Countries to Travel to: South America, China and India
Being abroad is a fantastic adventure, regardless of which destination is selected. One of the greatest lessons one can acquire by travelling overseas is that every culture has its own quirks and eccentricities, but is of equal importance to all other threads in the quilt of humanity. The mix of each regions’ culture creates a magnificent cultural story of the world. Cultures differ in their dances, customs, and perhaps most interestingly, their holidays. Looking at the three prominent regions, we can visualise how South Americans, Chinese and Indians celebrate holidays.
South America holidays are primarily Catholic in nature. Because of this, Saints festivals are some of the most common holidays in South America; holidays such as Dia de Todos Los Santos celebrate all Catholic saints, but each day of the year celebrates a specific saint. People are oftentimes named for the saint whose day they were born on. Carnaval is one of the most renowned festivals in South America, the equivalent of Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. Carnaval celebrates the day before the forty-day Catholic festival of Lent and involves massive celebrations of excess, samba music, and parades.
Holidays in China are moderately unusual for the locals. China is a land where the sacred and traditional meets the contemporary and the eccentric. In the traditional culture of China, holidays are of massive spiritual importance. The spring festival, or Chinese New Year, is the largest holiday celebrated in China. Everyone in China take Chinese New Year really seriously and hold the day sacred, partaking in rituals and traditions to ensure a smooth year ahead. Modern holidays like Women’s Day are also embraced where all women in China are permitted to take time off.
Holidays in India are very much different from the aforementioned nations. These holidays range from those associated to Hinduism to Christian holidays, to Muslim festivities. For the Indian population, holidays come every day of the year. A civic holiday celebrated by most is the birthday of celebrated civil rights leader, Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi’s birthday has been designated as a day of non-violence, and no alcohol is traded on this day in his honour.
Half of the experience when travelling is exploring about the culture of the country that you will be visiting. These holidays are a short list of the many marvellous and breathtaking holidays seen abroad.