2camels festivals

Splendour in the Grass - Byron Bay, NSW, Australia | photo gallery

Splendour in the Grass - Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

Adelaide Festival - Adelaide, SA, Australia | photo gallery

Adelaide Festival - Adelaide, SA, Australia

Portland Historic Races - Portland, OR, USA | photo gallery

Portland Historic Races - Portland, OR, USA

Common Ridings - Hawick - Hawick, Scotland | article

Common Ridings - Hawick - Hawick, Scotland

by: Paul Dodson

For centuries the Scottish border towns of Hawick , Jedburgh , Lauder and Selkirk have been keeping a watchful eye on their southern neighbours, the ever-so-meddlesome English. In years past these Common Ridings of the Scottish border were horseback patrols to ensure those southerners knew where their boundary ended and the Scottish frontier began.

And whilst todays events are for the most part close re-enactments to those of yesteryear, a greater emphasis has been placed on the civic rituals attached to the ceremony and drinking yourself to oblivion, rather than keeping the vexatious English at bay.

Events include the colour bussing - where the town provost hands over the flag to the Cornet (the chief rider) with the words " safe oot, safe in " and the best lass ties a ribbon in the towns colours to the flag - you know it makes sense. The morning ride which sees a slightly inebriated bunch of locals and try-hards on horseback dashing along the town's narrow alleyways - quite patently a recipe for disaster. And for those with a touch more chic, there's the black tie, Common Ridings Ball where participant's past antics have reached mythical renown.

So if you enjoy your festivities with more than a touch of historical significance, set to a drum and fife band beat and you think you an handle the traditional curds 'n' cream (rum and milk) before breakfast (and that's just for starters) head for the Scottish border the first weekend in June. Hell, even you English are welcome to take part in these celebrations!

Christmas - Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia | article

Christmas - Samosir Island, Sumatra, Indonesia

by: L. Peat O'neil

The mid-December night on Samosir Island was misty and cool. Set within immense Lake Toba on the Indonesian island of Sumatra , Samosir consists of the rippled rim and slopes created 75,000 years ago by a volcanic explosion said to be Earth's largest seismic event within the past million years.

The Equator lies to the south, about a half day's bumpy ride by bus, but the island's elevation negates the tropical latitude. We were dozing, tucked in sleeping bags, when a rousing chorus of Gloria Hallelujah and O Come All Ye Faithful woke us. The singing grew louder, closer. A guitarist strummed Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore and the mystery choir chimed in. My companion and I, having chosen the nation with the world's largest Muslim population so that we could avoid the year-end holiday excesses, were nonetheless about to experience a Yuletide reminiscent of family celebrations from decades past.

We knew that a few of Indonesia's 3,000 islands had been visited by Christian missionaries. What we observed last December and January was that carol singing, community Biblical pageants, family meals and card exchanges are the mainstays of Christmas and New Year's revels in this multicultural archipelago.

Just like being back home -- if you omit creating an eye-popping tree, scrimmaging with mall crowds for more electronic presents and out-drinking your mates at office parties.

Instead, during a few winter weeks in Indonesia, we experienced Christmas , New Year's , the beginning of Ramadan (a month of daytime fasting for devout Muslims), Chinese or lunar New Year's and Idul Fitri , the several days of feasting at the end of Ramadan. We launched into a series of local festivities featuring colored lights, music and all the traffic associated with family visits and food-shopping excursions. But the tone was more restrained and the signs, lights and images looked like the Christmas season I remembered as a child.

Ramadan is based on a lunar calendar, so the dates change from year to year. In 1998, daytime fasting starts just a couple of hours after the Dec. 31 firecrackers fade. The government has asked people who celebrate Christmas and New Year's to be considerate of those who will begin fasting. Some expatriate residents interpret that to mean New Year's Eve parties have been banned outright.

Indonesia received Islam peacefully during the 14th century through visitors on the trade routes. Prior to that, Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms were well established, but by the time the colonial powers arrived in the 16th century, Islam was the dominant religion. Freedom of religion was protected at the time of Indonesia's independence in 1945. On the whole, the Islamic majority and the Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities are generous in their toleration of each other.

In Berestagi, a mountain town north of Samosir and Lake Toba that is home to the Batak tribes, school children and adults parade along the wide main street on Dec. 25 and 26. The spectacle features Santa Claus, angels, Mary and infant, the 12 wise men and a children's choir trooping behind.

