LET’S PARTY

A.    Splatfest

If you’re in the tiny Spanish town of Buñol in Valencia, Spain during the last week of August, make sure you take a spare change of clothes because things get very, very messy! "La Tomatina" is a huge food fight that has been a strong tradition in Buñol since around 1945. No one really knows how it began, but everybody knows how it ends! The week of the fight includes a fireworks party, music, dancing, colourful street parades and even a huge paella cooking contest. Then, about 30,000 people throw around 100,000 kg of tomatoes at each other for one hour.

B.     Pirates of the Caribbean

Have you ever wanted to be a pirate? If so, for ten days in November, Georgetown in the Cayman Islands transforms into a typical pirate town. The Pirates Week festival begins with a mock kidnap, complete with tall ships and rowing boats. Visitors have the chance to wear fancy dress costumes and experience life as a pirate. There are also street parties, treasure hunts and a huge fireworks display.

C.    Marsh of the Scarecrows

Every year on 6 October, the central market square of Brussels in Belgium becomes full of people made of straw ... yes, scarecrows! This festival, which raises money for local charities, has been extremely popular since it first started in 2001. Past winners of the "Best Scarecrow Award " have included a medieval knight scarecrow and even a Che Guevara one! If you think you can do better, why not enter the competition yourself? All you need are some old clothes and a bright idea!

D.   Maslenitsa - Farewell to Winter

If you want to watch the parades, see fireworks and open-air theatre performances and eat until you burst, then the Maslenitsa carnival (or "Blini Week") in the heart of Moscow is the festival for you! This fun festival takes place around the end of February and celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. For this reason, all thefestival-goers eat blini (pancakes), which symbolize the sun (round, golden and warm). At the end of carnival week, there is big bonfire to say a final goodbye to winter!

  In Scotland, the New Year’s Eve celebration is called Hogmanay which means "new morning" in Celtic. It is surely the most exciting celebration of the year.

 Preparations for the celebration start early on December 31st. People clean their houses and throw out old unwanted things. They also bake special shortbread biscuits and a rich fruit cake called "Black Bun" to share with family and friends on the big day.

   On the night of Hogmanay there are live concerts and fabulous carnival in the streets of all Scottish towns. A lot of excited people get dressed up in colorful costumes. Some cities also organize long torchlight procession through the streets, and the crowd watching with admiration. As soon as the bell strikes twelve, all kissing and sincerely congratulate each other Happy New Year. Then people join hands and proudly sing the traditional song "Auld Lang Syne." After that, run the stunning firework that looks like icing on the cake. From January 1 - people are visiting friends and neighbors to wish them good luck in the New Year.

Hogmanay, of course, a great holiday. People feel happy, being with family and friends, and hope for a good year full of success.

Each year, the flowers and musical rhythms of Native American culture come alive on Pow-wow across America. Pow Wow Albuquerque, New Mexico is the largest and most spectacular Indian celebration in North America. More than 3,000 dancers are more than 500 Indian tribes in the U.S. and Canada at the powwow.

The event always begins with the Great Exit dancers. Dancers entering the arena group by group across all four inputs. Soon the arena explodes color, sound and movement. At the end, awarded prizes to the best dancers and singers.

The Indian market, traders are also very attractive to people coming to the powwow. Indian artists demonstrate their traditional crafts. Beautifully designed jewelry and charming bags are just some of the products that are sold. There is also a grocery store, where you can sample food, such as enchiladas, bannock or tostados.

Albuquerque Pow-wow - this is a great holiday. This is one of the most colorful and spectacular events in the U.S..