haze, Kelis, Klaxons, Sandro Silva, Laidback Luke, Dave Martin
Saturday, August 16:
Starlight Girls, The BossHoss, Jagwar Ma, Wild Beasts, Crystal Fighters, Quentin Mosimann, Fedde le Grand, Julia Carpenter
Sunday, August 17:
INVSN, Mount Kimbie, NOFX, La Roux, Darkside, DJAIKOVSKI ft. TK Wonder & MC Wasp, Ian Autorun, Borgore, Black Sun Empire, Jade
== Lawsuit ==Dr. Tamas Derce, the mayor of Újpest, the 4th district of Budapest, has sued Sziget Festival, claiming that the event is so loud the locals cannot sleep at night. The mayor wants to force the organisers by court decision to cease every program between 6 pm and 10 am - which virtually means closing down the festival. The mayor already lost a similar case against Sziget at court in 2002.
The organizers of the 2008 festival promised local officials that the main stage will shut down at 11 pm and no music on that stage will be played after that. For this reason the Iron Maiden concert was taken from its original starting time of 9:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
== Previous years ==
== Other activities ==
In addition to music, the festival offers a plethora of other activities including cinema, dance, theatre, tattooing, Internet access, volleyball, tennis, football, indoor rowing, rock climbing, bungee jumping and a life-sized foosball.
The island is located in the city of Budapest allowing trips to the city centre during the day.List of historic rock festivals
Woodstock
An artistic reply to this festival is Magyar Sziget (Hungarian Island) at Verőce (Hungary), focusing on Hungarian rather than international music. It is held every year in July.
== Notes ==
== External links ==Official website in 12 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Ukrainian, Finnish, Slovakian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese and Hungarian
Official website for the Netherlands
Official website for Spain
Official website for the U.K.
Official website for Turkey
Sziget Ticketing
Sziget 2007 Foto Group
Latest news on Sziget on Budapest Festivals - unofficial news site
Sziget News - independent news site and fan community
Budapest All in One Guide |
1,153 | 3,573,036 | 0 | 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students | Hungary | The 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held from 27 July to 3 August 1949 in Budapest, capital city of the then Hungarian People's Republic, a city still recuperating from World War II. The 2nd WFYS was one of three major youth events held in Communist Hungary in 1949, along with the World University Summer Games and the World Youth Congress. It was organised by the World Federation of Democratic Youth and the International Union of Students.
On 14 August 1949, 20,000 young people from 82 countries gathered in the Ujpest Stadium, opening the festival. For two weeks, the participants took part in cultural, sport, and political activities. The festival expressed its solidarity for the anti-colonialist struggle of the peoples of Indonesia, Malaysia and French Indochina and also for the anti-fascist struggle of the Spanish and Greek peoples. It was the first time that a delegation from what would become East Germany took part.
It featured a sports programme, including an athletics competition.
The motto of the festival was: Youth Unite! Forward for Lasting Peace, Democracy, National Independence and a Better Future for the People! |
1,163 | 34,846,542 | 0 | Chalandamarz | Switzerland | Chalandamarz is a traditional spring festival in Romansh-speaking and Italian-speaking parts of the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It is celebrated on, and named for, the First of March (Calendae Martis) and marks the end of winter.
It is celebrated in much of the Romansh-speaking area, including the Engadin, Val Müstair, Albula (Surmeir), and formerly in the Posterior Rhine valley, as well as in the Italian-speaking parts of Grisons (Poschiavo, Bregaglia and Mesolcina). It is not known in the Surselva. Trin in the Sutselva has a similar tradition, known as the Muntinadas.
The form Chalandamarz ([tɕɐˌlandɐˈmarts]) represents the Engadin dialects (Vallader and Putèr); Surmiran variants of the name are Calondamars(a), -marza; Italian (Lombard) variants used in the southern valleys are Calendamarz, Calentmarz.
On the first of March, and often at least one day before, the boys of each village go around and ring bells and sing. The object is to mark the beginning of a new year in spring, to scare away the evil spirits of winter and wake up the good spirits of spring. Girls traditionally don’t take part in this, but in some villages girls carry baskets around to gather money, and in some villages they carry bells too. Often the boys march around the village fountains, and go into the old houses and sing. After this, there is often whip-cracking. In the evening on the first of March, there is often a party with dancing. The procession of boys at Chalandamarz is often led by the oldest boys who are due to leave school the following year. These are known as Patruns (patrons, masters).
