Fasching is Munich's version of Carnival. Americans call it "Mardi Gras" whilst the British have "Shrove Tuesday" (pancake day). The climax to the Fasching celebrations takes place on Tuesday 24th Febuary 2009. Most people will get the afternoon off work so that they can go down to the Viktualienmarkt wearing a silly costume. In the weeks leading up to 24th of February there are also lots of Gala Balls and other Fasching related events taking place.
MARDI GRAS
in English, refer to events of the
Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after
Epiphany and culminating on the day before
Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition,
Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the
Lenten season, which begins on
Ash Wednesday. Related popular practices are associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the
penitential season of
Lent. Popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
OBON
Obon (お盆?) or just Bon (盆?) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori. The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. When the lunar calendar was changed to the Gregorian calendar at the beginning of the Meiji era, the localities in Japan reacted differently and this resulted in three different times of Obon. "Shichigatsu Bon" (Bon in July) is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around 15 July in eastern Japan (Kantō: areas such as Tokyo, Yokohama and the Tohoku region), coinciding with Chūgen. "Hachigatsu Bon" (Bon in August) is based on the solar calendar, is celebrated around the 15th of August and is the most commonly celebrated time. "Kyu Bon" (Old Bon) is celebrated on the 15th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and so differs each year. "Kyu Bon" is celebrated in areas like the northern part of the Kantō region, Chūgoku, Shikoku, and the Southwestern islands. These three days are not listed as public holidays but it is customary that people are given leave.
SONGKRAN
Songkran festival (
Thai:
สงกรานต์, from
Sanskrit saṃkrānti,
[1] "astrological passage") is celebrated in
Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of
South and
Southeast Asia.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. If they fall in the middle of the week, many Thai take off from the previous Friday until the following Monday. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.
Inti Raymi
The
Inti Raymi ("Festival of the Sun") was a religious ceremony of the
Inca Empire in honor of the god
Inti, one of the most venerated gods in Inca religion. According to chronicler Garcilaso de la Vega, Sapa Inca
Pachacuti created the Inti Raymi to celebrate the
winter solstice and a new year in the
Andes of the
Southern Hemisphere. Since 1944, a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at
Sacsayhuamán (two km. from
Cusco) on June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of
tourists and local visitors.
During the Inca Empire, the Inti Raymi was the most important of four ceremonies celebrated in
Cusco, as related by
Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. The celebration took place in the Haukaypata or the main plaza in the city. The ceremony was also said to indicate the mythical origin of the Incas, lasting nine days of colorful dances and processions, as well as animal sacrifices to ensure a good cropping season. The last Inti Raymi with the Inca Emperor's presence was carried out in 1535, after which the
Spanish conquest and the
Catholic Church suppressed it. Some natives participated in similar ceremonies in the years after, but it was completely prohibited in 1572 by the Viceroy
Francisco de Toledo, who claimed it was a pagan ceremony opposed to the Catholic faith.
In 1944, a historical reconstruction of the Inti Raymi was directed by Faustino Espinoza Navarro and indigenous actors. The first reconstruction was largely based on the chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega and only referred to the religious ceremony.
