Are you looking for something to celebrate? A feel-good festivity no matter the time of year? Holidays, events and festivals make for particularly exciting reasons for travelers to pack their bags, especially when they’re invited to get in on the fun. To help you start planning, we’ve compiled 12 of the world’s most intriguing annual celebrations, many of which we hope you haven’t heard of yet. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your calendar and your carry-on and get ready to party.
January
What: Up Helly Aa, Where: Lerwick, Scotland
Those looking to start their year with a blaze can head to the tiny town of Lerwick to attend Up Helly Aa, Scotland’s largest annual fire festival, featuring fanciful, Viking-inspired garb, flaming torches and hearty singing. During this unique festival, hundreds of costume-clad attendees take to the streets by day to honor their Norse heritage and raise the spirits of locals before gathering in the evening for a torch-lit procession leading to the thrilling climax of it all: the burning of a replica dragon ship.
February
What: Tapati Festival, Where: Easter Island
Beckoned by the call of the moai, each February visitors flock to Easter Island to attend the country’s annual Tapati Festival. A fascinating display of Rapa Nui culture, the celebrations feature an array of friendly competitions — we’re talking singing, dancing, swimming, canoeing, horse racing, running and more — where locals battle it out for points to determine which group will win the symbolic right to rule the island for the remainder of the year. They even crown a queen! For natives, the Tapati Festival plays an important role in maintaining and promoting age-old customs and traditions and acts as a way for older generations to share their heritage with children.
March
What: Fallas of Valencia, Where: Valencia, Spain
A quirky amalgam of tradition, satire and art, during Spain’s Fallas of Valencia, hundreds of carefully crafted monuments (sometimes towering as high as 100 feet) fill the city streets before meeting a fiery demise. During this five-day festival, countless talented sculptors and artists work to create elaborately themed “Fallas” by the morning of March 16, where they undergo judging to determine the winners and which lucky statue will be spared from the burning. Then, on the evening of March 19, comes “Noche de la Cremà,” the moment the remaining statues are thrown into the flames.
April
What: Songkran, Where: Thailand
Translating to “passage of the sun,” Thailand’s Songkran festival welcomes the Thai New Year with a splash, as water fights and time-held traditions take center stage in the name of cleansing, reverence and good fortune. Practiced throughout the country, Songkran begins April 13 and lasts for three days, during which water takes on a major role, symbolically washing away the previous year in preparation for the next. Songkran is a time for families to come together to clean their spaces, visit temples and make offerings. Sprinkling water over statues of Buddha is believed to bring good fortune, while younger people pour water on the hands of elderly adults as a sign of respect. Outside the home, Songkran can get pretty wild as the streets fill with partiers ready to partake in spirited water fights.
May
What: Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai’i, Where: Honolulu, Hawai’i
A ceremony that, according to the event’s website, is dedicated to “offering gratitude to all spirits, all forms of life, that have supported our existence since the beginning of time,” Shinnyo Lantern Floating Hawai’i is an annual service hosted at Ala Moana Beach every Memorial Day. Open to all, the multi-step cultural ceremony encourages participants to express their love for, and take time to remember, anyone they miss. The process is intimate and emotional, and what begins as a moment of introspection is transformed into a touching collective experience, as guests are instructed to place their individual lanterns on the water in a unified wish for peace, love and happiness for everything that was and what will come to be.
June
What: Inti Raymi, Where: Peru
Established in 1430 AD, Inti Raymi is an ancient Incan ceremony marking the arrival of the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere and the beginning of the Inca New Year. The festival is named for Inti, the Incan sun god, and each year on June 24, thousands of Peruvians flock to the historic center of Cusco to visit historical sites like Qorikancha, Plaza Mayor de Cusco and Sacsayhuamán Archaeological Park. At these sites, attendees look on as hundreds of actors, dancers and musicians dressed in traditional clothing take attendees back in time through a series of dances, performances and praises designed to honor the Inca legacy.
