Vishnupur Festival

Vishnupur Festival is one of the familiar festivals of Bengal which celebrate the true essence of Bengal in its own conventional style. The popularity can be judged by the fact that the festival has been assigned the status of National Fair of India.

Vishnupur Festival is celebrated near the Madanmohana Temple, Vishnupur (Bishnupur) in Bankura district of West Bengal.

The festival celebrates the rich heritage of the temple town of Vishnupur, noted for its stunning terracotta temples and elegant silk saris.

Celebration

Vishnupur festival is the main occasion which attracts huge conglomeration of crowd from different places to experience the true legacy of Bankura, Bengal. The place is distinguished for its crafts, attractive terracotta temples and graceful silk saris.

The Vishnupur festival is the perfect blend of past and the present traditions and is characterized by exhibition and sale of local handicrafts, sculptures, hand woven and printed cloths.

Another attraction of the festival is the stupefying performance of the rich musical tradition by musicians and singers of Vishnupur Gharana which further enriches the festival and makes it an important tourism attraction.

Time for celebration

The famous Vishnu Festival is celebrated in the month of December from 27 to 31st December every year. One can reach the site of Vishnupur Festival by following options:

Airways:

The nearest airport from Vishnupur is at Kolkata which is 151 kms away and Kolkata is well connected to all major cities of the country.
 

Railways:

Vishnupur has a small railway station but directly linked to Howrah by many direct trains from Howrah to Vishnupur like Asansol Passenger, Gomoh Passenger, Howrah-Purulia Passenger, Hatia-Kharagpur, Rupashi Bangla Express, Purulia Express etc. Howrah is well connected to all major cities of the country.

Roadways:

Vishnupur is well-connected by regular bus services to Kolkata (takes around 4 -5 hours) Even Cars and jeeps can also be hired for the route and cycle rikshaws are available for local transport.

Poush Mela

Poush Mela is one of the important festivals in the district of Birbhum of West Bengal. The festival is celebrated at Shantiniketan in Birbhum with great splendor and magnificence and its diversity spreads world wide. The week long fair is celebrated with great joy and excitement. The Poush fair is the site for blending and mixing of different cultures with the true Bengali spirit, as people belonging to different cultures and traditions from different parts of country participate in the fair.

 Celebration

Poush mela is one of the major fairs organized at Shantiniketan which attracts large number of tourists not only from India but different countries of the world.

The fair is famous for the perfect amalgamation of different cultures and traditions.

Visitors enjoy the fair and experience the rich heritage of Bengal and the enjoyment is taken to the higher level by the splendid and mind blowing cultural performances of the students of Shantiniketan and live performances of Bengali folk music, notably baul music.The fun filled week of the fair is full of different interesting activities.

Apart from the cultural activities Poush Mela also presents collection of local artistic handicrafts and printed fabrics for all to buy and experience the Bengali spirit in true sense.

Time for celebration

The week long Poush mela is observed in the month of December. According to Bengali calendar, the fair falls on the 7th day of the Poush month.

Muharram

Muharram - All over India

The festival commemorates the martyrdom of the prophet Mohammed's grandson- Hazrat Imam Hussein. It is celebrated with great fervour by the Muslims especially the Shia community. Tazias, glittering replicas of the Martyr's tomb, are carried in procession through the streets. The Tazias of Lucknow and Hyderabad are noted for their splendour. In places like Lucknow, Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, grand scale processions are held. People beat their chest in mourning to the tune of beating drums and chants 'Ya Hussain'. Devotees beat themselves and inflict wounds on their own bodies.

This festival starts at the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. Muharram is the first month of Islamic calendar.

During this month, while on a journey, Hazrat Imam Hussain, his family members and a number of his followers were surrounded by the forces of Yazid, the Muslim ruler of the time. During the siege, they were deprived of food and water and many of them were put to death. The incident happened at a place called Karbala in Iraq in 61st year after Hijra. This dispute was result of a disagreement among Muslims on the question of succession after the demise of Hazrat Ali, the fourth caliph.

