Category Archives: Festivals

Cultural and Historical Heritage, Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Pekalongan Batik Week for the Real Feel of Indonesia

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Batik is very famous around the world. Since it is stated as a cultural heritage from Indonesia, batik has been promoted in many events. Many clothing items and fashion accessories now are made from batik, such as clothes, trousers, skirt, dress, some crafts, and bag. Batik provides you with ethnical look of Indonesia. Now, Batik is not only a fabric pattern worn by the Javanese royal families. Instead, it has been a national intangible asset. Various batik motives are now available in many areas in Indonesia, from Java to Bali, Sumatra, and even Borneo Island.

cultural heritage

Pekalongan Batik Week

If you are a batik lover, you can go to Pekalongan Batik Week, in which batik is displayed in an outstanding way. The objective of this event is to preserve Indonesia’s precious art of batik. Located in Pekalongan City, Central Java, the event is held at Jetayu Cultural Area and displaying various batik motives from different areas in Indonesia. This event was started on August 8th and it will finish on October 12th 2014.

The activities held in Pekalongan Batik Week included Indonesia Culinary Festival, Welcome Dinner, Nusantara Archipelago Batik Exhibition, Pekalongan Batik Carnival, Batik’s Motifs for Public Officials’ Uniforms Competition, Batik Lanterns Festival, Fashion Show, Batik on The Street Theatrical Performance, Pekalongan Great Sale, Art and Cultural Performances, National Batik Gathering, Exhibition Booths competition, and more.

You will see for about 140 booths at Jatayu Sport Center. Provincial government, cities and regencies, state owned enterprises and various private sectors participate in this event. It is a good event to visit for those who want to know the wealth of batik crafting in Indonesia or for those who are looking for the best and limited batik motives. If you like to have a business or want to run a garment store with Batik clothing and accessory items, this event can be a start to seek for a business partner.

Pekalongan Batik Week is not only about the exhibition of batik, but also culinary event. You will find delicious food the regencies around Central Java. The taste of Java will blow you away. You will taste sweet, spicy, and crunchy foods here.

How is Batik Pekalongan Different?

Pekalongan has been known as the centre of Batik. Batik pekalongan is famous for Batik Pesisir or Coastal Batik motif. It is different from Royal Batik of Solo and Yogyakarta. The Coastal Batik is mostly dominated by brown, yellow, black, and blue colors. This batik has a great chance to be explored more because it has unique features. so, what make Batik Pekalongan different? Batik Pekalongan got the influence of China and Netherland in colonial times. Even though it is more like batik Yogya or Solo batik, batik Pekalongan has more combination and variation of colors. Batik making skill has been an integral part of the community economic life in this regency.

Many people from other cities buy batik here to be sold again. You will find many accessories that go well with batik here. The shape is so unique so you can buy it as a gift to your family. Visiting a country means learning the culture. You will find many beautiful traditions in Pekalongan. Pekalongan Batik Week will give you experience that you will never forget. Get the feel of batik by going to this event in Indonesia. Your stay will be welcomed by many friendly people from Indonesia.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Lampung Krakatau Festival Will be Held in August 2014

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Mount Krakatau in Indonesia may emit scary images of mighty eruption, but every year, diverse and lively cultural festival is held around the area. Krakatau Festival has been held since 1991, in the spirit of reminiscence about how powerful Krakatau is and how generous it is; thanks to its presence, the soil around the mountain area becomes very fertile and the areas around it have grown ever since. Therefore, Krakatau is an important mount in cultural, economy and social sense.

This year, Krakatau Festival will be held from 24th to 31st August in Lampung Province, and will include various cultural and art performances as well as sport events.

