Claire Grace - A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals: Over 90 fun and fabulous festivals from around the world!

Compiled by

CHRISTOPHER CORR

and Claire Grace

From one end of the year to the other, and in every corner of the globe, there is a festival for just about everyone. From candlelit religious holidays and joyous harvest festivals to colorful cultural traditions and bustling, bright parades, festivals bring friends, family, and communities together to celebrate in many different ways. Spring, summer, fall, and winter play host to a kaleidoscope of festivals all year long. Some last for just one day, while others go on for weeks and even monthsbut almost all of them bring joy and happiness!

As the days get longer, the sky begins to transform from gray to blue, temperatures start to rise, and trees and flowers begin to budspring has finally arrived. Although spring occurs at different times throughout the year, depending on where you are in the world, most spring festivals and celebrations have a common theme: rebirth and renewal. Societies might perform rituals to banish wandering spirits, pray for plentiful crops, praise gods and goddesses for bringing them this season of renewal, and gather together with friends and family to rejoice!

When the summer sun bursts into life, doors and windows are flung open. Its a time to get outside and make the most of the long summer days and fresh, warm breeze. Outdoor festivals pop up all around the world as people sway to the sound of their favorite music. Its also a time to celebrate the growth of plants and crops. Some cultures celebrate by lighting blazing bonfires, believed to increase the suns power and help their crops flourish.

Fall is a time of change: red, yellow, orange, and brown cover the once-green trees and leaves begin to fall. The temperature drops and plant life begins to slow its growth, while animals prepare for the cold months ahead. Its also a time when communities around the world celebrate their favorite autumnal festivals. Spooky costumes are made for Halloween, people join together for Thanksgiving, while other cultures offer sacrifices and perform rituals in the hopes of securing a bountiful harvest.

The final season of the year creeps across the ground with a cold winter frost. While animals settle down for their quiet winter sleep, people around the world unpack scarves, gloves, and heavy coats to get ready for the dark and icy months ahead. However, this doesnt stop societies across the globe from gathering together to celebrate. There are festivals celebrating the shortest day of the year, magical snow festivals, and, for many, Christmas celebrationswhen lots of families and friends gather together beneath wonderfully decorative trees to feast on seasonal food and exchange special gifts.

Festivals bring people all over the world together. So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and get ready to celebrate your way across the globe!

In cultures and countries all over the world, spring is a time to gather together with friends and family to welcome in new green shoots, baby animals, and the months of sunshine and growth ahead.

The kites are made from lightweight paper and bamboo, are usually rhombus shaped, and can be as big as 3 feet long! They are decorated in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns.

Every year on January 14, the skies of Gujarat, India, are filled with beautiful multicolored kites, fluttering and swaying in the breeze. This rainbow of kites is part of the festival Uttarayan, which marks the day when winter turns to spring, according to the Hindu calendar.

The festival marks the awakening of the gods from their deep sleep throughout the winter months. It is also thought to be connected to the history of Indias royalty, who loved the art of kite flying and used it as a way to show off their power and skills.

The festival is taken very seriously, and preparations begin months before the big day. Some people make their own kites, but more often than not people return to their favorite kite-makers, who create strong, resilient kites year after year.

People of all ages fill the streets and cover rooftops to fly kites and compete with one another. Family and friends visit each other, special foods are prepared, and from dawn until dusk the sky is full of kites of all shapes and sizes.

Although Uttarayan is celebrated all over Gujarat, the city of Ahmedabad has become famous for its celebrations and since 1989 has hosted the International Kite Festival as part of the official celebration of Uttarayan.

When the sun goes down, people send up bright white kites that can be seen against the dark sky. Master kite-flyers send up tukkals with long strings of brightly lit lanterns all connected together, illuminating the night sky as the festivities come to an end for another year.

The festival is dedicated to Surya, the sun god.