Use of cowbells to drive out winter is known from other Alpine folklore, such as the Perchten or Fasnacht traditions of Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian speaking areas. The Chalandamarz in Ftan, Lower Engadin, shows influence from Fasnacht traditions in the wearing of masks. In Poschiavo and Mesolcina, formerly also in Scuol, Tschlin and Innerferrera, a straw effigy symbolizing winter is burned.
== Bells ==
Types of cowbells used:Talacs are small bells and the only ones which are still worn by cows in the Engadin.
Plumpas are some of the largest bells, often made of bronze or brass to provide good sound.
Maruns are round bells made of steel in a thin layer, and often black in colour. The largest of these are the largest bells in Chalandamarz, up to half a metre in diameter.
Brunzinas are of a more widely recognized shape. They are often brass and make a unique sound. They are sometimes worn only by girls in villages where they too carry bells.
Zampuogns are slightly different from other bells, but not as eccentric as brunzinas. From the outside they are very smooth, made of bronze and brass and can easily crack. Their ringer is very thick and it often produces a low but clear sound. They are heavier than regular plumpas.
Rolls are large belts with roll-bells attached. They are often worn by the oldest boys, the youngest or the oldest Patruns. Some villages still retain the tradition of using horses to pull the boys to smaller villages on the outskirts of the main village, and in this case the horses wear them.
Dicziunari Rumantsch Grischun, vol. III, pp. 164–172 (with bibliography).
Atlas der schweizerischen Volkskunde, vol. II, maps 189, 194, 196, Kommentarband II, pp. 216, 252, 273f. |
1,164 | 36,093,531 | 0 | Compagnie de 1602 | Switzerland | The Compagnie de 1602 is an historic and patriotic association in Geneva who organize the official commemoration of the Escalade. This association was established on March 31, 1926.
== Previous history ==
The Escalade was celebrated immediately after the attack of the Savoyards, but the patriotic commemoration became very important only in the middle of the 19th century (in 1860). In this time, Geneva builds monuments in memory of the Escalade. The first processions with historical costumes take place (1867–1868) - military and gymnastics groups compose the processions - and the famous Pot in chocolate is created (10 décembre 1881).
In 1898, the genevan patriotic association for the Escalade is created with the aim of the tercentenary of the Escalade (in 1902). The Compagnie de 1602 is created some years after, on March 31, 1926, and succeeds the former association
October 27, 1926 a few months after its foundation, the association has 56 members - named Compagnons ; some are very famous Genevan or Swiss personalities, for instance: Gustave Ador, Édouard Elzingre...
== Become a Compagnon ==In 1926 as today, the Members of the Compagnie must be Swiss and receive the signature and agreement of two members (as a sponsorship). The foreigners are welcomed as sympathizers members. Every member - men, women and children - pays a financial contribution. Finally there is no religious, political or social distinction within this association.
In 2011 the association had approximately 2500 members.
== Historical costumes ==
The historical costumes which dress approximately 800 persons during the Parade of Escalade do not date from 1602. They were made at the beginning and in the middle of the 20th century and they are inspired by the drawings of Elzingre. However, historical research shows that some colors used in these costumes did not exist in 1602 and are not good examples of austere lifestyle in Geneva after the Reformation...
== Tribute to the heroes ==
This solemn parade take place on Friday evening and traditionally marks the start of the festivities. Legacy of earlier parades of the early 20th century, it reflects the will to make a tribute to the 18 victims of the Geneva Escalade. Thus, along a path leading from Bourg-de-Four to the Protestant church of Saint-Gervais - burial place of those victims - the political authorities of the city and county lay flowers on three commemorative monuments - la Tertasse, la Corraterie et Saint-Gervais.
== The Parade ==
On Sunday evening, lit by torchbearers creating a special atmosphere, the parade into the town attracts tens of thousands of people.
Bringing in good order all costumed compagnons, horses, carriages and weapons, the parade explores the old city, the lower streets, and the Saint-Gervais area during more than 3 hours.
Along the way, the parade stops in five emblematic places of the city (Bourg-de-Four, Molard, Coutance, Corraterie, Cour Saint-Pierre), places where the herald - horseman dressed in the colors of Geneva - delivers proclamation - an oration recalling the history of the Escalade to the people gathered. The last step in the forecourt of the Geneva's Cathedral Saint-Pierre traditionally ends with a bonfire.
With this procession, the Escalade could be the largest free historical reconstitution in Europe.
The next weekend of celebration and remembrance will take place on December 11, 12 and 13th, 2015.