Some sects of Muslims hold meetings where speeches are made on the happenings of Karbala and on the lives of martyrs. The Shias, however, observe this festival in a different fashion. As Muharram, the first month of the Muslim year, approaches, they put on black clothes, as black is regarded as a colour of mourning. Majalis (assemblies) are held every day during the first nine days where Shia orators relate the incident of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his party in a great detail. 

On the 10th day of Muharram, large processions are formed and the devoted followers parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people, who fell at Karbala. They show their grief and sorrow by inflicting wounds on their own bodies with sharp metal tied to chain with which they scourge themselves. This is done in order to depict the sufferings of the martyrs. It is a sad occasion and everyone in the procession chants "Ya Hussain", with loud wails of lamentation. Generally a white horse beautifully decorated for the occasion, is also included in the procession, to mark the empty mount of Hazrat Imam Husain after his martyrdom.

During these first ten days of Muharram, drinking posts are also set up temporarily by the Shia community where water and juices are served to all, free of charge.

 

Geeta Jayanti Samaroh

Geeta Jayanti Festival as the name suggests is a unique and exceptional festival dedicated to the birth of Srimad Bhagvad Gita, the holy book of Hindus. The festival is celebrated mainly in Kurukshetra, Haryana. The festival is very sacred to Hindus and is celebrated with immense devotion and dedication.

Not only has the Festival remained sacred so does the place associated with it. Kurukshetra is inseparable when one talks about the Indian culture and Hindu mythology. Indeed Kurukshetra is believed to be the land where the essence of real Hinduism found place.

It is in this same land that the famous sage Manu wrote the Manusmriti. Not only that, but the Rig Veda and the Sama Veda were also composed here. The land was visited by divine personalities like Lord Krishna, Gautama Buddha and some eminent Sikh Gurus.

Srimad Bhagwad Gita has since its inception been the philosophical guide and spiritual teacher for Hindus. In Gita, Lord Krishna has taught numerous lessons to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas which are considered to be ideal means of living one’s life. One of the most famous teachings of Gita followed since ages is “Karma Kar Phal ki asha mat kar”, which means that one should selflessly perform one’s duties and karma, not worrying about the outcome. Gita according to the Hindu Mythology provides solution for every problem that a man faces in his life.

During the Geeta Jayanti Samaroh devotees and pilgrims from all over India gather here in Kurukshetra to take part in this sacred festival. A normal ritual observed to be followed by everyone is to take bath in holy water of the sacred tanks - Sannihit Sarovar and Brahma Sarovar. The whole environment becomes divine and spiritual with numerous activities being organized. The fair lasts for about a week and the major attractions for the visitors are:

• Shloka recital
• Dance
• Bhagwad Katha reading
• Bhajans
• Dramas
• Book exhibitions
• Free medical checkup camps etc……

The Geeta Jayanti Samaroh is organized by Kurukshetra Development Board, Haryana Tourism, District Administration, North Zone Cultural Centre Patiala and Information and Public Relations Department Haryana.

Over the years Gita jayanti Samaroh has gained immense importance and popularity especially among the Hindu Community. A large number of tourists have started to visit Kurukshetra during the event to participate in this sacred fair.

Time of Celebration:

The sacred Festival of Gita Jayanti samaroh is an annual event celebrated in Kurukshetra, the divine, sacred land for Hindus. The fair/Festival is organized in the months of November-December and lasts for a week.

 

Great American Bathtub Race

Northern Exposure might as well have been filmed in nowhere Nome, once Alaska's largest city, but now Nome is a 5,000-person, polar speck on the map (and a stone's throw from Russia) that hasn't seen the good old days since the gold rush over one-hundred years ago. But this sure doesn't keep these poor bastards from having a hell of a bash every Labor Day, when they stage the oldest bathtub race in America.

"Anybody that has a bathtub that can get it on wheels are welcome to join," says big-bellied, gray-bearded Leo Rasmussen, one of the race's founding fathers and the only swarthy citizen to have run the race for its entire twenty-two-year existence. While most racers excavate their crafts from the local dump, Rasmussen lifted his fresh from an abandoned house. He also keeps an extra tub wheeled and ready for any last minute entries. Each team who enters the race ($20) must have five members, one who rides in the tub (full of hot, bubbly water) and four who push and pull their cruiser down Front Street through the center of town.