"Each Christian church has a dance and choral competition to find out who is best," explained Anita Pelawi, who runs a travelers' guest house (called a losmen) in Berestagi. "All the children put in a little extra work, but the kids love it. Muslim, Christian and Chinese mix without problems," said Pelawi.

Cakes and cookies are served on New Year's Day to friends and family who visit, Pelawi added. She makes barbecue and cakes for Christmas and invites her losmen guests for carol singing and dancing.

Sumatra's Batak tribes were persuaded to become Christian by missionaries from the British, American, Dutch and French powers that were vying for colonial dominance. Catholic and several Protestant denominations still are active in the area.

In Sumatra, the sweet tones of schoolchildren practicing Christmas carols rang out in every town we visited. Angels We Have Heard on High was a big favorite, with the enthusiastic Gloria chorus fading out in the lower registers. I heard O Come All Ye Faithful in Bahasa Indonesian many times and Santa Claus is Coming to Town played by a teen rock band. The Battle Hymn of the Republic , which I hadn't considered a Christmas carol, resonated at every rehearsal.

We were invited to one of the evening holiday festivals in Ambarita, a Batak tribal hamlet in the middle of the rice paddies of Samosir Island. Lines of motorbikes were parked by the road at the community park where a stage had been set up. Clutches of young men hovered at the edges of the crowd watching the teenage girls in the choir. Children in tidy school uniforms walked to the microphone and read passages from the Bible in the same too-fast, nervous chirping heard in American auditoriums. Then they bowed quickly and hastened to their chairs while an indulgent teacher beamed and parents applauded.

The palm trees, torches for illumination and roast pig with rice in banana leaves were atmospheric details not found in New England, but I could almost see this holiday party in 1960s Clearwater.

In Indonesia, people use artificial evergreen trees if they decorate a tree at all, and some families exchange gifts on the 25th. Cards are sent to distant family members.

Christmas Day is a national holiday in Indonesia. With a country so spread out, television provides the glue for national unity. On Christmas Day, a government official makes a speech on the usual topics of peace and unity, tolerance for other religions, followed by televised church programs and government sponsored programing of singing and dancing.

On Bali, Christmas is left to tourists and expatriates; a unique blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism serves as the local religion. Rachael Barrett, an American who has a Balinese family, owns an art gallery in Ubud. During the holiday season, she decorates a live tree with wooden ornaments carved for export, and notes the irony that many of the items western consumers purchase to give each other at Christmas are made in a country where the holiday is hardly noticed.

Seasonal decorations are hung in stores and tree ornaments have become available as more Europeans, Australians and Americans come to live on Bali. These expats go to the big hotels or restaurants for special Christmas and New Year's dinners and performances.

Instead of a traditional turkey-centered meal at her home, Barrett holds a fancy Christmas-morning champagne brunch with pancakes, strawberries and cream and other fixings. Barrett said family members might donate money to favorite orphanages or charities and some exchange gifts, but not on the scale of the U.S. consumer. Usually the presents are new clothes for holiday celebrations at the local church, where the community joins the children singing traditional Christmas carols in Bahasa Indonesian.

Later we were back in Jakarta, which supports a vibrant international community and a striving middle class that embraces western consumer goods and notions of upward mobility. The new shopping malls, and there are many, display trees or Santa Claus with elves, music and all the trimmings during the holiday season, but the images seemed dated, as if culled from old greeting cards or gift wrap. But excessive gift giving isn't the norm there anyway.

"Christmas in Jakarta is like Christmas in other countries, but here we start only two weeks before Christmas,'" said Romy Herlambang, a manager at the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta. If office buildings are decorated with trees made of light strings, the government requires the businesses to put a sign up on the main road acknowledging the festivals of the various religious groups as they come up -- Christmas for the Christians, Idul Fitri for Muslims, and similar holidays for Hindus and Buddhists.

"The government . . . believes we can live together in harmony. We have the attitude that your religion is yours, ours is ours," said Herlambang, who is Muslim.

"I was raised by a modern family: My great-great grandfather was a Hindu who married a Muslim. Another relative married a Christian, and they all visit each other."