=== Composition of the Parade ===
L'Escalade
History of Geneva
=== Bibliography ===
Bulletin de la Compagnie de 1602, Genève. 1926--> (trimestriel, quadriannuel ou quinquannuel (selon l'époque)).
Le cortège historique du 1er juin 1903 à Genève : commémoration du traité de Saint-Julien. Atar, Genève 1903.
Programme - livret officiel, fête du 12 décembre, fête nationale de l'Escalade, 1602-1892. Comité d'Organisation. Genève 1892.
Troisième centenaire de l'Escalade, 1602-1902 : cortège historique, 1150 participants : programme officiel. Éd. par le Comité central, Genève 1902.
Escalade : Gedenkmünzen 2002 = monnaie commémorative 2002. In: Numis-Post & MHZ., Bad Ragaz. Jg. 35(2002), Nr. 1, p. 58-59.
Christian Dédérod, Un demi-siècle d'insignes de la Compagnie de 1602 : 1947-1997. Compagnie de 1602, Genève 1997.
Roland-Daniel Schneebeli, Falco : le faucon de 1602 : histoire d'un canon de campagne du début du XVIIe siècle et état du parc d'artillerie de Genève à l'époque de l'Escalade. Compagnie de 1602, Genève 1999.
Didier Aulas, Week-end genevois à Zürich pour la Sechselaüten: le Röstigraben explose avec le Böögg!, Bulletin de la Compagnie de 1602, Genève, n°305, 1996. pp. 10–13.
Guillaume Fatio, L'Escalade patriotique, Anniversaire de l'Escalade, Compagnie de 1602, Genève 1927.
Jean-Pierre Ferrier, Histoire de la fête de l'Escalade. L'Escalade de Genève - 1602 : histoire et tradition. Jullien Éd., Genève 1952. pp. 489–530.
Richard Gaudet-Blavignac, Escalade, cortèges, proclamation et Compagnie de 1602., Genava, tome 50, 2002. pp. 219–244.
Richard Gaudet-Blavignac, D'où viennent les costumes de la Compagnie de 1602 ?, Bulletin de la Compagnie de 1602., n° 318, décembre 1998. pp. 48–55.
Bernard Lescaze, Escalade et coutumes de table : de quand date la marmite en chocolat ?, Revue du vieux Genève., n⁰ 21, 1991. pp. 92–96.
Gustave Maunoir, La Compagnie de 1602 et les fêtes de l'Escalade., Anniversaire de l'Escalade, Compagnie de 1602, Genève, 1929.
== External links ==
Site officiel de la Compagnie de 1602
Genève commémore l'Escalade sur le site officiel du canton de Genève Archived 2012-12-16 at the Wayback Machine
Histoire de l'Escalade sur le site officiel de la Ville de Genève
article de la Tribune de Genève (12 décembre 2008) sur la vie au sein de la Compagnie 1602
Fête de l'Escalade sur Genève-Tourisme
Site des traditions vivantes de Suisse
Course de l'Escalade
Bibliographie exhaustive sur l'Escalade, histoire, fête et traditions. |
1,165 | 31,943,037 | 0 | Cristal Festival Europe | Switzerland | The Cristal Festival is an international festival for professionals of the communication, advertising & creative worlds. Previously known as Méribel Ad Festival, it is now held every year in December, in the ski resort of Courchevel, French Alps). In 2014, the event will take place from 11 to 14 December.
Over 1000 people attend the festival every year coming for its debates, conferences, and workshops that are held about the latest topics, trends and developments in the industry, always led by keynote speakers.
Throughout the year, the Cristal Festival continues to provide networking and knowledge sharing through the Cristal Academies : National clubs (in France,
Spain, Russia and the UK), built around a shared sector (Media, Production...), specific subject (Women) or hobby (Golf).
The winners of this festival are included into ABC Show
== History ==
Originally taking place in Méribel, the Cristal Festival (formerly known as the Meribel Ad Festival, created in 2001) moved to Crans Montana in the Swiss Alps, in 2009.
Since 2004 the Festival has opened up to the world with an increasing number of participants and visitors. More than 1000 delegates attended the 2008 edition, with a large number of clients (160).
In 10 years, the Festival has become an important event for the communication world at the end of the year.
The ambition of the Festival is to promote advertising creativity, and to showcase a variety of work from the industry by means of a diverse range of creative competitions and through the sharing of knowledge. The competitions in December close the creative year and announce the broad tendencies of the coming international Prizes.