Rasmussen's strategy is an arsenal of water balloons. But don't put your money on this slow-roller, because he rides an old iron clawfoot mounted on tires "that kill the horse that pulls it." In the race's history, Rasmussen's team has won only once, beating arch rival Arctic Lighterage, "and that's because they did their training at the bar." Booze, bathing, and barfing, there's nowhere like Nome.

Bean Fest and Great Championship Outhouse Race

Every October, this small eclectic town hosts a weekend full of food, madness, and music. About thirty two-person teams show up every year to compete in one of the world's only bean cook-offs.

While the beans, water, kettles, and fire are provided by the Mountain View Chamber, each team must provide their own secret herbs and spices. While the chefs are waiting to hear the results of the contest, the crowd sucks down over 1,000 pounds of beans and a wagon full of cornbread.

Nothing follows beans better than an outhouse. But these outhouses are not for doing the dirty deed. These outhouses are decorated, mounted on wheels, and raced through the middle of town. The added edge of not wanting to be downwind of any racer makes the atmosphere extremely competitive. When you're not eating or farting around, you can sit down under a tree and enjoy lots of impromptu folk, gospel and country music. This event is free and attracts about 40,000. 

Avocado Festival

Did you know that when the Aztec ruler Montezuma presented a king's ransom to the Spanish explorer Cortez in 1519, he included avocados along with a booty of gold, silver, and priceless gems? The inhabitants of Carpenteria celebrate this history every year with a loony event completely centered around the "alligator pear."

In fact, if you mention any other fruit or vegetable at this annual October event, you will be gutted, smashed and included in the World's Largest Bowl of Guacamole.

Over 2000 avocados are used to create this phenomenon that feeds a crowd of 12,000 hungry folks. Started in 1987 because Santa Barbara County is the third largest avocado producer in the country (Carpinteria being a major contributor), the Avocado Festival is free for all to enter. Besides lots of chips and dip, visitors can partake in some friendly "avo-tivities."

Of course there's a competition for the best guacamole and various other recipes (ice cream and brownies, but don't eat the face scrub). Did you know putting an avocado in a paper bag will speed the ripening process? But the big crowd-pleaser is the Best Dressed Avocado, an idea undoubtedly stolen from the creators of Mr. Potato Head. Do I smell a lawsuit in the making? There's also a photography contest and pop art show, where anything avocado goes. Holy guacamole! 

ARANMULA UTHRITTATHI

For ages, Keralites have cherished a reverential attitude to rivers. When the weather becomes delightfully pleasant and the nature exults in her full glory, it is the apt time for Keralites to hold the Jalotsavam (water - carnivals). Boat race is in a way a display of physical might of the people who forget their differences in partaking in this sport. In that respect, the boat race is symbolic of the Jalotsavams in Kerala. The most famous is the Aranmula Snake Boat Race conducted on the Uthrittathi day of Chingom (August-September). On Thiruvonam day in Chingom when the national festival of Onam begins in Kerala, Aranmula, a village in Chengannur taluk, is unusually cheerful and gay. 

The famous snake boat carnival on the Pampa held annually at Aranmula on the day of Uthrittathi asterism in connection with the Onam festival is to commemorate the crossing of the river by Lord Krishna on that day. The deity is supposed to be in all the boats that take part in the carnival and all of them are expected to arrive at their destination simultaneously. There is thus no element of competition in the Aranmula Boat Race as in other regattas held in this district and elsewhere. 

The race is not conducted to win any trophy or prize. The crew regard the occasion as one for rejoicing and merry-making and cheerfully row up and down the river to the tune of songs. Even though the festival is of Hindu origin and is associated with the Parthasarathy Temple, it is an all-community affair and participants include members of all classes and communities living in and around Aranmula. The festival is now being organised under the auspices of the Palli Oda Seva Sangham, a popular organisation of the boat owners.

It constitutes a national festival for the people of Central Travancore and special boats and buses ply to carry the people to witness the event. During the races, the banks of the river on either side, for a distance of about three kilometeres, would be thronged with millions. In recent years, the festival attracts spectators from all parts of the country and even from abroad. The Valla sadya is an important vazhipadu (offering) in the temple on this occasion.

