Try these summer festivals for a languid, summer's delight

SONGKRAN 2013
April 13-15 Thailand
Seek relief from the sun by standing at the receiving end of a water balloon. Be sure to have a few in hand to throw back if you’re going to participate in the water fight! The water is meant to purify and renew, sending everyone into the Thai new year with a fresh start. The New Year is also a time to visit elders and monks to pay respect. Thais in Chiang Mai perform a ritual of bathing the Buddha to build on the stack of good luck and fortune that water lays the foundation for.


TAKAYAMA FESTIVAL
April 14-15
Japan

The Takayama Festival attracts people from all over the world to admire decorative festival floats called ýatai in a grand festival procession. The twinkling floats are displayed on the streets during the festival. In the midst of the celebrations, the shrine ‘mikoshi’ makes an annual appearance and is paraded around town.

ÇOCUK BAYRAMI
April 23 Turkey

Bring your kids or the inner child within you to Çocuk Bayrami, or Children’s Day. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey declared this day a holiday to illustrate that children were the future of their newfound independent nation. Children dress up in vibrant costumes and perform in plays and musicals to celebrate their day. The main attraction of Çocuk Bayrami takes place in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, where children from all around the world sing and dance in a pageant.


AYE WRITE! GLASGOW’S BOOK FESTIVAL
April 12-20
Glasgow

Literary lovers are invited to pamper themselves at this popular UK book festival. It has attracted leading world authors along with Hollywood stars and TV personalities. The program includes poetry events, debates, workshops, music events, book discussions and creative reading and writing events.


COACHELLA
April 12-21 California, USA

Spanning the course of two weekends, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is one of the most anticipated music festivals in the United States that attracts crowds of up to 200,000 people. The festival features rock and alternative acts though it has been known to invite mainstream musicians. Crowds camp in the desert, which serves to complement a laid back atmosphere felt within the festival.


GANGAUR FESTIVAL 2013
April 13-14 Jodhpur, Rajasthan

In honouring the goddess Gauri’s blessings of martial bliss to her friends, women dress up in colourful clothes and fast during this auspicious festival. By doing this, the married women pray for their husbands while the unmarried ones anticipate being paired up with a good partner. In Udaipur, there’s a boat procession on Lake Pichola with fireworks. Rise early in the morning in Jodhpur and find thousands of maidens dressed up while singing and carrying water and grass in pots.