Taking a break from the usual photo-stream, I've decided to participate in an initiative which the travel blog BootsnAll has created. Starting November 1, they launched a project called 30 Days of Indie Travel. They’re inviting bloggers from around the world (including you!) to join us in a daily blogging effort reflecting on our past travel experiences.  Each day, they'll post a new prompt on BootsnAll articles. Bloggers can follow the prompts as strictly or loosely as they like, interpreting them in various ways and responding via text, photos or video posted on their own blogs.

Today's theme: Celebrate
Joining in a local festival, holiday or special event is a great way to learn more about a local culture. Share the story of a celebration that meant something to you on your travels.

Oh, where to begin with this subject? Who doesn't like a good celebration, really? In my humble opinion, I feel that being somewhere for a local festival, holiday, or special event is one of the best things that can happen to you on your travels. The country is celebrating, and their actions and involvement will  give you an inside look into some of the traditions that have moulded that society and their way of life. Not to mention, it's pretty damn fun getting involved as much (or as little) as you're comfortable with.

Now I've spent the past 6 years living in Toronto, Canada... one of the world's most culturally diverse cities, when examining the the demographics of those who inhabit it. With such diversity, I've been spoiled with endless cultural festivals happening almost every single week. Sometimes 3 or 4 happening on the same weekend! These festivals can range from Caribana - the world's largest Caribbean festival outside of the Caribbean, Salsa on St Clair - a latin food and music festival, Taste of the Danforth - a MASSIVE greek food and music festival with over 1 millon in attendance, and so forth. Festivals for me are the icing on the cake to an enjoyable vacation somewhere, and have planned several trips with that particularly in mind. 

One of the festivals on the International scene that I've attended would be Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, which I must admit is one of the most fun weeks I've ever had in my life. The entire country seems to be in celebration mode for weeks leading up to the Grande Festival weekend, which changes dates every year, often falling on one of the weekends in February. I've never seen so much life, excitement and energy.. often our nights would be ending at 11am and the music was still playing out in the streets by our condo as we finally drifted to sleep for the day. 

A recent festival I was able to bare witness to is the famous Holi festival in India, which is a festival of colours and people through bags of powdered paint at each other. India is a special place for finding festivals mind you, and if you check local guide books and calendars, I'm sure you'll be able to find an exciting festival to attend at almost any time of year. In the same 2 week trip, I also attended a Vishnu festival where elephants were promenaded through the streets to bless all the houses of the town that left offerings out for it, and then the procession ends as the elephants are lead up into a temple. at the top of a high staircase. This was happening around 2am... then the parade started.... then the fireworks - we had to pull the plug just due to fatigue around 5:30am, yet the party was still in full effect.

The trip that was most significant in terms of planning around festivals, however, was my trip to Japan during the Cherry Blossom festival. This is a HUGE natural event with substantial cultural significance. The cherry blossom trees only are in bloom for a couple of days, and can happen at varying times all across the country (and even within the same city, when at different elevations). People follow the patterns as they are broadcast on the news, and you will find parks filled to the rim with people sitting under the blossoming trees, sipping on sake and having picnics. Multiple other incredible festivals were happening across the country during this time, and fortunately for me, they just happened to happen at the same time as many of the blossoming trees were in full bloom in those cities. From Geisha festivals, to ancient marionette presentations, to archery exhibits, there wasn't a dull moment during those few weeks. 

Lastly, I should also mention of course that celebrations don't of course have to be some elaborate festival. It may be something as common as a birthday, or winning a race or sporting event (if you want to see crazy, sit on the winning side of the stadium at a soccer event in Brazil.. wow!). One of my most memorable celebrations was my 20th birthday in Northern India, in a village where the Dali Lama has taken refuge, McLeod Gang. It was the most peaceful place I can remember, and it just so happened they too were celebrating the 40th anniversary since they built a school for the refugee children there, and let's not forget Diwali, India's festival of lights, was taking place at the same time. I spent a good part of the day in meditation in the mountains close to a towering waterfall. A very introspective celebration, for my own life, my accomplishments thus far, and what was yet to come. This was followed closely by a night full of Kingfishers and firecrackers.

Life is full of reasons to celebrate. I live by the philosophy of trying to celebrate Life as much as possible, wherever, whenever - I don't need much encouragement to get out there and participate. As far as we know, we only live once, right?

There are many ways you can choose to appreciate what is considered one of the most holiest rivers in the world. Activities which take place along the river banks include bathing to purify oneself before the daily happenings begin, participate in Ganga Aarti - the nightly act of placing candles with flowers in the river (as pictured above) as part of the worship, or  attending one of the hundreds of festivals such as Kumbh Mela held every 4 years, a Sadu festival where millions make pilgrimage to bathe in the river and partake in Ganga Aarti - meaning you will see the river appear as if it were lit on fire as millions of candles float past. 

Many children use this opportunity to make some extra money for their family, by selling the candles and flowers to locals and tourists alike. It is an excellent source of income for their families, and keeps the children from begging and stealing. If you choose to participate, you may want to consider buying from one of the children, as opposed to the shops (which may be overpriced anyway). 

The Ganges river is a quintessential part of anyone's visit to India. There is definitely a special feeling from being there, even if you don't participate in any of the blessings of the river.

Going to Carnival was always a dream, and in Feb of 2007 it became a reality. This was my first exposure to Latin America, somewhere I had longed to go to for years. When the opportunity presented itself to be able to go to Brazil during one of the Southern Hemisphere's biggest parties, I thought what better way could there possibly be to dive right in?!

Carnival (and Brazil) can be a bit overwhelming for a first timer to this part of the world. I was fortunate in several ways, as I had some friends to meet up with down there, as well as another friend's Condo to stay in while visiting. This friend had a Brazilian wife, and they had decided to keep their beach side condo in Barra de Tijuca, which is a long beach in the southern end of Rio, nicknamed the Miami of Brazil for it's high end housing, beach side lifestyle and slightly more material driven attitude. Along with the stay at his condo came a few of his wife's family members who made regular visits to make sure we were ok. It was great having a local hand to make suggestions of where to eat, what things should cost, and where the best parties would be. I would strongly recommend making contact with a reliable local upon arriving there so you don't miss any of the action. A good choice is probably the concierge at your hotel, if not with a tour company.

Now the thing about Carnival which you don't always hear about, is that although it is really only over the course of a few days, the excitement starts building weeks before the event. I had arrived almost a week early, and already you could catch the occasional Samba party in the street. The energy you get while there is unlike any other party I've been to in the World! By the time the actual festival began, most of the city had already been going for a couple days at the very least. I remember a couple nights, having just wandered through the streets to different boroughs, party hopping from one beach to another, and the next thing I knew, the sun was rising and I had been out all night. Making our way back to the condo (a fantastic hour bus ride weaving through coast lines and tunnels dug through magnificent mountains, I was never upset at the prospect of having to commute), we occasionally wouldn't arrive until 10:00 the following morning and you could still hear the music and cheering erupting in the streets. It's truly a 24 hour event for at least each day of the festival itself (festival dates can vary drastically from year to year). Often the routine consisted of a quick swim in the ocean, a quick bite to eat, then pass out during the days hottest hours. Up by 16:00 for a quick meal, mix a few homemade Caipirinhas, then back off in to the city for another night of festivities.