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Around the World: April 2013 |
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Cultural Events
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Friday, 12 April 2013 12:41 |
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What : The First Day of Summer
When : April 22, 2013
Where : All around Iceland
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People might think celebrating summer in April is a sign of irrational optimism; but to the Icelanders, “Sumardagurinn fyrsti”, literally “the first day of summer”, has a deeper history and meaning. According to their ancient Icelandic calendar, it is the day when temperatures make the welcome shift from below average to above average. Long ago, this time was “critical” as food supplies were usually depleted and livestock needed to move outdoors; but today, Icelanders still celebrate this day with exchanging gifts, parades, sporting events and entertainment, held in various places around Iceland.
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What : Kentucky Derby Festival
When : April – May (every year)
Where : Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Click here for more details about the event
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It all started with one event in 1956. Since then, people from all over the world travel to Louisville, Kentucky, each year to take part in the Derby Festival and experience its true spirit; from the legendary “Run for the Roses” to the Pegasus Parade to an old-fashioned steamboat race, the Festival offers a wide spectrum of activities for both local residents and visitors. What the “Run for the Roses” is to horse racing, Louisville’s Derby Festival is to community celebrations. When 1.5 million people gather to celebrate spring and the unique vitality of their community, the focus is on fun and the whimsical!
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What : Takayama Matsuri
When : April 14 -15, 2013
Where : Takayama, Japan
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This biannual festival dates back to the 15th century. Spectacular float parades, solemn ceremonies, music, dancing, and traditional folk performances are held at the Takayama's main shrines: Hie Jinja shrine during the spring festival and Sakurayama Hachimangu shrine in autumn. The Takayama festival floats, beautifully decorated with dolls, thick woven curtains, lacquerware and bamboo blinds, are one of the most popular Japanese festivals. The festival opens and closes with a solemn ritual ceremony, with hundreds of participants dressed up in medieval costumes.
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What : Fête du Dipri
When : Early April
Where : Gomon, Ivory Coast
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Prepare yourself to feel the atmosphere, emotion and probably fear at Gomon, about 85 km of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Why? Because the people of Abidji will celebrate the “Fête du Dipri”, or “Feast of Dipri”, an aged-old tradition of religious and mystical ceremony consist of dancing, singing, and sprinkling blood, which also serves as a symbol of the Abidji’s true existence. Around midnight, naked women and children slip out of their huts to disperse evil spells with nocturnal rites. The festival is held annually (usually in April) at the end of the long dry season and the beginning of the long rainy season.
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What : Crepissage de la Grand Mosquée
When : Second week of April
Where : Djenné, Mali
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The ancient Malian town of Djenné is an important Islamic centre. Its elaborate mosque is the largest mud-built structure in the world. But the climate in Mali — long hot, dry stretches broken by torrential rains — is rough on mud-brick architecture. Fissures and leaks quickly develop and grow. So every year since the Great Mosque was built, it has required a mud replastering, which the citizens of Djenné undertake as a festival event called the Crepissage de la Grand Mosquée. However, the re-plastering not only has preserved the structure, but, over time, it also has gradually weakened the structure.
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Around the World: February 2013 |
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Cultural Events
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Thursday, 07 February 2013 22:06 |
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What : LANTERN FESTIVAL
When : 3rd week of February
Where : Ping Xi, Taiwan
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In the old days, during the Ching Dynasty, the town of Ping Xi was often raided by the outlaws. When his happened, the people fled to a safe area and stayed there until the outlaws left. Lanterns were then used to signal the refugees that it is safe to return home. The raiding outlaws were long gone, but releasing lanterns into the air has become the town’s tradition since then. Thousands of floating lanterns turn the night sky into a magical sea of lights, while on the ground you can enjoy plenty of street entertainments, dancing, and markets.
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What : MARDI GRAS
When : 3rd week of February
Where : New Orleans, Louisiana
Click here for more details about the event
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Welcoming the advent of spring is a tradition in many cultures, and Mardi Gras is one of such traditions known to the world. Initiated at the end of the 17th century, Mardi Gras was actually a fertility ritual practiced by the French. Today, it is an event full of parade, street parties, beads throwing, and loud music. Although the city is always packed with tourists during this time, you can still find good spots like Bourbon Street and the French Quarter area to enjoy the celebration.
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What : CARNAVAL DE DUNKERQUE
When : 4th week of Jan to 2nd week of Mar
Where : Dunkerque, France
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The fishing town of Dunkirk also started this tradition in the 17th century. Ship owners present a banquette for the fishermen before they set off to the rough Icelandic waters. It will be weeks, or even months, before they return home with a good catch. The whole town party hard with marching, singing, and dancing. The town also becomes out of this world with the cross dressing by men and women, outlandish costumes, and colorful umbrellas. As a fishing town, of course there is something that people do with the fish, and it’s the herring (small fish) throwing competition.