Herlambang said she visits Christian neighbors and exchanges food at Christmas time and "They visit me during Lebaran (the end of the Ramadan fast, also called Idul Fitri). We send cards to each other, including Muslim people, but the cards are mostly wishing "seasons greetings' and "happy new year', and are not necessarily religious."

As in Bali, Jakarta's expats focus on the big hotels for Christmas eve buffets and New Year's dinners. "At the Jakarta Shangri-La we install a big tree, decorated in gold and red, and we have caroling" leading up to Christmas said Herlambang. "An expat staying in the hotel dresses up as Santa Claus and drives up in a limo and gives out candies to everyone. There's an effort to balance Christian celebrations with Indonesian traditions such as boiled rice in coconut palm and using the colors of yellow and green for festive occasions. For Idul Fitri, the feast of breaking fast after Ramadan, we make chocolate or sugar carvings of mosques." "In Indonesia," she added, "family is very involved in everyone's life. It's not the point to get drunk and have parties and spend lots of money."

Check out more of Peat's wonderful writing at Adventure Travel Writer .

World Buskers Festival - Christchurch, New Zealand | article

World Buskers Festival - Christchurch, New Zealand

by: Heather Hapeta

Organised pandemonium can soon be expected in Christchurch, New Zealand . Each January locals and visitors of all ages flock to open-air city malls, the citys cultural precinct, and out to the seaside suburb New Brighton to witness the worlds very best busker talent: the World Buskers Festival . Belly laughs, amazement, admiration, and surprise fill my life for ten days every summer and I anticipate the same from 18th 28th January 2007.

This is when artists, from countries as diverse as Portugal, UK, Japan, Australia, Italy, the USA will be winging their way to Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island, to provide over four-hundred free shows although, as its their livelihood, optional donations are always welcome.

"The festivals reputation for excellence and our great locations here in the heart of Christchurch's cultural and heritage precinct are big drawcards for both international and domestic visitors, as well as for local residents, and it has become an icon event for the city" festival director Jodi Wright tells me. Sitting in her office under the old university observatory, Jodi is inundated with pleas for an invitation from buskers around the world; such is the reputation of this event.

Hub of activities for the dare-devils, outrageous comedians, juggling divas, and other mischievous people here to entertain, is the Art Centre, site of Christchurchs first university and the first place in the British Empire to admit women. Some famous alumni are; poet Denis Glover, novelist and playwright Dame Ngaio Marsh, Sir Karl Popper scientist and philosopher, and our celebrated artist, Rita Angus. This university is also where the great 19th century scientist, Sir Ernst Rutherford, had his den and where he explored his theories which led to the splitting of the atom.

When plans emerged for the Gothic Revival buildings to be demolished in the 1970s when the university moved to a new site Christchurch residents pleaded for its retention. They finally won the arguments and the resulting Arts Centre is now firmly established as the cultural hub of Christchurch and is one of New Zealands most significant historical and cultural attractions: a fitting place for the smash hit the World Buskers Festival has become in the Christchurch calendar. Numbers attending the shows have more than doubled since its inception in 1994.

Christchurch was New Zealand's first city (by royal charter in 1856); is lauded for its gardens, and sits on a large plain between the Southern Alps and the Pacific Ocean. It could easily be called festival city: as well as the buskers, festivals celebrating the arts, writers, jazz, and floral themes are just a few of the others. Known as The Garden City, it has won many national and international horticultural awards and these show the importance we place in having a beautiful city in which to live, work, and play.

That being so, the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, founded in 1863 and acknowledged as possessing the finest collection of exotic and indigenous plants in New Zealand, is co-opted as the setting for the childrens part of the buskers festival. Witches, magic, and juggling create fear and fun with the kids: parents love the acts too.

Each evening the Busker Comedy Club, a cabaret-style, outdoor variety show in the Arts Centre grounds, is packed with people, many of who arrive an hour early with rugs and cushions to sit on. Others have booked one of the tables which are always well-supplied with tasty nibbles and drinks to enjoy as they laugh at the adult-only entertainment.

Over the lunch hour, under the gaze of an old statue of one of the city fathers and alongside modern sculpture and the cathedral that dominates the skyline of Cathedral Square, I watch a Canadian as he flouts the rules of physics. Using his engineering degree he tests the quantum theory by impaling a cabbage on a spike on his head and tells us he is proud of his pasty, lanky look and ability to out-talk a senior citizen. Known by his stage name the Comedy Engineer he also says that comedy has been waiting a long time for an engineer.