Lampung Krakatau Festival Will be Held in August 2014

Events in Krakatau Festival 2014

Krakatau Festival events will be held in different areas, and each day will provide different delights and spectacles for the crowds and tourists. Here are the schedules of the entire festival:

  • Opening ceremony on August 24th. The ceremony will be held in Bandar Lampung, which is the capital city of Lampung province. Held in Enggal Field, the ceremony will consist of mass aerobic, kites and gasing (spinning top) competitions, indie movie festival, triathlon, modern dance competition and Lampung souvenir making competition.
  • Fine art exhibition from 24th to 28th August. The fine art exhibition will be held at Enggal Art Market, which features artists from entire Lampung area.
  • Poetry reading from 25th to 26th August at Enggal Art Market.
  • Bike tour in Bakauheni Lampung from 27th to 28th August. This is a non competitive bike tour with route around Siger Tower and beautiful Rimau Balak Island.
  • Krakatau Festival Expo, held from 29th to 31st August. Located in Kaliandra, South Lampung, the expo will showcase culinary, art, and culture exhibitions, with participants from government representatives, state owned and private companies, schools, communities, organizations, individual artists and many more.
  • Krakatau Fun Dive from 29th to 31st August. This is a mass diving and snorkeling event with participants from all over Lampung as well as tourists.
  • Krakatau Tour, which is the highlight of the event, which invites everyone from ambassadors and guests to general public and tourists to explore the mighty Krakatau and Anak Krakatau, which is the newly emerging, smaller, yet powerful mount that appeared after the great eruption of Krakatau in the 19th century.

Finally, on the last day, the entire event will be closed with gala dinner and traditional music as well as dance performances. The official event closure will be held on August 31st with The Legend and Glories of Lampung Parade, which is a parade that showcases rich history and cultural background of Lampung.

The Importance of Krakatau Festival
Krakatau Festival is held as reminder of the great Krakatau eruption on 26th and 27th August 1883, which was destructive but also important in shaping the current state of Lampung’s culture, history, agriculture and social life. In the end, the festival aims to remind people that Krakatau is a powerful force of nature, but it also helps shaping the social life, history and culture of people around it.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Bintan 2014 MetaMan Triathlon Event to be Held in August

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Another international sport event will be held in Indonesia; this time, it is MetaMan Triathlon, which will be held in Bintan, Riau Archipelago, on 23rd to 25th August 2014. Like other similar sport events such as Bintan Triathlon and Tour de Singkarak, this is a unique annual sport event that deftly combines sport and tourism, and definitely will attract contestants, spectators and tourists from around the world. Of course, this event will also boast Bintan as one of global tourist destinations, especially since the contestants and spectators come from all Indonesian provinces and many countries.

Bintan Triathlon
Bintan 2014 MetaMan Triathlon Event to be Held in August

The triathlon will consist of three separate events; Full Iron Distance, Half Iron Distance and Blitz, which is the shortest course. While all the competitions will be started with swimming at the South China Sea, the cycling and running will be held on beautiful courses that showcase the beauty of nature in Bintan, such as forest and sea.

Swimming at Bintan 2014 MetaMan Triathlon
The competition will be started with swimming at South China Sea, with route that goes from East to West based on the wind and current condition. The Full Iron will swim in 2.8 kilometers of distance, while the Half Iron swims in 1.9 kilometer and Blitz in 1.2 kilometer. Contestants that swim for the Full Iron distance will start from Nirwana Gardens Bay, while contestants that swim for shorter races will start at the second loop.

South China Sea is chosen because of the clear water and perfect temperature, which is 29 Celsius degree, and all contestants will compete in fast swimming without wetsuit. The current and wind in August will also help swimmers, especially those in Blitz Category, to finish the race.

Biking and Running at Bintan 2014 Metaman Triathlon
Biking and running numbers are the true treats for all the contestants, because from here, the routes are chosen so every contestant can enjoy the natural beauty of Bintan and Riau Archipelago, including the famous Wakatobi Forest Reservation. For biking, it will be 180 kilometers for Full Distance, 90 kilometers for Half Distance and 55 kilometers for Blitz. As for running, it will be 42.2 kilometers for Full Distance, 21.1 kilometers for Half Distance and 7 kilometers for Blitz.

Bintan’s northwestern area is chosen for the bike route, which consists of tracks in the middle of hills, villages, lakes and beautiful beach. Meanwhile, running course will be in Nirwana Gardens, chosen because of the flat terrain that will make it easier for runners as well as spectators to gather. However, Nirwana Gardens also provides great view for the runners; the course runs through Wakatobi Jungle Track, with beautiful trees and canopies that provide shades for runners when running in the daytime.