The Cristal Lab, created since the beginning, is the moment to get an overview of the latest trends and developments in the industry, and is a meeting place for the European and international specialists. It consists of debates, Keynote speaker conferences and workshops. The Cristal Lab is also a place used for business and creative exchanges.
== Awards ==
The Cristal Festival is a 5-day competition where creativity of the advertising world is rewarded & highlighted. A President of the Festival is appointed every year.
Here are some of the previous presidents:
– 2010 : Mark Tutssel, Chief Creative Officer – Leo Burnett Worldwide
– 2009 : David Jones, Global CEO – Havas Worldwide
– 2007 : Howard Draft – Chairman & CEO – Draftfcb Worldwide
– 2006 : Kevin Roberts – CEO – Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide
11 Prizes are awarded by several juries composed of advertising professionals and advertisers. Prizes are awarded to advertising agencies, producers and advertisers. They have to come from European countries.
Each of the following prizes includes a Cristal by product category, and a Grand Cristal, which does not take into account the category.
The Film and Radio Cristals.
In 2010 the Jury President of both prizes was Olivier Altmann, Chief Creative Officier at Publicis Worldwide
The International Production Cristal.
In 2010 the president of the jury was James Covill, executive producer at Grey London.
The Outdoor, Press and Print Craft Cristals.
In 2010 the Jury President was Paul Smith, Regional Creative Director EAME at Ogilvy & Mather
The Media Cristal awards the success of a media strategy.
In 2010, the Jury President was Mauricio Sabogal, Worldwide managing director at Initiative, and President at Mediabrands Latin America
The Integrated and Brand Content Cristals. In 2010, the jury president was Tom O’Keefe, Executive Creative Director at Draftfcb North America
The Consumer Marketing Cristal Prize involves different product categories, such as Client Loyalty, Marketing Action to Premium Client, and Technologic Innovation.
In 2010, the jury president was Daniel Morel, Chairman & CEO at Wunderman
The Digital & Mobile Cristal rewards creativity in online campaigns. Indeed, this prize rewards 25 categories such as Home Page Customization or Viral Film.
In 2010, the Jury President was Fernanda Romano, Global Creative Director of Digital & Experiential at Euro RSCG
Each year, several people have been awarded by the Cristal of Honor during the latest festival such as Bryan Buckley, director at Hungry Man USA, who is particularly known for creating Super Bowl classics. |
1,166 | 26,228,003 | 0 | Eis-zwei-Geissebei | Switzerland | Eis-zwei-Geissebei is a Carnival festival held in Rapperswil (Switzerland) on Shrove Tuesday.
== History and origin ==
Its origin may go back to the siege and destruction of the city of Rapperswil at St. Matthew in 1350 by Rudolf Brun, first mayor of the city of Zürich. At that time, compassionate citizens served food to hungry children through the windows of their houses, to which the current practice recalls.
== Today ==
After the traditional Herrenessen (dinner of the council members) in the Rathaus Rapperswil and cabaret program with distinguished guests, hundreds of children gather in the main square on Shrove Tuesday. At exactly 15:15 the windows of the town hall open and a fanfare sounds.
A council member asks, “Sind alli mini Buebe doo?” (Swiss German: Are all my boys here?), and the answer is given: “Joo! Eis - Zwei - Geissebei!” (Yes, one, two, goat-leg!), whereupon sausages, bread rolls and Biberli (a sweet) are dropped down to the children on the Hauptplatz (main square). Following the so-called Austeilete, in the evening there is intense activity, and the crowning of the carnival, all Guggenmusik (carnival marching bands) gathered on Lindenhof at Schloss Rapperswil to celebrate a roaring concert.
== External links ==Carnival on Verkehrsverein Rapperswil-Jona Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine |
1,167 | 700,846 | 0 | L'Escalade | Switzerland | L'Escalade, or Fête de l'Escalade (from escalade, the act of scaling defensive walls), is an annual festival in Geneva, Switzerland, held each December commemorating the defeat of an attempt to conquer the Protestant city-state by the Catholic Duchy of Savoy in 1602. The celebrations and other commemorative activities are usually held on 12 December or the closest weekend.
Savoyard troops sent by Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy attempted a surprise attack during the night of 11–12 December 1602, but were repulsed by the Genevese defenders. According to legend, this was possible thanks to individual acts of bravery by Genevese citizens, notably by local resident Catherine Cheynel (also known as la Mère Royaume), who dumped boiling vegetable soup on the invaders and alerted the townsfolk.
