A week-long coconut festival takes place every April in the southern province of Ben Tre, with all activities devoted to one of the area’s most profitable cash crops, the coconut. Exhibitions, trade fairs, a cultural-arts and sport week, food festival, cuisine competitions and workshops showcase the versatility of the coconut; many of the activities will …
Held in the coastal city of Vung Tau, this festival commemorates whales, a sacred animal of the area. According to legend, Emperor Gia Long was saved from a sinking ship by these majestic creatures and he elevated their status in court, making whales a local deity and protector of fishermen. A procession of locals symbolically …
In the Dai culture, water serves as a symbol of holiness and light. That’s why water is so central to the Dai New Year, which is celebrated in Jinghong, Yunnan at the large Water-splashing Square, where people go completely water-wild with buckets and water guns. Be warned – foreign visitors tend to get special attention …
The Thai New Year lasts for days, with the whole country subsumed in water showers and celebrations. Don’t get mad: getting wet is a portent of good luck! For a more authentic Songkran experience, visit the Mekong-side city of Nakhon Phanom: make merit on the monks’ alms walk at dawn, visit the booths selling products …
Also referred to as Sus’Dei Chnam Thmei in the Khmer language – “enter new year” – the three-day Khmer New Year has a solemn first day, a generous second, and a festive third. The first day sees the preparation of sacrifices to heaven, offering food to monks at the monastery, and building sand stupas. The …
The Thingyan Festival is held from April 13 to 17 all across Myanmar. Locals douse each other with water to ward off evil and wash away the previous year’s bad luck. The splashing tradition (similar to that in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand) feels like a relief in the hot, dry season of mid-April. This is …
The three-day Lao New Year is a purification festival, during which the Buddhist images in the household and the temples are ritually cleaned with sacred water. On the streets, locals engage in the usual Pimai antics—Soo Kwan (tying cotton strings around people’s wrists), water splashing, and sand stupa building. You’ll also find processions of people …
The Angkor Sankranta celebration is held annually in Siem Reap during Khmer New Year. For tourists, Angkor Sankranta offers a rare chance to engage in Cambodia’s customs right in the middle of the ancient Angkor temples. Watch traditional folk dances and games, enjoy cattle races, and listen to Khmer music, among other activities. Khmer food …
The third day of the third month in the Chinese Lunar Calendar is a traditional festival for many ethnic groups across China. Go to Fulu, Sanjiang County, Guangxi to watch its biggest celebration, where Dong, Miao and Yao minority groups arrive wearing their finest festive outfits. this is celebrated with various activities including embroidered balls …
On the tenth day of the third lunar month, Vietnamese gather at the Hung Temple at Nghia Linh Mountain in Phu Tho Province to honor the legendary Hung Kings. Rulers of the Hong Bang era in Viet Nam’s mythic past, the Hung Kings helped develop a fine material culture of bronze and pottery, and also …