After going out of the jungle track, runners will run through beach, flat lanes and paths until finish. The winner will receive US$34,000 of prize and certificate, but the true prize for everyone will be amazing experience to race and compete in the middle of beautiful nature of Bintan in Riau Archipelago.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

August 2014, Surabaya City Will Host Asian Fashion Week

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Surabaya city in East Java, Indonesia will host Asian Fashion Week 2014 following a reschedule after Mongolia declared that they would not be able to host the show as previously scheduled. This biggest Asian fashion show will host designers from various Asian countries, from Southeast Asia and East Asia to South Asia and Middle East. The four days fashion event will bring many fashion enthusiasts, observers and of course designers from all over Asia to the second largest city in Indonesia.

Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia, which is also home for various brands of businesses including fashion houses, as well as having rich cultural background and potential fashion inspirations. It is also connected with various international flights.

Diverse Asian Fashion Shows in Asian fashion Week
Arwin Sharma, the CEO and president of Fashion Week Group, has confirmed last May that the event will be held between 15th and 18th August 2014 in Surabaya. This fashion week event will be a very diverse event, bringing diverse cultures and design arts from various Asian countries that have rich cultural backgrounds. Designers that will participate are not only from Indonesia, but also from Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, India, Vietnam, China, Japan, Iraq, Iran, Philippine, Laos, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Nepal, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Timor Leste, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Egypt and many more.

The vast numbers of countries involved promise four days full of amazing exhibitions and fashion shows that will show off colorful cultures involved in the designs. Furthermore, there will be specific fashion shows in the entire event such as World Islamic Fashion Week, Indian Ocean Fashion Week, World Indigenous Fashion Week and Silk Road Fashion Week.

Asian Fashion Week to Promote Asian Culture
Asia is a very diverse continent, which consist of countries with rich and different cultural backgrounds. This year’s Asian Fashion Week is expected to bring out cultural diversity of Asian countries in one event and enlighten representatives from different countries, opening more room for understanding and tolerance related to cultural diversity. In the middle of news about conflicts related to race and nationality, such diverse cultural show is hoped to bring more understanding about different culture.

Also, the show is aimed to promote unique traditional methods and practices in fashion world, as well as preserving them so they will not get drowned amidst modern or mechanized fashion techniques. Plus, the event is hoped to be a major platform for Asian designers, including new or independent designers, to be more recognized internationally as well as more understanding about fair trade principle in fashion world.

Finally, in effort to bring more recognition toward Asian fashion brands, Asian Fashion Week is also aimed to be an event that will showcase various new and old brands of shoes, jewelry, boutiques, haute couture brands, bags and other fashion items, which showcase the unique characteristics of Asian fashion inspired by rich cultural background. Therefore, this event is hoped to be milestone for Asian designers to create globally recognized Asian based fashion brands, which can compete with European or American brands.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Catch Beautiful 2014 Flower Festival in Tomohon, North Sulawesi

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Do you like everything beautiful, like flowers? If yes, you must come to 2014 International Flower Festival in Tomohon, North Sulawesi. The biannual festival, which has been held since year 2008, always showcases all the most beautiful blooms grown in Tomohon area. This year’s festival will be likely to repeat its first festival, where 46 countries participated in amazing, colorful parades, exhibitions, and culture festivals. Being in this festival will remind you to the famous Flower Parade in Pasadena, Unites States, but with the more authentic taste of Sulawesi’s local culture.

The festival will be held from August 8th to 12th and surely will be the best flower festival to witness in North Sulawesi. Beautiful flowers and other flora that become main agricultural products in Tomohon will make great views when they are brandished in this hilly resort coty.

Catch Beautiful 2014 Flower Festival in Tomohon, North Sulawesi

What to Expect at International Flower Festival in Tomohon
As a town that is located on hillside area with fertile soil and cool temperature, Tomohon has always been famous as the main producer of flowers and other various plants. During the festival, people in Tomohon as well as all the participants from outside North Sulawesi and even Indonesia will compete to create the best flower floats, exhibition projects, art performance and traditional culture shows.