The snake boats at the Aranmula regatta present an enchanting as well as imposing spectacle. They are of extraordinary shape. About 100 ft. long, the end of the boat is curving upwards with the front portion tapering gradually. The rear portion would be towering to a height of about 20 feet. The boats resemble snakes with their hoods raised. A 150 - crew including oarsmen, singers and ruddermen man each boat which is gaily decorated for the occasion. The occupants carry banners and ornamental umbrellas of silk and gold. It is doubtful whether there is any other national festival resplendent with such an aura of spiritual devotion, endearing friendship, sportsman spirit, majesty and rapturous delight as the Aranmula boat race. Similar Snake-boat races are organised at Champakkulam and Paippadu in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, during the Onam days.

 

ArtCar Fest

 Although Bay area artists Harrod Blank and Philo Northrup have been creating artcars for several decades, in 1997 they decided to team up and host the first ever ArtCar Fest in San Francisco.

What is an artcar? "It's not a float," says Blank, who has created two movies and written a book on the subject. "We drive these cars everyday and they are extensions of our characters." Blank created his first artcar when he was seventeen, painting a rooster on the side of his '65 white VW Bug. "I just felt so plain in a regular car," he says. "It just wasn't me." His creation initiated such a response from the public that he decided to take it to the next level. With his second creation, the Camera Van, a 1972 Dodge van with 1,705 cameras attached to the surface (ten working cameras), Blank can now capture the way the public responds when he drives down the street.

About one-hundred artcars from around the nation show up every October, including Larry Fuentes' Cowasaki (a life size cow fastened to a motorcycles frame); Julian Stock's Skull Car II (a huge white cow skull built over the body of a compact car); and Northrup's own work in progress Truck in Flux ("an abstract, ever-evolving creation"). One of the highlights of the fest is the artcar the crowd creates on site. Anyone who wants can lend a helping hand. In 1998 toys of every shape and size were attached to the body of a donated car, which fetched $300 in an auction. The lucky buyer proceeded to paint it black and then called it Toys Were Us.

In 1999, Blank and Northrup experimented with the idea of taking the ArtCar Fest to the people in a traveling roadshow instead of having the public come to them. Events were held in San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, and San Jose. "It's a missionary-type thing," Blank says. "We're taking our cars through all kinds of neighborhoods in a Fellini-esque parade. All of a sudden this carnival just drives by and the audience is left thinking what the hell was that!" 

Austin Film Festival

That at an AFF awards luncheon, industry legend Gary David Goldberg gave out his personal phone number and told attending screenwriters to call him if they ever felt like giving up?
that the festival regularly screens rare and unseen television work with writers and directors in attendance and that past highlights have included programs with Robert Altman, Garry Shandling, Judd Apatow, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross and Adam McKay?...that competition filmmakers frequently appear on panels with established industry heavyweights to discuss the craft of filmmaking?

that Austin Film Festival has been ranked among the top twenty festivals worth your entry fee?
that Will Ferrell snuck in the back to watch Garry Shandling’s retrospective screening?

That Austin was ranked as the best place to live and make movies by Moviemaker Magazine?
that competition filmmakers and screenplay finalists attend our awards luncheon where winners accept their awards alongside distinguished honorees such as Oliver Stone and Shane Black?
that AFF headquarters is steps away from a host of live music venues?
that AFF Short film juries have included representatives from Atom Films, iFilm, Wholphin and other companies that acquire short form content?

Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival

Join in this one-of-a-kind eco event that showcases the beauty of Southwest Florida's environment. The festival runs for nine days and moves across Southwest Florida's waterfront communities, such as Sanibel and Fort Myers, along the Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail. Events include paddle races, kayak fishing tournaments, photography and birding seminars, waterway cleanups and cultural tours.

To view the more than 50 scheduled events--many of which are FREE-- visit www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com. For more information and to request free maps of the 190-mile, marked trail visit www.GreatCalusaBlueway.com

Location: County-wide
Directions: Take I-75 to Southwest Florida. A day's drive from Atlanta and a few hours from Orlando, Lee County, Fl is a convenient drive from many southern states. Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers offers easy-access to travellers from farther away.