When you want to try and make the best out of your experience in Asia, you have to check out the local activities themselves and join them.
What local activities are the best? FESTIVALS!
Festivals have always been fun and full of bright colors. More so, there are a lot of activities around the area that tourists can surely enjoy if they get the chance to join the Festival. Street concerts, shop discounts, food markets, and many more will pop up in public exposing a grand cultural to anyone!
To help you hit the schedule jackpot of when to travel best in Asia, here is a list of some of the must-try festivals in Asia. Buckle up with your luggage, boarding plane ticket, and this world festivals calendar.
Japan
Known for their passion and spirit, Japan is very famous when it comes to having different festivities in their localities. Japan is known to have festivals every month all year round. They have varying festivals locally known as Matsuri from dance festivals, lantern festivals, to snow festivals, they also perform festivals for different shrines.
This intense taste of culture in their festivals makes Japan one of the homes to the best festivals in the world. In August Awa Odori fills all the streets of Tokushima City with dancing people from children to grown adults wearing traditional kimonos. It is the biggest Dance Festival of Japan, so tourists and locals themselves make sure to either participate or witness the whole event.
While in the same month, the Nebuta Matsuri is a festival focused in lantern parades paired with dancers and drums. The extravagant floats are mostly depictions of mythical creatures and gods of Japan. The parade of the said festival lasts from sunrise to sunset. The public is also highly encouraged in joining the dance parade themselves. Visiting Japan in August would probably be like hitting two birds in one stone.
Read Also A Quintessential List Of Japan Travel Tips
China
It is known to many that China observes New Year quite later compared to other countries. In the Chinese calendar, the Chinese New Year is set in the first week of February. It is considered to be the most important and most celebrated festival in China and Chinatowns in all parts of the world.
This celebration is also a spring festival which represents a new life for the locals. And this festival is considered to be one of the biggest festivals celebrated all over the world.
The festival offers a lot of activities especially in temples and public parks.
There are tons of Dragon and Lion dances and theatrical presentations in public places. If you want to know how China tastes, this could be the best opportunity to do so. Rarely seen Chinese snacks and different Chinese products surface the market at cheap prices during the celebration.
Thailand
Flying Southeast, Thailand is one of the most unique countries in the world with a very vibrant culture. The uniqueness of Thailand is displayed in their local festivals. Thailand is observed to be home to one of the craziest festivals and the best music festivals in the world.
Tourists from all around the world are fans of the Water Festival in Thailand. The celebration is surely wet and wild with a lot of momentous water fight with everybody in the community. The festival fights back the hotness of April as almost everyone in the country enjoys the country-wide water fights.
If you happen to drop by Thailand by Mid-December and you love music, make sure to sign up for the Wonderfruit Festival. You wouldn’t want to miss this 3-day music and arts festival with many famous artists from different genres. It is one of the most sought music festivals proving that Thailand is a very pop and vibrant country.
Related Thailand Travel Tips For The Adventurous Backpacker 
Philippines
If you are into colorful and vibrant festivals, surely the Philippines has the best festivals to go to. Every island in the country has their own unique way of celebrating different festivals to commemorate their local patrons or to celebrate the diverse ethnicities in the place.
Bacolod known as the City of Smiles celebrate Maskara (Mask) Festival in the last week of October. The extravagant parades paired with street dance competitions are the highlights of the festival. There are also other small competitions throughout Bacolod. Various local artists visit the City to perform musical concerts and join sports events. There are just a lot to do at the festival!
Moving South, Kadayawan festival is also one of the most vibrant and most visited festivals in the Philippines. The celebration conducts float parade and street dance competition that presents the different ethnicities of the people of Davao.
There are also various musical concerts available to the public and a lot of food stalls from local food producers. Make sure to taste the authentic food displayed in each festival and have a taste of the Filipino identity of these locals.
India
Meanwhile in South Asia lies a very traditional country that stems from different religious aspects and customs – India. The country which is home to many rare and famous spices is also home to a lot of festivals. Since there are a lot of religions in India, there are also a lot of ways to enjoy different festivals.
Perhaps the biggest festival in India that the Hindus celebrate is the Diwali Festival. Also known as the Light Festival, it is their means of celebrating the defeat of evil by light. During October or November, the streets of India becomes full of different light ornaments. Hindu households prepare for this at least 2 weeks ahead of the event.
Meanwhile, around March, India would be full of colors as the everyone celebrates the Holi festival from North to South. The mythological origins of the festival may vary from the different gods they believe in, but the way of celebrating it would almost be the same.
People would enjoy day and night making ornaments with the color of the rainbow. Others would have fun smearing each other with colorful powders and water balloons. When night falls, people would often gather into a bonfire and burn images of the evil Holika.
Takeaway
Asia is hometown to a variety of cultures. And this culture differs from one country to another. The diversity in each culture can help you understand the plurality of this world letting you understand the universe in a broader sense.
These festivals would surely leave you wonderful memories from witnessing the different local cultures and taste their sense of identity with festive food and activities. If you are looking for a lively and festive way to enjoy your traveling, make sure to check out these Festivals and experience them yourself!
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