A tradition that has come forward 20 centuries as a religious ceremony and folk custom the Dragon Boat festival known as Duanwu is now a world renowned festival and is fast emerging an international sport. A dragon boat is a watercraft that is human powered and is built out of teak wood in differing shapes and sizes. For the purpose of the festival these boats are decorated with ornate heads and tails of Chinese dragons. The festival is held in June and includes a number of customary activities. The Chinese have dumplings, rice and drink Realgar wine to celebrate before the race. Celebrated in Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia this festival, marks the dawn of summer in the region and according to Chinese tradition is the …

Anantara Dhigu Maldives a Maldives Resort offers spacious luxury accommodation facilities to all guests. Accommodation in Maldives would be brilliant with more classy places like Anantara Dhigu Maldives. Maldives is a 100% Muslim country. So all Islamic festivals are celebrated in a higher key in these islands. One of the richly celebrated festivals is the Kuda Eid Festival. Also known as Fithru Eid this festival marks the end of Ramadan which takes place throughout one whole month. The Kuda Eid Festival lasts for three days at a stretch. On the first day people o to the mosque early in the morning and seek for blessings. Later on hearty feasts are conducted with the gatherings of relatives and friends. Special offerings are done to the poor …

An administrative district of the People’s Republic of China, the global business hub of Hong Kong celebrates the onset of summer in a sizzling fashion. An annually held event, the 2012 production saw the celebrations take on even greater spirits with shopping promotions, live music and all in all, a truly fun weekend. Last year, visitors to the Summer Spectacular were treated to a shopping extravaganza like no other with beautiful clothing items being sold at amazingly low prices. To add to the frenzy, a Visa sponsored draw was made with the winner receiving a stunning HK$200,000 and spending credit were given to ten additional shoppers. As if this wasn’t a good enough reason to embark on a great shopping expedition, Visa also rewarded their …

Vesak is a holy day for millions of Buddhist around the world as it commemorates Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and ‘parinirvana’ or passing away. The exact day of the festival varies according to the lunar calendars of various cultures but in Theravada Buddhist countries following the Buddhist Calendar it generally falls on a full moon day on the 6th lunar month which is usually in May. The name Vesak itself is a derivative of the name for the lunar month occurring from April to May. Although festivals to mark Vesak had been taking place for several centuries, the decision to celebrate Vesak worldwide as Buddha’s birthday was taken at the first conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists held in Sri Lanka in 1950. The …

Among the many festivals that takes place in India to celebrate diverse occasions is Ram Navami commemorated in the Hindu month of Chaitra that falls between April and March, to celebrate the birth of Rama. It is a hugely important festival for the Hindus as Rama is considered an incarnation of the god Vishnu. In some parts of India it is celebrated as Vasanta Navratri over nine days. In households observing the festival the day begins with a prayer to the sun and at mid day, the supposed time of Rama’s birth, special prayers and poojas are performed in Ram temples big and small all over India. Some people start the festival with a fast and some others fast for the whole nine day duration …

Of all the seasons, autumn is one of the most magical given its resounding colour schemes and crisp weather in many parts of the world. In New Zealand, Arrowtown was once a gold mining town that emerged in 1862. The miners and settlers who arrived in the town from all across the world planted many deciduous trees of European origin, resulting in the fact that every year around April the leaves of these trees burst into riotous red and gold hues, which in turn sets the entire surrounding scenery on “fire”! This change of scenery and colour is greeted and celebrated with much pomp and pageant by the residents of Arrowtown each year, for the past 28 years since the inception of the Arrowtown Autumn …