For my eyes only : Festivals of Asia April - May 2008/9

3 April
Phanom Rung Festival
Buri Ram, Thailand
Set in the ancient temple of Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung, which was constructed on top of an extinct volcano in 1181 A.D., this festival marks a natural phenomenon that occurs once a year when the sun's rays can be observed at dawn as a single shaft of light penetrating through all 15 doors of the structure, creating a spectacular effect. The festival is accompanied by a stunning light and sound presentation along with traditional music and cultural performances, as well as a grand procession involving over a thousand participants dressed in ancient Khmer costumes.
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8 April
Hamauri
Okinawa, Japan
Traditionally a day where Japanese women visit the beach to purify themselves in the sea, Hamauri is held annually on the third day of the third month of the lunar calendar. It is believed that when a female walks along the seashore, the water purifies her body and spirit while casting away bad luck into the sea. Many women also participate in beach activities like fishing and collecting seashells while wading through the water. It is also a day where families enjoy picnics at the beach.
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15 April
Elephant Race Festival
Buon Don District, Dak Lak Province, Vietnam
This exciting race takes place each year as participating elephants from diff erent villages gather at the starting point of the almost two-kilometre track. At the sound of the tu va (horn), a group of 10 elephants, guided by their mahouts, will race across the track amidst a rowdy crowd of spectators who root for the elephants with their drums and gongs. The winning elephant will be awarded with a laurel wreath and receive sugar canes and bananas from the spectators. In addi-tion, a host of activities like swimming, tug-of-wars and ball games will also be organised for the elephants after the race.
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15-16 April
Whale Festival (Lang Ca Ong)
Da Nang, Vietnam
Held in honour of whales, which were perceived as good-natured creatures by the early coastal fishermen, Lang Ca Ong is the biggest water festival celebrated among the fishing communities in Vietnam. All fishing boats and ships return to the wharf on this day to take part in the festival. Temples, houses and boats are adorned with colourful flower garlands, as prayers and non-seafood offerings are presented to the Whale God in the hope of protection from the seas and safety in the village. On the second day, villagers take part in a water procession involving a formation of boats set in the sea, along with cultural activities including hat boi (classical drama performances) and hat ba trao (traditional folk songs).
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2-12 May
Lotus Lantern Festival
Seoul, South Korea
In celebration of the birth of Buddha, this grand scale event is a spectacular display of lanterns throughout the streets of Jongno and Dongdaemum. Visitors can enjoy an array of traditional dance performances and sample traditional foods from other Buddhist nations, as well as participate in various activities such as lantern making and cosmic design paintings at the Buddhist Street Festival, taking place at the street in front of Jogyesa Temple. As night falls, the streets will light up with huge colourful fl oats and some 100,000 lanterns in a procession that starts from Dongdaemum and ends at Jogyesa Temple. The lantern parade, held on 4 May, will close in a breathtaking grand fi nale where spectators will be treated to a shower of fall-ing pink paper petals. www.llf.or.kr/eng/main.asp
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5 May
Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day)
Japan
Traditionally called Tango no Sekku or Boys'Day, this festival celebrates the healthy growth, development and happiness of Japanese children especially young boys. It is also a day where children give thanks for the love and care they receive from their parents. On this day, families with boys will raise huge koinobori (carp-shaped streamers) outside the house – one for each son in the family, and display dolls of famous warriors and he-roes inside. The carp was chosen because the Japanese recognise it as a symbol of strength and success. Mochi rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa (oak) leaves are also traditionally served on this day.
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10-12 May
Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival
Yasothon, Thailand
This ancient local festival marks the start of the rainy season where Thai farmers begin planting their rice crops. Locals believe that setting off the rockets will appease the gods and bring about blessings of rain and a bountiful harvest. An average rocket measures about nine metres in length and carries 20 to 25 kilogrammes of gunpowder. On the fi rst and second day, various rockets are paraded along the streets in a lively pro-cession accompanied with traditional music and dance; while on the third day, the rockets are launched at the various rocket contests, where teams compete for the biggest and highest flying rocket.
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13 May
Thrissur Pooram
Kerala, India
A magnifi cent celebration held annually at the Vadakkumnathan temple in the Thrissur district, the main attraction of this event is a splendid procession of elaborately caparisoned elephants from various neighbouring temples of Kerala. These elephants are grandly displayed locals vie for the title of the best elephants, most creative fi reworks, and the most artistic parasol exchanges. The elephants also carry images of the deities from all temples of the village to the main temple. This pageantry draws a large crowd to Thrissur each year, and is a festival that makes no distinction between people on the basis of religion or caste.
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16-18 May
Sanja Matsuri
Tokyo, Japan
Each year, hordes of spectators gather at Tokyo's Asakusa district to witness this three-day religious festival involving the transport of mikoshis (portable shrines) carried by men, women and even children from the diff erent neighbourhoods of Asakusa to the famous temple shrine. This is followed by an extravagant procession that takes place in the town streets as the mikoshis, surrounded by a frenzied crowd, are jolted vigourously with the belief that it will intensify the power of the deities. On the Sunday, three exception-ally large mikoshis, each depicting one of the three temple's founders, will depart in diff erent directions from Asakusa Shrine at 6am to various locations before returning at 8pm. Various street fare and performances can also be found around Asakusa Temple during this festival.
www.asakusa-umai.ne.jp/e_asakusa/matsuri/index_spr_e.html