== Background ==
For years, the duke coveted the wealth of Geneva. When Charles Emmanuel came to the throne of the House of Savoy in 1580, he aimed to make Geneva his capital north of the Alps and crush Protestantism. Pope Clement VIII offered encouragement, and in 1602 he appointed Francis de Sales as Catholic bishop of Geneva. Sales was an effective preacher who had recently been successful in re-Catholicizing the Chablais district of Savoy on the south side of Lake Geneva.
== Battle ==
On the night of 11–12 December 1602—the darkest night of the year—the Savoyard forces, under the command of the seigneur d'Albigny, and those of Charles Emmanuel's brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain, launched an attack on Geneva. Numbering over 2,000, the troops marched along the river Arve at night and assembled at Plainpalais, just outside the walls of Geneva, at around 2:00 a.m. on 12 December. The original plan was to send in a group of commandos to open the city gate and let the other troops in.
The citizens of Geneva defeated the invaders by preventing them from scaling the wall using cannon fire, and by fighting in the streets against the few who managed to climb over. The alarm was raised, the church bells were rung, and the Genevese were alerted. The night guard Isaac Mercier cut the rope holding up the portcullis, foiling the plan to open the main city gate. The citizens fought alongside the town militia and repelled the Savoyard invasion, forcing them to retreat.
In the fighting, the Genevese suffered 18 fatalities, while the Savoyards suffered 54 fatalities. 13 Savoyards who had been taken prisoner, including several well-born men, were summarily hung the following day as brigands since they could not be treated as prisoners of war, peace having been repeatedly sworn on the part of Savoy.
According to Genevese legend, Catherine Cheynel (Mère Royaume), a cook originally from Lyon and the wife of Pierre Royaume, seized a large cauldron of boiling hot vegetable soup and poured it on the attackers when they were scaling the walls. The Royaume family lived just above the La Monnaie town gate. The heavy cauldron of boiling soup landed on the head of a Savoyard attacker, killing him. The commotion that this caused also helped to rouse the townsfolk to defend the city.
After the defeat, the Duke of Savoy accepted a lasting peace, sealed by the Treaty of St. Julien of 12 July 1603.
== Celebration ==Although the armed conflict actually took place after midnight, in the early morning on 12 December, celebrations and other commemorative activities are usually held on 11 December or the closest weekend. Celebrations include a large marmite (cauldron) made of chocolate and filled with marzipan vegetables and candies wrapped in the Geneva colours of red and gold. It is customary for the eldest and youngest in the room to smash the marmite, while reciting, Ainsi périrent les ennemis de la République! (Thus perished the enemies of the Republic), referring to the legend of Catherine Cheynel. Other traditions include mulled wine, large servings of vegetable soup, and children in various types of costumes knocking on people's doors and singing l'Escalade songs for candies. It is also common for children in school to prepare vegetable soup, which is served to parents and families that night. Teenagers tend to throw eggs, shaving cream, and flour at each other as part of the celebration. The high school students parade together by first going to conquer each other and end up in the central square of the old town after walking through the rues basses to the plaine de Plainpalais and back.
There is also a parade on Friday evening. The names of the eighteen Genevese fatalities—Jacques Billon died of his wounds a year later—are called out one by one. The historical procession on Sunday features around 800 people from old Genevese families wearing historical costumes, some of whom carry the remaining fragments of the ladders used by the Savoyards and ride horses. This parade, organised since 1926 by the Compagnie de 1602, attracts tens of thousand spectators annually.
=== Escalade Run ===
Since 1978 there has been another element to the celebration of l'Escalade, the Escalade Run, a road running event held the weekend of or preceding the night of 11 December (depending on whether or not it falls on a weekend). The run traditionally starts in the parc des Bastions and goes through the Old City of Geneva before eventually circling back to the start. It is one of the most significant annual events in Geneva. There are multiple events for different age groups.
== Legacy ==
The story of L'Escalade is told in a song called Cé qu'è l'ainô, written in a Franco-Provençal dialect around 1603 by an unknown author. The song has become the national anthem of Geneva. While the complete version comprises 68 stanzas, only four of them are usually sung.
It was also celebrated in verse by Samuel Chappuzeau in his Genève Délivrée.
== Further reading ==
Gaberel, Jean (1852). L'Escalade, son origine et ses conséquences [The Escalade, Its Origins and Consequences] (in French).
