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Are you planning to travel to
Asia within the next year, and
are looking for some fun festivities
to attend? Well, look no further
– we’ve researched some of the
more incredible Asian festivals
for you to check out during your
travels.
Travel Asia: Pulilan Carabao Festiva
You’ll probably never see a water
buffalo adorned quite like this!
If you travel to Pulilan in the
second week of May, you’ll witness
the homage to the patron saint
of farmers, San Isidro Labrador.
Families take their prized water
buffalos, scrape away the dirt,
shave them, anoint them in oils,
and then parade them around the
city square dressed as kings.
The priests of the Asian city
then kneel and ask the buffalos
to bless them, promising health
and good wishes for the upcoming
year to all, including visiting
travelers.
Travel Asia: Parade of the God
of Medicine
On the 15th day of the third lunar
month, the city of Taiwan is taken
over by this world-renowned Asian
festivity – a must for travelers
in the area because of its spectacular
parade. At the nucleus of the
160 temple celebration are Pao
Sheng in Taipei and the Temple
of Ching Tzu in Hseuhchia. Spearheaded
by a group called the Centipedes,
worshippers attending the city-wide
parade throw themselves on the
ground to be stepped upon, as
a symbolic exorcising of their
demons.
Travel Asia: Yasothon Rocket Festival
In the middle of May, things get
very noisy for Asian travelers
to the Phaya Thaen Park in Thailand.
Historically, the festival started
as an offering to the gods of
the sky, exploding beautiful rockets
to encourage rainfall for rice
crop growth. Nowadays, event has
become something more of a sport,
with competitions to see whose
rocket can fly the farthest, and
whose explodes the most.
Travel Asia: Asakusa Samba
Toyko’s version of the Rio Carnaval
happens every August, in the Asakusa
district. Travelers to Asia and
natives alike are amazed by the
colorful sequined costumes and
feathers of the dancing Samba
girls, along with their full bands
marching down the street alongside
them.
Travel Asia: The Festival of the
Hungry Ghosts
Hong Kong hosts this unusual yearly
event, held on the 14th day of
the seventh moon (sometime in
August, during a full moon). Legend
says that the gates of Hades were
opened on this day, and the dead
who cannot rest were left to run
the streets mischievously. The
Yue Lan Festival, as it is known
in Chinese, has natives of the
city putting up odd paper monuments
all over the streets, which are
then ceremoniously burned on the
last day.
Travel Asia: The Monkey God Festival
The Monkey God first appeared
in Chinese literature during the
Ming Dynasty in the book, “Pilgrims
to the West”. Since then, this
deity has been celebrated during
the month of September at Kowloon’s
Sau Mau Ping Temple, by recreating
a bizarre attempted execution
by other the other gods – which
includes such things as a ladder
of knives, and charcoal set on
fire. Travelers to this strange
Asian celebration need not be
concerned, though – the Monkey
God lived, and so do the participants
in this celebration.
Jean Sutherland has worked in
the travel industry for over 10
years now and has two online websites
devoted to resort spas and day
spas. http://www.spasoftheworld.com
and http://www.dayspalady.com
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