July
What: Naadam, Where: Mongolia
A national festival across Mongolia, with the largest celebrations taking place in Ulaanbaatar, Naadam shines a light on “Eriin Gurvan Naadam,” aka the “Three Manly Games”: horse racing, wrestling and archery. Dating to the early 13th century, the trio of pastimes offer locals a direct link to the lifestyles and living conditions of the ancient Mongols and their infamous leader, Genghis Khan. In addition to being an intriguing display of sport, Naadam acts as a time for locals to embrace their heritage through oral traditions, national cuisine, craftsmanship, performing arts and more.
August
What: Surströmming Festival, Where: Alfta, Sweden
Come the third Thursday of August, something smelly is brewing across Sweden as locals crack open perfectly fermented cans of Surströmming, a small Baltic herring best enjoyed atop a slice of buttered flatbread paired with diced onions and sliced almond potatoes. While wildly pungent — this stuff seriously stinks — locals swear the taste is unmatched, sweeping those brave enough to try it into a state of untainted umami bliss. While the flavorful fish is enjoyed throughout the nation, the world’s largest Surströmming festival is celebrated in Alfta, a tiny town in Sweden’s Hälsingland province, where attendees dance alongside a live orchestra before digging into the divisively delicious main course.
September
What: Hermanus Whale Festival, Where: South Africa
Promising attendees a weekend jam-packed with fun, entertainment and admiration for some of Earth’s most majestic creatures, as the world’s only eco-marine festival, South Africa’s Hermanus Whale Festival is a must for wildlife-lovers of all ages. Occurring at the end of September, this unique event coincides with the migration of southern right whales whose numbers peak in Hermanus’ coastal waters in the late summer. In addition to getting up-close-and-personal with the magnificent gentle giants, festivalgoers will have the chance to learn about marine conservation efforts as well as opportunities for shopping, dining and live entertainment — all in support of a whale-y good cause.
October
What: Naha Great Tug-of-War Festival, Where: Okinawa, Japan
The classic game of tug-of-war is taken to an entirely different level each fall in Okinawa where tens of thousands of participants grab onto a 200-meter, 43-ton rope in hopes of grunting their team to victory. A trademark of traditional Okinawan festivals, large-scale tug-of-war events act as a sort of ritual, bestowing onto players a bountiful harvest, good health and fertility. Naha’s Great Tug-of-War dates to 1450, and the celebrations have only grown more extreme after the event was cited in the Guinness World Records in 1995 for having the “largest rice-straw rope used in a tug-of-war.”
November
What: Pirates Week, Where: Cayman Islands
Perhaps the only time “eye patch” and “stuffed parrot” will make the packing list, Cayman Islands’ annual Pirates Week is a swashbuckling good time filled with mock pirate attacks, fanciful costumes and a treasure trove of fun and entertainment. Founded in 1977, each year locals embrace the region’s history of fearsome pirate invasions with themed celebrations across the destination’s three islands — Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. From happy hours and dancing to fireworks and parades, all the festivities come to a head on Grand Cayman, where thousands of attendees watch as two ships dock at George Town Harbor and pirates unload to “capture” the governor.
December
What: Noche de Rábanos, Where: Oaxaca, Mexico
The result of a prolific 18th-century radish crop, Oaxaca’s Noche de Rábanos (The Night of the Radishes) is an unlikely holiday tradition where artists transform oversized radishes into detailed sculptures. From landmarks and paintings to creatures and people, the displays run the gamut, and thousands of onlookers congregate each year to marvel at the handcrafted veggie creations. As for the agenda, Noche de Rábanos kicks off in the early afternoon when visitors pour into the main square and the radishes undergo strict judging. Come 9 p.m., the winners are announced, and the tables are dismantled, but the party doesn’t stop. Instead, music, fireworks and dancing keep the fiesta going as attendees enjoy the jovial atmosphere.
Originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of The Compass magazine
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