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Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival
Date: Feb 2016
Place: New Taiwan City, Taiwan
While Chinese New Year tends to get all the attention,
one of the more subtle and beguiling celebratory
days in the Chinese calendar is the annual Sky Lantern
Festival. In a blaze of luminous glory, 100,000 to
200,000 hot air balloons emblazon a full moonlit sky.
Although the holiday is celebrated all across Asia,
nowhere in the world is it more recognized than in
Pingxi, a remote mountain town an hour-long drive
from Taipei.
Source: www.alfa-img.com
Rio Carnival
Date: Feb 5 - 10, 2016
Place: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio Carnival is one, big exercise in metamorphosis—from ritual
to festivity and religion to recreation. The famous parade
takes place at the Sambodromo, designed by architect Oscar
Niemeyer, with more than 70,000 enchanted spectators
lining the route for the Samba Parade, where samba schools
compete like there’s no tomorrow. Attending Carnival is the
ultimate rite of passage for global festival lovers. Go, and
you’ll understand why the Cariocas (Rio’s enthusiastic locals)
affectionately refer to it as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
Source: www.fest300.com
Jaisalmer Desert Festival
Date: Feb 20 - 22, 2016
Place: Jaisalmer, India
The Jaisalmer Desert Festival is an annual event
organised by the Rajasthan Tourism Development
Corporation each February at the beautiful desert
city of Jaisalmer in the state of Rajasthan, India.
This three-day extravaganza was started as a
marketing idea to attract local and overseas tourists
interested in exploring the rich and colourful
heritage of Rajasthan and its folk culture in a short
period of time.The festival begins with a ceremonial
procession, Shobha Yatra where local Rajputs and
other clans dress in their traditional attire. Thousands
of visitors from across the globe make the desert
trek to enjoy the various events that take place
during the festival such as the moustache contest,
turban tying, and Miss Moomal and Mister Desert
competitions.
Source: www.theholidayindia.com
November-December 2015 Travel Secrets 79