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What : ARTS IN THE PLAZA
When : Monthly; Dec to May
Where : St Maarten, the Caribbean
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St Maarten may be the smallest island, but it houses one of the biggest art exhibitions in the world. Not only that, it is among the first that combines visual and performing arts. Taking place at the prestigious resort, entertainment and shopping area Porto Cupecoy, Arts in the Plaza present the best contemporary works by the forefront Caribbean and international artists. Some of the previous line-up artists were Roland Richardson, Stephanie Tihanyi, Laetita Mah Nyamu, Imbali Dance Company, and Neville York.
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INTRASIA 2013: In Pictures |
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Cultural Events
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Tuesday, 15 January 2013 04:40 |
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JAKARTA, LttW - Sacred Bridge Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Education & Culture of The Republic of Indonesia, present INTRASIA: Intra Arts of Indonesia 2013, a Cross-Cultural Music Clinic. Musicians from three different musical traditions (Acehnese, Balinese, and Western), also Composers, Music Theorist, Musicologist, Ethnomusicologist and Economist were involved in the Clinic that lasted for 6 days, and ends with a music presentation held on January 9 at the National Gallery, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Link:
Intrasia, a presentation on harmony in diversity - The Jakarta Post
(AA)
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Around the World: December 2012 |
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News -
Cultural Events
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Monday, 10 December 2012 23:55 |
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What : Yuletide
When : Thanksgiving through New Years Day
Where : Taos, New Mexico, USA
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Yuletide is a word given for a series of celebration that runs from last week of November until the New Year’s Eve. It is perhaps the longest end-of-year celebration in the world. In this six-week festivity you’ll find just about everything that could light up your spirit. It features Arts & Crafts Fair, Lighting the Xmas Tree, Giant Bonfire, Classical Music Concert, ancient Native American dance, and for the closure of the year is the Torch Parade and mesmerizing Fireworks.
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What : Radish Festival
When : December 23 2012
Where : Oaxaca, Mexico
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If Spain has Tomato Festival, then Mexico has Radish Festival. This event exhibits the creativity and artistry in sculptures made of large red radish. The sculptures are normally made to represent the look of Jesus, and other native or local folklore characters. The festival dates back to almost two hundred years ago; it was initiated by the farmers after being suggested by two Spanish friars. The intention was to encourage people to buy the local vegetables. So, campaigning for local products is not a new thing after all.
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What : Diafarabe
When : Every December
Where : Segou, Mali
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In the rainy season, most of the Segou region in Mali is inundated. It forces the herdsmen to relocate their cattle to a lush higher ground. When the water drops to a certain level, the herdsmen take the cattle back home by crossing the water. This routine gave birth to one of the most fascinating cultural events in the world, the Cattle Crossing Festival. This event displays not only the skill of the herdsmen in taking the cattle to cross the water, but also knowledge and craftsmanship in raising the cattle. The best herdsman is praised by the community and awarded with useful prizes; the worst, on the contrary, is awarded with peanut, meant as an embarrassment to the man. The event is also a reunion between the herdsman and their families who have been apart during the high flood. It is also the time for the young singles to dress up to spark attractions among themselves in the Promenade de Jeunes. Fabulous music and dance, as usual, are always there to complete the joy.
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What : Hogmanay Festival
When : December 30 2012 – January 1 2013
Where : Edinburgh, Scotland
Click here for more details about the festival
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It’s one of the biggest street parties in the world that can be rivaled only by the Rio Carnival. Started as a pagan practice in worshipping fire and sun in darks of winter, the Vikings then added a few variations that extended the ritual to a twelve-day Xmas celebration. In the old period, this celebration was called the Daft Days. Today, it’s the Scottish way to celebrate New Year. On this celebration, besides seeing a lot of quilt-wearing people, you’ll experience a debauchery on drinking, and perhaps will join other 100,000 people singing the Auld Lang Sine at midnight. Cheers everyone!
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What : Madras Music Season
When : December 15 2012 – January 15 2013
Where : Chennai, India
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Started as a commemoration to the anniversary of Madras Music Academy in 1927, the festival grew into the biggest Carnatic (South Indian Classical music) festival in the world in which 2,000 artists from around the globe gather and share their passion, artistry and skill. The festival has many names like December Season and Chennai Festival, but its spirit remains as what Carnatic was meant to be: a devotion to the gods. The event is not organized only in Chennai, but also in different cities, particularly in the region where Tamil, Telugu and Kannada are the native languages. In this festival, you’ll see most of the typical musical instruments used in Carnatic like Veena (string instrument), Goottovadyam (fretless version of Veena), percussions (Thavil, Mridangam and Ghatam), and also Nagaswaram (pipe). The festival runs from mid December to mid January.
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