Melbourne festival

Melbourne Festival is an important event on the Australian cultural calendar. Each festival brings a range of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia and outdoor events from renowned and upcoming Australian and international companies and artists to Melbourne. It offers a wide variety of free family-friendly events.

It was first established in 1986 by the Cain government as a sister festival of the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and the Spoleto Festival USA held in Charleston, South Carolina. The festival changed its name from the Spoleto Festival Melbourne to the Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1990, and then became known as Melbourne International Arts Festival from 2003. It is now simply referred to as Melbourne Festival.

It has had a number of high-profile Artistic Directors including Clifford Hocking, Leo Schofield, Robyn Archer, Richard Wherrett,Jonathan Mills and Kristy Edmunds.

The artistic director for the 2009–2012 festivals was Brett Sheehy. Previously, Sheehy has been artistic director of the Adelaide Festival of Arts (2006–2008), and Festival Director and Chief Executive of Sydney Festival (2002–2005).

In January 2012, Melbourne Festival announced the appointment of Josephine Ridge as creative director for the 2013 festival and beyond. Prior to her appointment Josephine was general manager, then executive director and co-CEO with four artistic directors at Sydney Festival. Josephine has appointed several high-profile arts workers to her creative team, including Louise Neri (Creative Associate – Visual Arts) and Richard Tognetti (Creative Associate – Music).

Melbourne Festival is one of the most significant festivals in Australia together with the Sydney Festival and the Adelaide Festival of Arts. As such, it hosts performances by established artistic companies as well as more independent acts. The 2006 Melbourne Festival hosted a production of Ngapartji Ngapartji with much of the dialogue in the Pitjantjatjara aboriginal language. Melbourne Festival premiered the universally critically acclaimed productions from The Black Arm Band, murundak in 2006, Hidden Republic in 2008 and dirtsong in 2009.

Navratri in India

Religious festival Navratri is a famous and sacred festival of nine nights for Hindu community in India. It is the nine days festival dedicated to Goddess Shakti. The Goddess Shakti has 3 forms those are Durga, Laxmi and Saraswati. These Goddess are worshipped during the nine auspicious nights of Navratri festival with great fervor and happiness in all over the India. The Navratri festival may be held for a day less or a day more depending on the calendar.

It is celebrated twice in a year i.e. in “Chaitra Navratri” (Basant Navratri or Vasant Navratri) and “Sharad Navratri” or Maha Navratri. This festival marks the beginning of Vasant ritu (spring season) in Chaitra month of Hindu calendar. In the same year, second time it is celebrated in Sharad ritu (Winter Season) so it is also called “Sharad Navratri “. Generally Chaitra Navratri falls in English months of “March-April” and Sharad Navratri in “October-November”.

In Sanskrit Navratri literally means – “Nava + Ratri” that is ‘Nava’ means ‘nine’ and ‘ratri‘ means ‘nights’ so it is called “Navratri”.

Many devotees observe fasting during this religious Navratri festival and end their fast on Ashtami (the eighth day of navratri festival) or on Navami (the ninth day of navratri festival). Before breaking the fast devotees perform “Kanya Puja” or ‘kanjaks’. In Kanjak people worship nine little girls symbolically represent the nine forms of Goddess Durga.

 

Celtic Colours International Festival

 

Celtic Colours International Festival is an experience like no other. Cape Breton Island is alive with music, energy and excitement as people come from far and wide to celebrate our rich culture. From concerts to dances and workshops to community suppers, we offer a full range of events against a gorgeous backdrop of autumn colours.

Celtic Colours  is a Celtic music festival held annually in October in communities all over Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. First held in 1997, the festival has featured hundreds of musicians from all over the Celtic world and attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Cape Breton Island. For nine days in October, Cape Breton Island is home to a unique celebration of music and culture as the Celtic Colours International Festival presents dozens of concerts all over the island, an extensive line-up of workshops, a visual art series of exhibitions, and a nightly Festival Club. Over the years, artists have traveled from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Brittany, Spain, Denmark,Germany, Norway, Cuba and Sweden as well as from across the United States and Canada to join the finest of Cape Breton’s musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and tradition-bearers for the annual Autumn celebration.

Oktoberfest Munich “beer festival” Germany beer fest

Oktoberfest is the world’s largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. Locally, it is often called the Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds (Theresienwiese). The Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modelled after the original Munich event.

During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed: during the 16-day festival in 2013, for example, 7.7 million litres were served.^[1] Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, sidestalls and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods including Hendl (roast chicken), Schweinebraten (roast pork), Schweinshaxe (grilled ham hock),Steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick), Würstl (sausages) along with Brezen (pretzels), Knödel (potato or bread dumplings),Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), Reiberdatschi (potato pancakes), Sauerkraut or Rotkohl/Blaukraut (red cabbage) along with such Bavarian delicacies as Obatzda (a spicy cheese-butter spread) and Weißwurst (a white sausage).

The Munich Oktoberfest originally took place in the 16-day period leading up to the first Sunday in October. In 1994, this longstanding schedule was modified in response to German reunification. As such, if the first Sunday in October falls on the 1st or the 2nd, then the festival would run until October 3 (German Unity Day). Thus, the festival now runs for 17 days when the first Sunday is October 2 and 18 days when it is October 1. In 2010, the festival lasted until the first Monday in October (October 4), to mark the event’s bicentennial.

