Winter Festivals (and you thought it was all over)
January Blues? Christmas and New Year over too quickly? Well, the party's carried on around the world these past few weeks...
In India, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is well underway. Shortly after new year, the festival began in earnest. It's along similar lines to the huge Maha Kumbh Mela which takes place every 10 years and was reckoned to be the biggest gathering on earth, with up to 30 million people gathering back in 2001. The Ardh Kumbh will attract up to 40 million on the busiest day. The festival lasts a month and a half, at the confluence of three holy rivers in Northern India. Hindus believe that bathing in this sacred place can wash away their sins. The timing is based on astrological calendars and an ancient mythology, which is explained on the closest thing to an official website.
Prefer something a bit colder? The Harbin Ice Festival has begun in Northeast China. Running for a month and covering 400,000 sq. metres, the festival features huge ice sculptures replicating cathedrals, pyramids, palaces and the Great Wall - all built by stacking blocks of ice. Smaller sculptures are formed with chainsaws and chisels. The festival looks at its most impressive at night, when lights frozen into the ice illuminate the site. Flickr photos are here.
In Colombia, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites is held at the beginning of January every year. The carnival has several stages but the main days are the Day of Blacks and the Day of Whites. The Day of Blacks commemorates the free day slaves were given in colonial times. The Day of Whites is seemingly a counterpoint to that, with the white population joining in the fun. People paint each other in black, then the day after paint each other white and throw white powder at each other with parades, music and dancing in between!
Alternatively, you could have celebrated Christmas a second time with the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox Christian Christmas Day, which fell on the 7th of January this year (on account of the differences between the Julian and Gregorian calendars).
Coming soon... another chance at New Year's Eve - you've got to love competing calendars!
In India, the Ardh Kumbh Mela is well underway. Shortly after new year, the festival began in earnest. It's along similar lines to the huge Maha Kumbh Mela which takes place every 10 years and was reckoned to be the biggest gathering on earth, with up to 30 million people gathering back in 2001. The Ardh Kumbh will attract up to 40 million on the busiest day. The festival lasts a month and a half, at the confluence of three holy rivers in Northern India. Hindus believe that bathing in this sacred place can wash away their sins. The timing is based on astrological calendars and an ancient mythology, which is explained on the closest thing to an official website.
Prefer something a bit colder? The Harbin Ice Festival has begun in Northeast China. Running for a month and covering 400,000 sq. metres, the festival features huge ice sculptures replicating cathedrals, pyramids, palaces and the Great Wall - all built by stacking blocks of ice. Smaller sculptures are formed with chainsaws and chisels. The festival looks at its most impressive at night, when lights frozen into the ice illuminate the site. Flickr photos are here.
In Colombia, the Carnival of Blacks and Whites is held at the beginning of January every year. The carnival has several stages but the main days are the Day of Blacks and the Day of Whites. The Day of Blacks commemorates the free day slaves were given in colonial times. The Day of Whites is seemingly a counterpoint to that, with the white population joining in the fun. People paint each other in black, then the day after paint each other white and throw white powder at each other with parades, music and dancing in between!
Alternatively, you could have celebrated Christmas a second time with the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Coptic Orthodox Christian Christmas Day, which fell on the 7th of January this year (on account of the differences between the Julian and Gregorian calendars).
Coming soon... another chance at New Year's Eve - you've got to love competing calendars!
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