Festivals have a long history dating back to 1500 BC in India where they were held to honor gods and deities. Festivals involved dramatic performances, music, dances, races, and sacrifices. Many villages had guardian deities they celebrated. The Chinese Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year involves decorating lanterns, family reunions, games, and parades. The La Tomatina festival in Spain started as anti-Franco protests but is now a giant tomato fight attracting 20,000 participants. The Monkey Buffet Festival in Thailand involves feeding over 600 monkeys as appreciation. The Baby Jumping Festival in Spain has men dressed as devils leap over lying babies. Major festivals

1. FestivalsBy Rubina Begum 11QCreative & Media

2. History of FestivalsIt has been proven that festivals have been celebrated since 1500 B.C., the Vedic times in India. They held festivals to honour and worship their gods and deities, and give food to them. Ancient literature shows people the festivals that are celebrated to honour deities, rivers, trees, mountains, serpents, the advent of monsoon, the end of winter or the spring, in the past. In the festivals, they had dramatic performances, music congregations, dances, chariot races, gambling, wrestling matches, boat races and animal fights with countless contenders ranging from wild bulls to elephants to even rhinoceroses. There were sacrificial fires held called Yajnas, where milk, clarified butter and somaras (an alcoholic drink) were offered to the gods before being consumed by the people. Many festivals were celebrated in villages and every village had a guardian deity. These were occasions for the people where they wore their best clothes, jewellery and flowers, sang, danced and of all things feasted a lot, and they could break out of their daily routines.

3. Chinese Lantern festivalThe Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Lunar Year in the Chinese calendar., on the last day of the Lunar Chinese New Year celebration. However it is not the same as the Mid-Autumn Festivals, which some countries such as Malaysia and Singapore name ‘Lantern Festival’ also.In ancient times, the lanterns where very simple, and only the emperor and noble men had large ornate lanterns.On the day, lanterns are embellished in many complex forms and designs, popularly in the shapes of animals. When a bright full moon comes out, thousands of colourful lanterns are hung out for people to appreciate, and children go out at night to temples carrying paper lanterns. There are huge family reunions held where they play many games such as solving riddles and puzzles on lanterns , while eating Yuanxiao (Glutinous Rice Ball), and celebrating love and affection between lovers in Chinese tradition and culture. There are also big Lantern Parades and fairs held in cities and towns all over, the most eye catching lantern being the golden Dragon Pole which spirals up a 27 meter high pole, spewing fireworks from it’s mouth.

4. The World’s Weirdest FestivalsLa Tomatina in Bunol, Valencia – A festival started years and years ago, recently held on August 26 2009. The town with all it’s big industries, brings 20,000 visitors with their town’s people to throw tomatoes at one another in a gigantic, oversized food fight. There are many theories about how it came out to begin, the main one implies that it came from anti-Franco protests in 1945. From then on Tomato throwing festivals have been held countless times all over the world.The Monkey Buffet Festival in Lopburi, Thailand –Occurred in November 2009. Around more than 600 monkeys were gathered together to feast on over 2two tonnes of grilled sausage, fresh fruit, ice cream and other treats, as a way to express how much they appreciate the monkeys that inhabit their villages and bring thousands of tourists each year.The Baby Jumping Festival (El Colacho) in Castrillo de Murcia, Spain –First staged in 1620, This celebration happens during June 11-15 to celebrate Corpus Christi. Here babies are place onto the streets, and grown men dress up as the Devil and leap over the lying babies

5. Some Of The Major FestivalsWeddings