The whole event will consist of beauty pageant to choose the Flower Queen, trade and floricultural exhibitions, tourism exhibition, art and music show as well as culture performance. For the float parade, we can expect to see wonderful creations from various cities, regencies and provinces in Indonesia, as well as from other countries, which of course use flowers. This year’s event is thought to be successful as well, considering that the first event managed to attract 20,000 people and the second event attracted more than 25,000 people to flock.

We can also expect many countries to participate in this year’s flower festival; last events have successfully invited several neighboring and faraway countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Russia and many more. Also, there will be floats, arts and exhibition projects from private companies, government representatives, stated owned companies, organizations and schools.

Flower Festival Significance for Tomohon
Local government surely hopes that Tomohon International Flower Festival will be able to attract tourists and investors to come and see the potential in this fertile area, especially in floriculture. Tomohon is famous as the center of floriculture in North Sulawesi because of its cool climate (it is located on hillside) and its fertile soil thanks to its proximity to two volcanoes, Mahewu and Lokon. Flower Festival has managed to invite thousands of tourists and handful of investors, and local government hopes that each festival will be another success story.

Tomohon is a small hilly resort city located just 24 kilometers from Manado, the capital city of North Sulawesi province, and near the famous Lake Tondano. Besides its booming floriculture business (and the fact that each house always displays beautiful flowers during blooming season), Tomohon is also famous for its Christian schools and seminaries.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Jakarta Great Sale Event, Your Next Shopping Fest in June

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Jakarta is famous for many things, but one of the most prominent fame factors must be shopping. Shoppers from all parts of Indonesian archipelago know that they can shop until they drop in Jakarta, probably only competed by Singapore. Jakarta government knew this and made shopping feast as annual event. That’s right: now you can be in shopper’s paradise every year during Jakarta Great Sale, an annual event held with participations of both big stores or malls and small business owners.

Festival-Jakarta-Great-Sale

This year’s event will be held from June 7th to July 15th, and will involve participations of over seventy five shopping centers in Jakarta. There will also be thousands of small business owners participating in this event, giving them opportunities to promote their goods and products to enthusiastic shoppers from all parts of archipelago. In the end, the government hopes that this year’s event will bring a lot of income to the province like last year’s successful great sale.

What You Can Expect in Jakarta Great Sale
This year’s Jakarta Great Sale will be no different from last year; around seventy-five shopping centers have officially joined the event, giving venues to thousands of small business owners that will have their own stands inside. If you are an avid shopper, you will have fun getting extremely generous discounts in this great sale; many shopping centers and malls even give discounts as high as 70% for various goods and products such as clothes, utensils, shoes, accessories, foods and beverages, beauty products, electronics, toys and many more.

You will also get opportunities to see a lot of new and unique products sold by small business owners with innovative ideas, and your shopping contributions will of course help them promoting their business better. Plus, there will be other events such as musical performance, fun competition, stage show and door prize. Shoppers can even start signing up for FJGS 2014 Shopper Card now, which will further give more convenience in shopping activities.


Huge Income Expected from Jakarta Great Sale
Handaka Santosa, the head of Jakarta Great Sale project, is optimistic about the result of event. According to official data, the 2013 Jakarta Great Sale event brought income as huge as 11.8 trillion rupiahs. This year, Santosa and his team expect no less than 13.5 trillion rupiahs, judging from the huge enthusiasm as well as the General Election event that will be held on July 9th.

He predicts that many politicians, supporters and their families will also have some time to shop and participate in the event, especially because the event will also be held at the same day with Jakarta’s 487th anniversary.

Jakarta Great Sale is one of the most successful annual programs to bring more revenues for city and province, but more than that, this event is also a time where people can have fun together and shopping with way more discounts that they can usually expect in Jakarta. Plus, this also helps small business owners to promote their products and get more exposure in public.

Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Get Ready for Indonesia’s Tour de Singkarak in June

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Exotic Sumatra Island in Indonesia is packed with enthusiastic readers every year for Tour de Singkarak, which is an annual event of cycling tour held as one of tourist attractions in West Sumatra. This tour is a routine event in UCI Road Calendar for Asia Tour, and has drawn thousands of cyclists from around the world and all walks of life. With unique combination between sport and tourism event, the tour will again bring the cyclists in a long, well planned route around beautiful and interesting popular spots in West Sumatra.

Pasaman Barat Persiapkan Diri Untuk Ajang Tour de Singkarak (TdS) 2014

First held in 2008, Tour de Singkarak has become annual tourism agenda and brought positive impacts to local economy, as well as promoting West Sumatra as another great travel destination in Indonesia.

New Tour de Singkarak in June 2014
This year’s Tour de Singkarak will be held from June 7th to 15th and consist of nine stages. These nine stages are by no means light, and as usual, the route of each stage will consist of various popular West Sumatra travel destinations. Here are the nine routes that the cyclists will use in the next Tour de Singkarak:

  • Stage 1: from Padang Pariaman to Pariaman, 98.5 km (June 7th)
  • Stage 2: from Pasaman to Pasaman Barat (West Pasaman), 123.5 km (June 8th)
  • Stage 3: from 50 Kota to Tanah Datar, 100 km (June 9th)
  • Stage 4: from Bukittinggi to Agam, 165 km (June 10th)
  • Stage 5: from Payakumbuh to Solok, 102 km (June 11th)
  • Stage 6: from Padang Panjang to Solok City, 111 km (June 12th)
  • Stage 7: from Sijunjung to Dharmasraya, 167.5 km (June 13th)
  • Stage 8: from Sawah Lunto to Solok Selatan (South Solok), 167 km (June 14th)
  • Stage 9: from Pesisir Selatan to Padang (capital city), 120 km (June 15th)

As you can see, this year’s Tour de Singkarak will present quite challenge, not to mention many young blood and professional teams that will participate. In the end, this event is something that any cyclists and Indonesia travel enthusiasts cannot skip.

Indonesian Team Will Present Best Performance
In the last Tour de Singkarak, Indonesian national team managed to snag the third place in the tour. This year, riders from other countries can expect the same challenge from Indonesian national team, especially since the team joins this tour as preparation for their involvement in the next Asian Games. Also, the Pegasus Team, which is Indonesia’s continental cycling team, will also participate and no doubt present quite challenge for other teams.

Other cyclists must also prepare for the performance of three past champions: Ghader Mizbani Iranagh, Oscar Munoz and Amir Zargari. However, many spectators also wait in anticipation if there will be an underdog champion that wins the tour. Nevertheless, this year’s Tour de Singkarak has been welcomed with enthusiasm by professional cyclists and West Sumatra people, and surely will become another successful event with a lot of cheering, enthusiasm, and of course promotion of beautiful natural and cultural attractions in the exotic West Sumatra.

Asia, Editor's Picks, Festivals, Indonesia

Chinese New Year Customs in Indonesia

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Summary: Indonesia has large Chinese populations, and Chinese New Year customs in Indonesia reflect beautiful blend between Chinese and local cultures.

Indonesia is a giant melting pot for various cultures, including Chinese. Therefore, Chinese New Year is an event that is hugely celebrated in this country. While the Chinese descendants in various areas still maintain the old traditions every year, the celebrations can also be enjoyed by other people, especially in Chinatown areas. Chinese New Year celebrations and customs in Indonesia are something you cannot miss while you are here. Here is what you can expect to find when ‘Imlek’ or Chinese New Year is approaching in Indonesia.

Gift Sets Everywhere

When the Chinese New Year is approaching, expect to see various department stores and supermarkets displaying various flowers, moon cakes, fruits and gift sets in beautiful packages. Even the stores that are not specifically located within the Chinatown or Chinese population area will display such goods. There are also large bunch of red envelopes people use to give money, usually to younger people. This is because gift giving is an inseparable part of every celebration in Indonesia. It symbolizes prosperity and well wishes.

