World Travel Guide: Holiday attractions and events - |
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The New Year's parade in Hong Kong is an event not to be missed! The city is dressed up with bright decorations and colorful lights for its biggest celebration of the year, and thousands pour into Hong Kong to take part in the festivities.
Winding along Hong Kong's picturesque waterfront, the New Year's parade is filled with colorful, lavishly decorated floats. Representatives from Hong Kong and countries all over the world sing, dance and play music. The songs of marching bands fill the air along the parade's route as performers in bright costumes prance along the streets.
The forthcoming year (2006) is the Year of the Dog. No matter which zodiac animal is being celebrated for the coming year, there are always plenty of lions and dragons in the parade. Energetic dancers wearing giant lion heads leap in the air as long dragons held aloft by more than twenty people snake past the enthralled parade watchers.
The New Year's parade is the biggest event of Hong Kong's Lunar New Year celebration. Close to 300,000 people attend the parade and millions more watch it on television. In recent years the parade has taken place in the evening, featuring vivid, dazzling light displays.
The Lunar New Year is one of Hong Kong's most important and well-loved holidays. Each year one of twelve different animals is celebrated, according to the Chinese zodiac. Many of the city's towering skyscrapers are decked out in glittering lights for the holiday. Throughout the three-day celebration, dancers in colorful costumes perform lion and dragon dances in the streets, malls and hotel lobbies. Traditionally, people exchange small, red envelopes filled with money as gifts. Flower markets show up all over the city during the holiday, selling plants and flowers with special significance, and stores and restaurants display flowers meant to bring immortality and good luck.
The New Year celebration usually begins anywhere from January 21 to February 19, depending on the year. While the holiday officially lasts fifteen days, in Hong Kong it is celebrated for three days, with the New Year's parade taking place on the first day. January 29, 2006 is the first day of the forthcoming new year.
The day after the New Year's parade a brilliant display of fireworks lights up Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbour. The fireworks can be viewed from the waterfront or from boats cruising the harbour. On the third day of the celebration a large horse race takes place at the Sha Tin racetrack. This lively race is a favorite for gamblers and horseracing enthusiasts.
It's no wonder why so many travel to discover all that Hong Kong has to offer, with the vibrant fusion of ancient customs and modern day fun at one of the world's biggest Chinese New Year celebrations.
| ©2005 John Riggin. All rights reserved. |
Whilst much of England and Wales has been battered by torrential rains causing wave upon wave of flooding, Scotland - not normally renowned for great weather - has completely escaped the severe downpours and has been enjoying a notably drier summer than its Southern counterparts.
Each year between July and September, Edinburgh plays host to the largest arts festival in the world, drawing crowds from all over the world to indulge in an eclectic collection of culture, music, films, books and comedy on show across various venues within the city. Commonly referred to as the Edinburgh Festival, the event is
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In the mid-1950s the shops in Regent Street, London, decided to entice more customers to the area (and into the shops) by having a lavish display of Christmas lights. They were motivated by an article in the Daily Telegraph in late 1954 which stated that London was "drab" despite it being Christmas time.
The first Christmas Lights were little more than lanterns on the fronts of the buildings, but with the passage of time (aided by technology) the lights have become more and more extensive, elaborate and sophisticated.
Despite the success of the lights in attracting people to the area, in 1971,
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The West Country Carnival has its origin in a bonfire at the Cornhill in Bridgwater. This was built from a large wooden boat, filled with about 100 tar barrels and whatever other flammable rubbish was available. It is said that this tradition ceased because of a lack of suitable old boats - and the revellers' determination to maintain the custom by turning to good boats as a source of fuel!
There is still a bonfire at the Cornhill each year - but using more sustainable fuel sources. Effigies of the conspirators were traditionally paraded through the streets before being cast onto
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The annual Edinburgh Festivals are regarded world wide as some of the best Europe has to offer in terms of film, literature and music. Every year it is estimated that the population of Edinburgh doubles as the city becomes one of the most vibrant places to be in all of Europe. However, despite this worldwide recognition, only a third of the visitors are locals which means many Britons are failing to take advantage of this fantastic short break opportunity available to them right on their doorstep.
Starting in 1947, the Edinburgh Festival has grown into the largest festival in the
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Although Carnival has almost universal appeal wherever the Roman Catholic Church has a substantial presence, the level and extent of celebration varies enormously, ranging from hugely popular, highly developed, commercially supported, tourist-inspired events down to small celebrations within a locality which may only involve a few small villages or a small town.
Some of these events are Carnival in its traditional sense, but many have elements of local folklore integrated. The event in Sydney is a Gay & Lesbian Carnival. Some are promoted as Mardi Gras, although not necessarily limiting themselves to the day before Ash Wednesday. Most start two weeks
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