== External links ==Compagnie de 1602, the group who organises the yearly festival.
La Course de l'Escalade.
World History at KMLA: The Savoyard attack on Geneva.
Fête de l'Escalade: a yearly celebration in Geneva in memory of the night attack by the Savoyards in 1602. |
1,168 | 57,555,602 | 0 | Fumetto International Comics Festival | Switzerland | The Fumetto International Comics Festival is held annually at Lucerne, Switzerland. The festival was established in 1992 as the Luzern Comix Festival, before growing in size and renaming itself in 2003. The festival has helped Switzerland's comics community unify and grow, crossing the divide between the differing language barriers within the country. The festival attracts both national and international guests. Comics creators honored or exhibited at the festival include Joe Sacco, Marjane Satrapi, Chris Ware, Jack Kirby and Lewis Trondheim.
== External links ==
Official website |
1,169 | 30,918,756 | 0 | International Hot-Air Balloon Festival in Château-d'Oex | Switzerland | null |
1,170 | 8,164,906 | 0 | Klausjagen | Switzerland | The Klausjagen (Nicholas chase) festival takes place in the Swiss town of Küssnacht on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. The festival, attended each year by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,500 participants, and lasts far into the night.
== History ==
The procession is believed to have its roots in pre-Christian pagan traditions involving the chasing of wild spirits (compare Wild Hunt). The early forms of the Klausjagen involved much unruliness and noise, and were frowned upon by Church and authorities, and were officially outlawed in 1732, but could not be effectively suppressed. In the late 19th century, the custom was instead Christianized and bishop's mitres first appeared in the procession. In the 1920s, the still rather rough procession was tamed by a committee of villagers who created the modern, clearly organized parade. Since 1928, the St. Nicholas Society of Küssnacht has been responsible for the continuation of the custom.
The procession is organised in six stages. First come men cracking long two-handed sheep whips. Next come men wearing Iffelen or Infuln, which are enormous, incredibly ornate paper hats which resemble a cross between a bishop's mitre and a stained glass window, lit from the inside by candles, and as much as seven feet tall. Behind them is St. Nicholas himself, with four attendants in black robes and hoods known as Schmutzlis, who hand out pastries. After them comes a brass band playing the traditional Klaus song, followed by a large group ringing trycheln, large bells which are descendants of cow bells. Lastly, the entire procession is followed by men blowing cow horns. Participants and watchers then generally head on to celebrations in local taverns.
== External links ==
http://www.klausjagen.ch/ - The official Klausjagen homepage.
1997 Pulse of the Planet article
1998 Pulse of the Planet article |
1,171 | 49,661,485 | 0 | Literaturfestival Zürich | Switzerland | Literaturfestival Zürich (alternative spelling: Zürich Literature Festival, formerly: Openair Literatur Festival Zürich) is an annual week-long international literary festival in Zürich. It enjoys a reputation as one of the best literary festivals in the world. The main stage of the festival is located in the midst of the sprawling nature of the Old Botanical Garden in Zürich. The Festival is jointly presented by Literaturhaus Zürich and Kaufleuten, the two major institutions for literary events in Zürich. Founder and director of the festival is Swiss conceptual artist and curator Andreas Heusser who is curating the program together with the management team of Kaufleuten and Literaturhaus Zurich.
The main program of the festival consists of premieres, performances and readings by international authors. Many world-famous writers have appeared at the festival in recent years, including John Coetzee, Zadie Smith, Bernardine Evaristo, David Grossman, Julian Barnes, Roxane Gay, John Cleese, Leïla Slimani, Junot Díaz, Connie Palmen, David Mitchell, Rebecca Solnit, John Banville, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Marlon James, Xiaolu Guo, Peter Sloterdijk, Deborah Levy, Hua Hsu, Helen Macdonald, Teju Cole, Deborah Feldman.
The format Words on Stage - Best of Spoken Word has also established itself as a permanent feature of the program and closing event of the festival. Part of the festival's curatorial signature is its interdisciplinary approach: the readings are often thematically linked with projects from other genres, e.g. poetic installations, interactive radio plays, scenic readings, singer/songwriter concerts, silent film screenings, or interdisciplinary performances at the intersection of text, dance, and theater.
In interaction with nature and scenographic design, the aim is to create a poetic overall experience that involves all the senses. That is why the festival is often called Switzerland's most beautiful literary festival.
== External links ==
Official website
Website of Literaturhaus Zürich
Website of Kaufleuten
Website of Andreas Heusser |
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