It is only recently that Japan is discovering the joys of All Hallow’s Eve. A traditionally American holiday with a background in respecting the wandering spirits of the earth, the Japanese decided to do away with the religious aspects altogether and adopt the pumpkins, candies, costumes, and merry-making associated with it. Though still only observed by a fraction of the population, Halloween is a growth industry, fueled by commercialism and a cultural need for another festival that has outfits going for it.

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Posted in Events, Japan |

Every 6 years, a sacred and dangerous event occurs besides Lake Suwa in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. In a ceremony which spiritually renews the Suwa Taisha (Grand Shrines), the townsfolk of this area cut down 16 huge Japanese fir trees with special axes and ride them as they slide down the mountainside. Welcome to Onbashira, a thrilling festival that claims to be an unbroken Shinto tradition for the past 1,200 years.

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Posted in Events, Japan |

The dry season has passed in Asia, and the monsoon months have drenched the eastern nations in torrential rains. But instead of letting rain ruin your parade, why not make rain the center of the parade? This is the idea behind the Yilan Rain Festival, one of Taiwan’s biggest annual events. A showcase of the east coast county’s beauty and culture, the festival is held at 3 locations: Dongshan River Park, Wulaokeng Scenic Area and Toucheng-Suao Area, focusing on the mountain, river and ocean vistas all present in Yilan. The festival attracted over 890,000 visitors last year, and this year’s event is planned to be even bigger, with more goings-on to keep the celebration at full blast for two whole months.

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Posted in Events, Taiwan |

Back in 1998, the community leaders of the small town of Boryeong, South Korea, tried to market the rejuvenating properties of their mud in the form of cosmetics. Rich in Germanium and other skin-nourishing minerals, the mud was planned to be the central focus of a festival designed to draw the country’s attention towards the cosmetics. But amazingly, the visitors raved more about the muddy activities of the festival, which brought people together in a messy, friendly way. And so the idea of cosmetics gave way to the annual mud festival in Boryeong.

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Posted in Events, Korea |

One of the things you should definitely do while hanging out in Bangkok is get seats to a Muay Thai tournament. This sport, popularized in the movie  Ong-Bak and its excellent lead actor Tony Jaa, is a brutal martial arts that utilizes not just fists and shins, but elbows and knees, as well. These multiple contact points gives Muay Thai its title the Art of Eight Limbs. Muay contests have become integral to local festivals and celebrations, held inside temples, and even used to entertain kings.

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Posted in Events, Thailand |

Asian racing car lovers rejoice! Singapore will continue to host the SingTel Formula 1 Grand Prix, which will take place in the streets of Marina Bay once more. It will occur in the Marina Bay Street Circuit, a 5.1-kilometer long harbor side track, more than 70% of which is made up of existing road network. The race itself will happen between the 25th and 27th of September 2009. The race is so popular that early bird tickets, where up to 50% of the available grandstand seats and passes are sold at an average of 15% discount of regular prices, have sold out mere days after it was made available early this year. A total of 72,000 tickets will be released.

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Posted in Events, Singapore |

Another much-anticipated colorful festival will be taking place in the Philippines this month.  This festival is none other than the San Isidro Pahiyas Festival.

The Pahiyas Festival is an annual event that takes place every May 15. It is well attended by people who come from different parts of the Philippines and visitors from all over the world. This festival is held in the historical town of Lucban in the province of Quezon. Lucban is approximately located 160 kilometers from Metro Manila if via Lucena City. If coming from Sta Cruz, Lucban is only 133 kilometers from Manila.  There are tour packages that are offered during the the “Pahiyas Season” and some agencies organize travel groups in hotels along Roxas Boulevard like at Aloha Hotel Manila.  Travel time can last anywhere from two and a half hours to three and a half hours.  Because of this town’s popularity, the Department of Tourism of the Philippines has given the prestigious honor of “Cultural Heritage Site” to Lucban.

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Posted in Events, Philippines |

Buddha’s birthday is an informal name for Wesak Day, a holiday which encompasses the birth, enlightenment and passing of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The decision among Buddhist leaders to celebrate Wesak as Buddha’s birthday was formalized at the first Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950. Wesak is the highlight of the Buddhist year and is officially observed in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries. Malaysia, in particular, has declared Wesak a national holiday since 1962, in strong effort by the Chinese community to uphold the universal virtues of their religion. Each temple in the country has its own traditions in celebrating the holiday, though there is a spirit of unity among all Buddhists (almost all of which are overseas Chinese). Joss sticks and candles are lit by the thousands, for example,  and many burn oil lamps as a symbol of lighting their lives and avoiding problems and disease. The Mahindarama Temple in Kampar Road, Penang, in particular, lit 2,550 yellow lotus candles during the 2,550th anniversary of Wesak last 2006. Flowers are also laid at the feet of their teacher, an act which reminds devotees of the brevity of material things as symbolized by the eventual decay of these beautiful blooms. Some temples display a small figurine of the baby Buddha in front of their altar in a small basin of water that is adorned with flowers.

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Posted in Events, Malaysia |

Easter is one of the major religious events of Roman Catholicism and other Christian groups. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after being dead for 3 days as a result of his crucifixion; it also marks the end of Lent, a season of prayer, fasting, and penance. In the west, symbols like chocolate eggs and Easter bunnies proliferate during this time of year, and families wear new clothes when they attend church and decorate the house with new items to represent a new beginning. Easter is known as a movable feast: it does not fall under a fixed date but is rather determined by a lunisolar calendar in the Christian liturgical year.

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Posted in Asia, Events |

It is April once again and this month signals the start of the summer season for all countries in Asia and the start of a couple of weeks of school’s summer. In the Philippines, April marks the start of celebrations leading to a famous festival.  This festival is none other than the Bangus Festival, one of the most prominent local celebrations that last for almost the whole month of April.  For 2009, celebrations will start of April 16 all the way until May 1. Bangus or Milk fish, the national fish of the Philippines, can actually be cooked or prepared in about a hundred ways.  This kind of fish is so close to the hearts of Filipinos that they have even organized a festival just to give honor to the Bangus or specifically to the Bonuan Bangus which is believed to have delectable taste of its own that cannot be found in other varieties of Milk fish.

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Posted in Events, Philippines |