Festivals Abroad

Festival Travel Guides

Festivals and cultural events are to travel what herbs and spices are to cooking: without them, the entire experience is much less exciting and satisfying. The web has brought world culture within our reach, and there are many websites that not only list festivals and events abroad, but also provide in-depth cultural background information to help travelers gain an understanding of local traditions, beliefs and values that underlie these celebrations.

Below we have listed selected descriptive guides and articles from TransitionsAbroad.com, as well as our favorite websites for providing information about festivals and cultural events worldwide. —Living Abroad Contributing Editor Volker Poelzl

Featured Articles on Festivals and Festival Travel Abroad

	Living Festivals: How to Get Into the Local Spirit by Jim Kane How to participate in local festivals as a sensitive observer in order to get into the local spirit, build friendships, and express respect for the people and the culture being visited.
	Annual Festival of the Wodaabe in Chad by Senior Contributing Editor Lies Ouwerkerk A richly illustrated story about rarely seen courtship rituals and beauty contests.
	China’s Best-Kept Secret: Festivals in Guizhou Province by Lies Ouwerkerk The ethnic minority festivals in the Guizhou Province of China are a spectacular experience, in a beautiful land, with great hosts. This highly illustrated article bursts with color and life.
	Connecting to Culture through Community Events: Sicilian Sagre by Amy E. Robertson Colorful and sacred festivals in Sicily offer a direct way to connect to the community and share an experience with the local culture.
	Bhutan’s Paro Tshechu Festival An Expression of Gross National Happiness in the Land of the Thunder Dragon by Lies Ouwerkerk Lies takes you inside a sacred festival in the “world’s last Shangri-la," as Bhutan often has been dubbed, and provides an in-depth and illustrated explanation of the colorful dances and rituals.
	Kumbh Mela: The Largest Religious Gathering in India and on Earth by David Joshua Jennings Nothing can quite prepare you the Kumbh Mela, the planet’s biggest religious gathering. It is a time when millions of Hindu pilgrims come together to bathe ceremoniously in India’s holiest rivers.
	A Swiss Christmas Market and Regional Holiday Festival in Montreux by Sonja Holverson An illustrated view of an elaborate Swiss Festival in the Montreux region, finalizing with a climb to Santa Claus' alpine house
	9 Ways to Spend a Traditional Christmas Abroad by Jonathon Engels Every culture and subculture celebrates sacred events differently. Christmas is no different, and the author explores 9 very different ways he has experienced the event. He concludes that there is a great inherent desire for people around the world to share sacred days and communal events.

The Semana Santa Easter Festival in Antigua, Guatemala

Festival on the Niger: Africa's Most Exciting Celebration Of Tribal Traditions And Cultures

The Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

A Summer Solstice Festival in Saint Joan, Menorca, Spain

Valencia Welcomes You to the Fallas Festival: Celebrate the Rebirth of Spring in Spain

The Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany: More Than Just a Beer

Festivals in Salzburg: A City for Music Aficionados

Austrian Music Festivals Recall a Long Heritage

Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico

Carnival in the Dominican Republic: How to Quitar la Mala Suerte (Get Rid of Bad Luck)


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