Many plant shops also sell orange trees in pots as well as special flowers used in traditional floral arrangement. Flowers, in Chinese tradition, symbolize growth and prosperity, while the orange trees symbolize happiness.

chinese new year indonesia

Courtesy of  Thejakartapost.com

Traditional Foods

The Chinese in Indonesia are descendants of immigrants that came from various areas in China such as Shanghai and Guang Zhou. Therefore, you can find huge arrays of traditional foods in Indonesian markets, stores and Chinatowns when the Chinese New Year is approaching. Here are some examples:

  • Fish; this is a type of food commonly served in many tables during Chinese New Year. Fish symbolizes prosperity and happiness because the Chinese character for fish is similar to the word ‘abundance.’ The fish is usually served whole, in sweet and sour sauce or steamed. Whole fish symbolizes family togetherness. It is no wonder that fish prices are often hiked up in many markets when the Chinese New Year is approaching.

fish dishes chinese new year

  • Jiaozi; this is a type of meat dumpling traditionally served in northern China region. The dumpling name symbolizes a phrase that means the last meeting on the last hour before the New Year comes.

jiaozi dumpling

  • Sweet Tray; red trays full of various sweets from fruits, seeds and peanuts are often sold in various stores near Chinese New Year, because they are traditional foods to serve in many houses or given as gifts. The trays symbolize togetherness, good luck and ‘sweet’ beginning of the year.

sweet tray chinese new year

  • Whole Chicken and Noodle; they traditionally represent long life and prosperity, but to achieve the true meaning, both foods must be served whole. The chicken should not be cut up and must be served with the head. Noodle is not cut; therefore, it becomes super long in your bowl.

chicken chinese new year

 

chinese-new-year-noodles

Festivities for Everyone

One beautiful aspect about Chinese New Year customs in Indonesia is that the celebration is for everyone. Families may gather for private moments, but the entire spirit of celebration belongs to everybody. Chinatown will be packed with people, including tourists, who want to look for various delicacies and goods that are usually just sold during this special moment. Lion dance and various performances are held in many venues for everyone.

lion dance

Editor's Picks, Entertainment, Festivals

Unique Chinese New Year Traditions around the World

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Summary: Chinese New Year celebrations do not just belong to China; many Chinese communities around the world contribute to some unique New Year celebrations in the world.

China has more than 2 billion of populations, and many of them migrate to other countries and form distinctive communities. It is now wonder that many Chinese traditions have been blended with local traditions and create unique traditions, such as Chinese New Year Traditions. If you visit any country that has Chinese populations, you will encounter something unique from the country related to the Chinese New Year Traditions, even though the traditional elements of the traditions are similar.

Here are some great Chinese New Year traditions and celebrations around the world that you must see.

The Annual Golden Dragon Parade, Los Angeles
Los Angeles has had large numbers of Chinese populations since more than a century ago, so it is no wonder that the Chinese New Year tradition becomes a part of local culture. The Annual Golden Dragon Parade is a great spectacle in Chinatown area, where colorful floats, marching bands, acrobat groups and various cultural groups gather on the street. The parade is also a part of Los Angeles cultural and tourism promotion.

The Annual Golden Dragon Parade, Los Angeles

Chinese New Year Celebration in Singapore
In Singapore, Chinese New Year means spectacle in the Chinatown, where the streets are lit with traditional red paper lanterns and street bazaar is opened for public. Here, you can find a lot of interesting goods and delicious food. You can also watch various performances in Kreta Ayer Square, from traditional dances, music to martial arts.

singapore chinese newyear

Images by Michael Aquino

Twilight Parade in Sydney
In Sydney, The Twilight Parade is something that the citizens will not miss every Chinese New Year. This unique tradition has become a huge celebration, thanks to the rising numbers of Chinese populations in Australia. The Twilight Parade, as the name suggests, starts at dusk where thousands of people flock the main streets to see lively parade filled with dancers, marching bands, decorated floats, martial art and acrobatic groups and of course the famous lion dance troupes.

