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We live and conduct business on a global scale these days. Linguists are aware of something that many people are only now realizing: the desire to learn new languages and have a knowledge of different cultures actually unites people.
We at TrueLanguage are aware that language brings people together. “I want to get to know you better” is expressed simply by attempting to comprehend the distinctions of people we encounter around the world.
Being exposed to other people’s cultural customs broadens your perspective on life by exposing you to new information and insights. Thus, arrange to visit places all around the world that are vibrant, entertaining, distinctive, and unquestionably culturally distinct. Attending a festival is an excellent opportunity to learn about another culture. Every month, hundreds of festivals occur all around the world; there are many to pick from!
The core of what we love to accomplish is bring people together. There is something for everyone on this brief list of some of the world’s most prominent cultural festivals!
- India’s Holi, the Festival of Colors
Around the middle of March, both Hindus and non-Hindus celebrate Holi, a Hindu festival that symbolizes the victory of good over evil and the coming of spring, by dancing, playing music, engaging in fierce water battles, and dousing one another in gulal, a vibrantly colored powder. Additionally, Holi is a time to declutter, prepare for a prosperous year of personal development, and reset your emotions. Debts are paid or forgiven, old friendships are rekindled, disagreements are resolved, fences are repaired, and new friendships are formed. All of which makes sense given that it must be difficult to remain depressed, angry, or in any other unpleasant state when everyone around you is drenched and wearing strange colors.
Cities across the United States host their own Festivals of Colors if you want to hurl some gulal next year but are unable to arrange a journey to India. The Holi celebration at Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, is reportedly the biggest in the world.
- Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos
The Day of the Dead, as it is known in English, is a significant event that is less of an energetic festivity and more about remembering the deceased. Although it’s a public holiday in Mexico, you might be able to observe it if you live in an area with a sizable Mexican population. Two days after Halloween and one day after All Saints Day, November 2nd is the Day of the Dead. The spirits visit the living throughout those two days, and it is our responsibility as the living to do the same on the final day. In graveyards, ornate floral arrangements are placed, and in private houses, colorful altars known as ofrendas are erected to honor departed loved ones. Bright orange marigolds, the traditional flower of the dead, and the well-known sugar skulls known as calaveras are among the offerings of food, drink, and flowers that are left for the spirits to enjoy.
Similar to Mardi Gras, the Day of the Dead has a distinctive appearance, aesthetic, and color palette; you’ve certainly seen it in films like Pixar’s Coco. Feel free to appreciate and enjoy the art of it, but remember to also honor its essence.
- Spain’s San Fermín Festival
Every July, Pamplona, Spain, celebrates this week-long event in honor of San Fermín, the region’s patron saint. Even while you may not know the saint, you have undoubtedly heard of the most well-known event of his festival: the encierro, also known as the Running of the Bulls, in which enormous, agitated bulls pursue tourists through the streets. Why would they act in this way? Centuries ago, it started as a local kid’s show-off act mixed with certain violent bull-herding methods. The men who transported them had to carry them through the middle of town to the bullring whenever a bullfight was scheduled, and they employed terror tactics to drive them along. The children in the neighborhood showed their bravery by bravely hopping in and out of the stampeding herd without getting wounded.
This risky pastime quickly gained popularity among bold individuals (mainly men) who had something to prove. Any municipality with its own bullring would host bull runs, but the encierro in Pamplona is the one that has gained international fame, partly because Ernest Hemingway immortalized it in The Sun Also Rises. If you choose to run with the bulls, be advised that bull-runners harm (if not kill) themselves each year, despite the availability of medical care.
