The final in this series of must-visit world festivals takes you from a male beauty pageant in Africa to the largest Chocolate Festival in Europe. Aviva Dharmaraj tells you where to play the role of innocent bystander and where you have the licence to let your hair down (Hint: It's possibly the biggest party on a beach in the world)
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The final in this series of must-visit world festivals takes you from a male beauty pageant in Africa to the largest Chocolate Festival in Europe. Aviva Dharmaraj tells you where to play the role of innocent bystander and where you have the licence to let your hair down (Hint: It's possibly the biggest party on a beach in the world)
Nigerien Tuaregs take part in the Cure Salee, or 'Festival of the
Nomads' in 2010, Ingall, northern Niger. Pic/ AFP
Other rituals include racing camels across plains and chasing livestock. But aside from being marked by the traditional courtship rituals that has the men display their physical beauty and prowess, Cure Salee also provides an opportunity for tribes to interact and "do business" with each other. Participation though, might not be an option.
From: (dates determined by the rains)
Where: Niger, Africa
October: Eurochocolate
The month of October sees the streets of Perugia in Italy carry the seductive aroma of chocolate and more chocolate. The annual chocolate festival -- one of the largest in Europe -- attracts thousands of visitors, and features chocolate sculptures, beauty treatments, tastings and even street performances around chocolate. Highlights from previous years include an igloo fashioned out of 3,600 kgs of chocolate and the largest chocolate bar made from 5,980 kg of dark chocolate.
From: 14 to 23 October
Where: Perugia in Umbria, Italy
November: thai beer fest
Select streets, malls, and areas of Bangkok become an advertisement for beer in the month of November except, of course, for the fact that there's more than one brand being endorsed. Beer lovers can -- some claim celebrations continue till January -- participate in drinking competitions that has them guzzle hop juice from taps or straws, or choose instead to gather at "beer gardens" where they can sip on a variety of local and international brews against a backdrop of song and dance, barbecue food, and fairy lights.
From: 1 to 30 November
Where: Bangkok, Thailand
December: Festival de Iemanja
New Year's Eve in Rio? Two words. No actually, just one: Wow! Add some fervoured dancing on the beach in honour of Rio's patron saint: Iemanja (Yemaja), the Goddess of the Sea, also known for her love of all things sensual, and you have a party on your hands. Lots of drinking, dancing, and devotion, the Festival de Iemanja is a memorable way for followers of the Afro-American religion (and others) to bring in the New Year.
From: 31 December
Where: Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janiero, Brazil
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