International Oyster Festival – Ireland

©Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland – 3rd September 2011 Mandatory Credit – Picture by Darren Kidd/Presseye.com HILLSBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL OYSTER FESTIVAL

Each year, on the last weekend of September, Galway City celebrates the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival, the most internationally recognised Irish festival after St Patrick’s Day and the world’s longest running Oyster Festival.

Hermanus Whale Festival – South Africa

The Hermanus Whale Festival started 25 years ago in the coastal town of Hermanus.  Residents and visitors celebrate the migration of Southern Right Whales and other marine wildlife with ocean-themed activities and exhibitions, emphasising education and environmentally responsible adventures and activities.

From the 30th of September till the 2nd of October 2016 the Hermanus Whale Festival is celebrating the only enviro-arts festival in South Africa, “putting the creatures of the deep on stage and under the spotlight alongside top performers and musicians.

” Hermanus, known as the best land-based whale watching destination in the world, plays host to thousands of visitors (2014 we welcomed over 100 000 visitors) who flock to the seaside resort to exhilarate in the unique natural environment, watch the whales and revel in music, enjoy great food and enjoy the many activities available during the festival .

Mid-Autumn Festival in China

Mid-Autumn Festival has a history of over 3,000 years, dating back to moon worship in the Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BC). It’s such an important festival that many poems were written about it, stories and legends about the festival are widespread, and its origins have been guessed at and explained by generations of Chinese.

The festival is celebrated on month 8 day 15 of China’s lunar calendar (in September or October). Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 is on September 15.  To many Chinese, it is still the second most important festival after Chinese New Year. It means family reunion and peace. The festival is celebrated when the moon is believed to be the biggest and fullest. To the Chinese, a full moon is a symbol of prosperity, happiness, and family reunion. Many traditional and meaningful celebrations are held in most households in China, and China’s neighboring countries. The main traditions and celebrations include eating mooncakes, having dinner with family, gazing at and worshipping the moon, and lighting lanterns.

 

Regata Storica in Castello, Venice, Italy

The most famous regatta out of 120-plus that take place in the watery city between April and September, the event begins with a parade of boats decorated in 16th-century style and powered by crews in period costume. At its head towers the Bucintoro, historically a galley for the doge (duke) and now an emblem of the city.

Aiming, perhaps, to liven things up in a state known as La Serenissima (the Most Serene Republic of Venice), locals first organised a rowing race in 1274. Out of the Regata Storica’s four races in different categories, the main event is the men’s caorline (broad, snub-nosed lagoon vessels) contest. The men need all their muscles to make these seaborne beasts surge ahead.

The races start in the Castello area and proceed west up the canal to the former convent of Santa Chiara, where the boats turn around a paleto(pylon) to pound back to the finishing line at Ca’ Foscari, cheered on by the locals.

 

Onam Festival, Kerala Indian (13th September, 2016)

The harvest festival of Kerala, Onam is a time for sports, festivities and ritual celebrations in Kerala. According to the legend Kerala was once ruled by the kind, generous and valiant demon-king Mahabali, who had won over the kingdom of heaven rightfully. However, as always Indra and other gods ran to Lord Vishnu to enlist his help and He promised them the kingdom of Heaven once again. Knowing about his generous and charitable nature, he went to the king in form of a Brahmin child called ‘Vaman’ and asked for three steps of land. Mahabali readily granted it to the child. However, Lord Vishnu then kept on increasing in size till he measured all of the Earth in one step and all of the Heaven with another. When he asked Mahabali, where to keep his third foot, the humbled king offered his head to him. Touched by the devotion and humility of the kind, Vishnu made him the King of the nether world and granted him the request that he may visit his kingdom every year for four days.

Keralites celebrate Onam to welcome their benevolent king and organize colorful aquatic festivals on the sacred Pampa River as part of the celebrations. A time to reap the harvest, to celebrate and to rejoice, Onam is usually held at the end of August or beginning of September, less than a fortnight after the Malayalam New Year begins. It is the biggest festival of Kerala. The 10-day long festival features rituals like buying new clothes, delicious traditional cuisines, dance and music. The last day called the Thiruonam is the most important. The elephant processions of Trichur and the Kathakali performances of Cheruthuruthy are some of the most reputed events during the festival. Pulikali or Kaduvakali, the rhythmic dance by the performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black moving with the beats of instruments like ‘udukku’ and ‘thakil’ is one of the highlights of the festival.

Umhlanga, The Reed Dance

This is Swaziland’s best known cultural event, and has a more open feel than the Incwala. In this eight-day ceremony, young girls cut reeds, present them to the Queen Mother (Indlovukazi) – ostensibly to repair the windbreak around her royal residence – and then dance in celebration. Up to 40,000 girls take part, dressed up in brightly coloured attired – making it one of the biggest and most spectacular cultural events in Africa.

The proper festivities kick off on day six, when dancing gets under way in the afternoon. Each group drops their reeds outside the Queen Mother’s quarters then moves to the main arena, where they dance and sing their songs. The dancing continues on day seven, when the king is present. Each regiment dances before him in turn.