FESTIVAL IN MEXICO

LAS POSADAS Las Posadas begins on the 16th of December and continues for the next nine nights. Through candlelight processions and festive parties, participants remember the long journey undertaken by Joseph and Mary, and their search for lodging in Bethlehem. In fact, posada means shelter. A woman and man portraying Mary and Joseph lead the procession, followed by children in the roles of angels, The Three Kings, and shepherds. Others carry candles, paper lanterns and banners as they proceed from house to house in search of a place to stay. At each residence along the procession route they are refused shelter, until at last, they are welcomed in at the last home. Then, a grand party with food for all is held.

BABY CRYING FESTIVAL HELD IN JAPAN

No mother likes it when her toddler starts crying, but at the Naki Sumo baby crying contest wailing is actually encouraged. Held every year, at the Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo, the baby crying festival is a 400-year-old tradition, believed to keep rug-rats in good health. Amateur sumo wrestlers hold the babies high in the air, and try to scare them into crying, while a sumo referee judges the match. The toddler who cries longest and loudest is considered the winner. Japanese parents bring the babies to the contest, of their own free will, and truly believe the sumo induced crying keeps their children in good health, and wards off evil spirits. This year, 80 babies, all under one year old, participated in Naki Sumo. As you might have guessed, the whiniest contender won.

AFRICA YAM FESTIVAL

The yam festival marks the end of an abundant food-producing harvest. African people have always had festivals at the time of the harvest. In Ghana the Yam Festival (Homowo) lasts three days. The festival begins with a cleansing ceremony to honor family members who have died. Farmers give thanks to the gods who ensure a good harvest. Twins and triplets are honored during this time as a special gift from God. A yam is large root vegetable that looks like a tube. Yams are an important crop in Ghana. During homowo people wear a kind of toga made from kente cloth which is brightly colored. The festival ends with a big feast. People dance and sing to the sounds of drums. When a child is born into the society of Ghana, a meal of yam and other ingredients is prepared for relatives and the midwife who delivers the baby.

FESTIVAL IN CHINA
The Double Seventh Festival, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is a traditional festival full of romance. It originated from the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.- 220 A.D.) Qi Xi is the Chinese equivilant of the "Valentine's Day". Legend has it that long, long ago, there was an honest and kind-hearted orphane named Niu Lang (Cowhand). He fell in love with Zhi Nu (Weaver Maid), a fairy, also the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven. They got married in secret on earth. The Emperor found the sky's not that beautiful as before without the 7th daughter weaving clouds and rainbows. He wanted his daughter's grandmother to find the missing daughter and to bring her back. While the 7th princess was flying to the Heaven with her grandmother, the cowboy wore the ox hide, took his children in two bamboo baskets with his wife's old fairy clothes and chased after his wife in the sky. To stop him, the grandmother made a milky way in the sky with her hairpin, which kept them separated on the two ends of the milky way. Their loyalty and love touched magpies and many of them gathered and formed a bridge for the couple to meet in the evening of Qi Xi (the 7th day of the 7th lunar month), which is the day the Emperor allowed them to meet once a year. Sadly, this tradition in China is dying, as more youngsters are more aware of Valentine's Day.

FESTIVAL OF INDIA
The giddha dance of Punjab, the kaykotti kali during Onam is the diversity of the Indian culture. Usually each tradition, dance or song form is associated with a festival. The typicality of the harvest festival in India like a Vaisakhi in Punjab or a Vishu in Kerala denotes the bounty and blessings received by nature. The Rath yatra, monthly holy days are revered by all Indians.

Sweetmeats in India and attire for festivals are customary and there is a rich tradition followed by all Indians in their homes as a part of celebration. The giddha dance of Punjab, the kaykotti kali during Onam is the diversity of the Indian culture. Usually each tradition, dance or song form is associated with a festival. The typicality of the harvest festival in India like a Vaisakhi in Punjab or a Vishu in Kerala denotes the bounty and blessings received by nature. The Rath yatra, monthly holy days are revered by all Indians. Sweetmeats in India and attire for festivals are customary and there is a rich tradition followed by all Indians in their homes as a part of celebration. The giddha dance of Punjab, the kaykotti kali during Onam is the diversity of the Indian culture. Usually each tradition, dance or song form is associated with a festival. The typicality of the harvest festival in India like a Vaisakhi in Punjab or a Vishu in Kerala denotes the bounty and blessings received by nature. The Rath yatra, monthly holy days are revered by all Indians. Sweetmeats in India and attire for festivals are customary and there is a rich tradition followed by all Indians in their homes as a part of celebration.