- Spain’s La Tomatina
Are you unable of escaping the bulls? Try getting a ham if you’re in the Valencian village of Buñol on the final Wednesday of August, but beware of flying tomatoes! It’s unclear how or why the city’s tomato-throwing festival started, but it’s still going strong today. It started in 1945. Thousands of people wait for the signal to begin the food war, as houses and stores are covered in plastic and huge truckloads of ripe tomatoes are transported to the town square. In theory, the chaos shouldn’t start until someone scales the Palojabon, a greasy pole that is two stories high, and takes the mouthwatering Spanish ham from the summit. That’s difficult to accomplish, though, so the sound of a shot usually starts things off. The entire scene is a red, sticky, pulpy mess after participants batter each other with tomatoes furiously for just one hour. At the sound of a second shot, the great tomato-ing ends, the streets are hosed down, and everyone returns home happier (and redder) than before. - Germany’s Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, known as the carnival heard around the world, is the most well-known event in Germany for both locals and visitors. Everywhere beer is consumed today, people commemorate what started as a Bavarian royal wedding celebration in 1810. With horse races, carnival rides, live music, and keg after keg of delicious German beer, the original and still-running festival is a huge event. For brewers and restaurateurs, it serves as a stunning annual showcase for their latest products. Oktoberfest, however, is a reason for anybody (of legal age) to raise a stein, enjoy some bratwurst, and partake in the German cultural experience, even if they are far from home base in Munich. - Germany and Austria’s Krampnacht
In central Europe’s Alpine area, Christmas arrives early. St. Nicholas places small presents and snacks in the shoes of all the good little children on Nikolaustag, or December 6. Meanwhile, someone else might pay the mischievous little kids a visit! Krampus, who is typically shown with horns, hooves, a tail, and an elongated tongue, is a terrifying character. He and St. Nicholas work together; Krampus scares the bad kids into behaving better the following year (or else he’ll carry them away in a bag and eat them up), while Nick offers gifts to the good kids.
The night before Nikolaustag is known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night. Many towns will host a Krampuslauf (also known as a Krampus run) this evening, where young men dress up as the most terrifying Krampus characters and parade through the town, giving onlookers a good-natured shock. Some of these intricate costumes have pyrotechnics, moving pieces, and terrifying sound effects. However, parade watchers are present to ensure that no children are actually eaten, so don’t worry. Typically.
- Thailand’s Yi Peng and Loi Krathong
At the Yi Peng Lantern Festival, which takes place on the evening of the full moon in the 12th month (typically November), thousands of lanterns are launched throughout Chiang Mai, lighting up the city’s skies. Yi Peng is in line with Loi Krathong, another floating festival, where participants fill baskets with donations of flowers, candles, incense, and cash and float them down the river, carrying away all negativity and rage.
The greatest location in Thailand to witness these two festivities together and take in the illumination of the sky and lake is Chiang Mai. However, Yi Peng’s sky lanterns are a relatively new phenomena, and not all places enjoy them. Some have banned or restricted them completely due to fire concerns and air traffic risks. Therefore, before you light one up, verify with the authorities if you’re traveling in Thailand on Yi Peng!
- New Orleans, Louisiana’s Mardi Gras
The bacchanalian festivities of Twelfth Night on January 6th mark the start of the Mardi Gras season, which lasts the entire month and culminates in the tumultuous citywide celebration on Fat Tuesday, just before Ash Wednesday. This is your final opportunity to party hard, be irreverent, let loose, and consume all the decadent meals and alcoholic beverages you are supposed to abstain from over the forty days and nights of Lent. It has its roots in custom and family and friend get-togethers. Anywhere in the world with a strong Catholic heritage can celebrate Mardi Gras (see below). It’s no surprise that the New Orleans Mardi Gras custom is the most infamous in the world given the Crescent City’s legendary reputation for delicious food, boundless drinking, frequently topless partying, and other types of beautiful excess. Let the good times roll! - Brazil’s Carnival Rio de Janeiro
In principle, Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival is the same as Mardi Gras, but it’s far bigger. In fact, it’s the biggest celebration in the world, with up to two million people lining the streets of Rio each day. The Friday before Lent marks the beginning of Carnival, which fills the days that follow with dancing, music, costumes, and the best kind of mayhem. The samba originated in Brazil, where over two hundred samba groups gather for Carnival to demonstrate the art form to their neighbors. Many of the events are exclusive to ticket holders, but simply by going outside, you may join in on the chaos since there is so much music and enthusiasm spilling onto the streets. - Canada’s Carnaval de Québec in Quebec City
Partying before Lent isn’t just for tropical countries; in the French capital of Canada, Bonhomme Carnaval, a snowman, serves as the celebration’s emblem, and even if the attendees are dressed in increasingly bulky attire, they still seem to enjoy themselves. Snowboarding, ice-skating, sledding, dancing (outdoors, in the snow, since Canadians don’t mind the cold), free food and drink for all, and a French-style masquerade ball are all part of Carnaval. If tropical humidity bothers you, go north if you want to let everything hang out before Lent!