Twilight Parade in Sydney

Chinese New Year Celebration in Paris
Paris may be a very ‘European’ city, but it is also a huge melting pot for various cultures and races, including the Chinese. Since the populations of Chinese and French-Chinese are quite large in Paris, Chinese New Year celebration is something that you cannot miss here. On the main streets, the colorful parade is packed with musical, acrobat and martial art acts, in addition to colorful floats that depict what Chinese New Year is all about. Meanwhile, Chinese restaurants serve special menus and appear with beautiful decorations. There are also many night stage and musical shows related to Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year Celebration in Paris

Chinese New Year Celebration in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square becomes the center of Chinese New Year Celebration in London. Here, not only can you see parade and lion dance performances; there are also Chinese bazaars and art performances. People, including tourists, will flock here every year to see beautiful blend between Chinese and local traditions.

Chinese New Year Celebration in Trafalgar Square

Chinese New Year Celebration in Canada
Various towns in Canada celebrate Chinese New Year in festive way such as Ottawa, Montreal and Ontario. The celebrations include colorful parade, street bazaars, art and music performances, and of course, the famous lion dance performances.

Chinese New Year Celebration in Canada

Editor's Picks, Festivals

Unique Christmas Traditions in Various Countries

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Your Christmas traditions probably consist of setting up a tree in the house, baking cookies, giving presents and having Christmas dinner. However, some other countries have completely unique Christmas traditions that you will think very weird. Here is a quick look on several unique Christmas traditions in various countries in the world.

La Befana, the Good Old Lady

Santa Claus is the main character in many modern Christmas traditions, but the Italians have La Befana. She is an old lady that resembles a witch with her flying broom, but she is depicted as a good witch with Santa-like role. She visits houses in early January with her flying broom, enters through the chimney and leaves presents for kids. In many Italian towns and villages, some ladies will dress up as La Befana with pheasant dresses, head scarves and carrying brooms. She is also depicted as a bit dirty from the chimney soot.

le befana

Tio de Nadal, the Defecating Log

You will not see the Yule log in the same way anymore after seeing Tio de Nadal tradition in Catalonia, Spain. In many houses, families will set up a log on a post on their dining tables, paint a face on the log and cover it with blanket. The family members will put fruits and nuts under the log’s face to ‘feed’ it.

Why do they do it? Because when Christmas morning comes, kids will gather around the log while adults beat the log several times, urging the Tio de Nadal to ‘defecate’ the presents. Behind it, an adult will hand out some presents to family members.

Tio de Nadal

Krampus, Santa’s Evil Twin in Austria

This unique Christmas tradition probably will leave your own kids afraid. In Austria, there is the evil version of Santa Claus, and it is called Krampus. It dresses up like Santa, with red clothes, hat and boots. However, once it turns around, you will see a scary face. It scares bad kids while Santa goes around and gives presents to good kids. It is not uncommon to see people dresses up as Krampus in Austria during Christmas.

Krampus

Night Graveyard Visits

This sounds like a scary tradition to do in holiday season, but for people in Finland, this is a must-do tradition every Christmas to pray for their dead relatives and friends. On Christmas Eve, they will go to cemeteries, light up candles around the graveyard of people they know, and pray. Actually, the view is quite spectacular, and of course, this tradition always becomes the source of headache for traffic cops in Finland every Christmas Eve.

Night Graveyard Visits

The Scandinavian Yule Goat

Swedish people recognize the Yule Goat, a magical creature that has Santa-like roles. The goat comes in the forms of Christmas tree accessories and other ornaments. This unique Christmas tradition has its root from ancient belief related to the worship of Thor, the thunder god that is often depicted riding on a sled pulled by goats.

The Scandinavian Yule Goat

Caganer, the Naughty Decoration

You would not want to put this decoration in your family’s Nativity Scene decoration. Caganer is a popular decoration for Nativity Scene in various Mediterranean countries, which is depicted as a man pulling down his pants on the corner and defecating. This act is described as ‘earth fertilizing,’ and this decoration is popular as Christmas souvenir. This unique Christmas tradition always becomes a good source of laughter for kids.

Caganer