Celebrating the birth, death and enlightenment of Buddha. Happy Vesak Day!

Vesak is the major Buddhist festival of the year and celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha all on the same day. Colourful lanterns adorn every home and luminous displays decorate the streets signifying the light of the Buddha.

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Picture: Bathing Buddha by hkdigit, on Flickr

The amazingly colourful Pahiyas festival in the Philippines is always a favourite of ours. Especially as you can eat the decorations!

Original tumblr post: bugenggeng:

HAPPY PAHIYAS FESTIVAL , LUCBAN QUEZON ! :)

Sayang hindi ako nakauwi :(

See who’s the best dressed carabao in town?

At the Carabao festival in Pulilan, Bulacan in the Phillipines, the farmers pay tribute to their water buffalos, (known as carabaos) by giving them a makeover for all their hard work tilling the land.

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Picture: Bulacan by outsideboundimages, on Flickr

Happy Mother’s Day to all who are celebrating it today…

Nowadays Mother’s Day is celebrated on different dates around the world, usually in March, April, or May as a day to honor mothers and motherhood.

Today its the turn of mothers in the US and Australia

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Pack your crash helmet and may the best rocket win!

To the villagers of Yasothon firing ginormous rockets into the sky is apparently the best way to lure the rain gods, and things can get very noisy and rather hectic at Phaya Thaen Park when the Yasothon Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival takes place.

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Picture: Rocket Untangling by simonparisphotography, on Flickr

An early form of pole dancing may well lead to a hangover!

The earliest May Day festivities started long, long ago with theFestival of Floralia in Roman times, and the raucous Germanic / ScandinavianWalpurgis Night or Celtic Beltane celebrations the night before (hence the hangover!).

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Picture: at Gainesville May Day celebration by barb.howe, on Flickr

A night when bonfires are lit, witches meet, kids play pranks and copious amounts of sparkling wine is drunk (probably by their mothers!)

Rather like Halloween it is believed that the boundaries between the spirit world and the real world become thin on Walpurgis Night.

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Picture: May Queen by Swirley, on Flickr

A romantic guy at heart, St George is famous for slaying the dragon thus saving one very distressed princess.

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Picture: St George by Stuart McMullan, on Flickr

Make a big splash and get a soaking for good luck!

The Songkran Festival is the traditional Thai New Year where families and friends gather together to visit temples, sprinkle water on Buddha deities and on each other to wish good luck. This quickly turns into people roaming the streets with containers of water or supersoakers in order to drench anyone that passes! The more water you have thrown over you the luckier you are!

Songkran 2011 Water Festival-12 by Aung@, on FlickrSongkran 2011 Water Festival-12 by Aung@, on FlickrSongkran 2011 Water Festival-12 by Aung@, on Flickr</ More on Songkran Festival by Somewhere in the world today…

Picture: Songkran 2011 Water Festival-12 by Aung@, on Flickr

A walk in the countryside and a song in your heart is all you need to find love

As an ancient festival for matchmaking and fertility, Shangsi has been celebrated in many different ways over the years, which has lead to a variety of traditions all over China today. 

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Pitcture: Shangsi Festival by Jungle Key