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Festivals Around The World In December
Not all festivals in December have to do with Santa Claus, Hanukah or holiday lights. Around the world they can be very different with scary creatures, lanterns, drums and fires.
Krampusnacht Festival, December 5, Klagenfurt
In Austria this festival is fun for adults and often times terrifying for children. The Krampusnacht Festival has many parts including a race with joggers dressed up as hairy devils, a feast and massive celebrations. The mythical creature Krampus is the star of this festival with his very scary flaming eyes made out of coals and his matted fur. Supposedly he likes to kidnap children and slap them. There are a few theories of how this festival started with one of the most accepted ones being that he’s from pagan nature spirits. It’s not all scariness though as the main event, the Feast of St. Nicholas, features the big jolly guy himself, Santa Claus, and a lot of holiday cheer.
Burning The Clocks, December 21, Brighton
This English festival features burning lanterns that are meant to mark the beginning of the Winter Solstice. It is a fairly new event as it was started in 1994 by a charity. It’s meant to bring everyone together no matter what their religious beliefs are. During this festival, individuals pass handmade lanterns into a bonfire and watch them burn. The lanterns are supposed to bring the hopes and dreams of the participants into fruition in the new year. There are actually two phases to the Burning The clocks festival with the lantern burning and fireworks being the second phase and a parade being the first phase.
Junkanoo Parade, December 26-Jaunary 1, Nassau
Even the Caribbean gets in on some festival fun this month. In the Bahamas, locals and tourists can participate in some all-night fun with the Junkanoo Parade. It features music, colorful costumes and of course a parade. It’s starts on Boxing Day, early in the morning with two parades and goes on for several days. Legend has it that it started with slaves that used scrap materials and feathers to adorn their clothes and flour paste to paint their faces. Today the costumes are much more elaborate and can take months to finish. This is considered to be the oldest street fair that still takes place in the Caribbean.
Hogmanay Celebration, December 30-January 1, Edinburgh
This Scottish festival gets its roots from pagan celebrations that warded off evil spirits. Today it’s a much more family friendly festival with fireworks and parades. During the day participants clean their houses in preparation for a clean start to the New Year. At night however it’s all about the parties and being together. It’s not uncommon for locals to allow strangers into their homes to enjoy a meal or to see individuals walking down the street carrying a torch to ward off evil spirits.
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Source: http://blog.atlastravelweb.com/festivals-2/festivals-around-world-december-2/