The crowd remains when he finishes and soon Mario, Queen of the Circus, takes over the pitch. Winner of awards in Germany, Switzerland and France, he is a master of impeccable timing and phenomenal juggling skills: this is showmanship at its best and I loved every minute of it I hope he returns.

Recalling his show, a word of warning seems appropriate. Some performers, like this queen of the circus, may ask you to volunteer as a participant in their show. However, as the festival programme says: please feel free to decline their request (for any reason) and use common sense and caution at all times.

Nevertheless, the only injury I witnessed was to a friends ego when she was surprised by one of the roving acts at the airport! Just off the plane, she was welcomed to festival city by The Crowd Maintenance Crew when they popped out from behind a wall and dusted her down with their feather duster just making sure you are in tip top condition they tell her.

Other roving acts this past January included a pavement artist, living statues, and two local women The Chick Taylors who are the personification of improvisation with a range of characters from the Paranoid French or German through to Retro English Geeks: they are up for anything and its great to have locals in such a high-calibre extravaganza such as this festival.

Featured on the Discovery Channel programme, Fantastic Festivals of the World, this one-of-a-kind event extends out the beach suburb of New Brighton which sits on the long sweep of Pegasus Bay and the Pacific.

It was a hot sunny, beach-suburb-appropriate day when I caught one of the very popular shows by the Blackstreet Boys. Discovered by festival organiser Jodi Wright as she explored Venice Beach, California, these young men are irreverent, light on their feet, full of mischief and I loved their performance. I hear that when they are not out on the streets of LA they teach and choreograph would-be artists - this has included MC Hammer.

Locals claim the Christchurch cultural precinct is the finest in the southern hemisphere. Planned by the city founders - some 150 years ago - to create a cultural heart for the province (Canterbury) it is still a wonderful backdrop to many of the arts and heritage activities of Christchurch.

Ill meet you at the Arts Centre or lets have coffee, dinner, or supper before or after the show, can be overheard wherever locals gather. The old university, with over forty galleries, studios, theatres, cinemas, cafes, restaurants, shops, bars, weekly arts market, fabulous bead shop, and ethnic food stalls, this vibrant place is the perfect backdrop for the World Buskers Festival.

Its an easy area to explore by foot or tram, and most of the activities are free, and include places such as; New Zealand's only remaining Provincial Chamber buildings, Our City O-Tautahi with its changing exhibitions, the fabulous Christchurch Art Gallery, the Canterbury Museum, and the Centre of Contemporary Art. So when you are exhausted from laughing at the class buskers acts that are spread around the city, complete your stay in Christchurch by enriching your senses with food, fun and culture in this very public heart of our great city.

So, lets meet at the Arts Centre for the World Buskers festival for some spirit-enriching laughter.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - Indio, CA, USA | video

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - Indio, CA, USA

Each April the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California plays host to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival , a three day extravaganza of alternative rock, hip hop, electronica and sculptural art.

Huge headline acts and a dramatic Colorado Desert setting highlight Coachella as one of America's finest festivals. Take a peek at this trailer for the Coachella doco or visit www.coachella.com for all the festival dates and deets.

Dairokuten-no-Hadaka Matsuri - Mud Slinging Festival - Yotsukaido, Japan | video

Dairokuten-no-Hadaka Matsuri - Mud Slinging Festival - Yotsukaido, Japan

Japan's festivals - or matsuris in the local lingo - often involve grown men dressed in nothing more than adult nappies doing strange things! And in that respect, the Dairokuten-no-Hadaka Matsuri or Mud Slinging Festival does not disappoint.

Each February participants gather in Yotsukaido in the Chiba Prefecture in Japan to strip down, get knee deep in frigid water and fling what they find at their feet at each other.

Running of the Nudes - Pamplona, Spain | video

Running of the Nudes - Pamplona, Spain

As an animal-cruelty free alternative to Pamplona's Running of the Bulls , why not snack on this video of the Running of the Nudes held annually in Pamplona, Spain each July to promote an alternative to the city's upcoming San Fermin fiesta.

Running of the Nudes - Pamplona, Spain | snippet

Running of the Nudes - Pamplona, Spain

In July 2002 in a daring and valiant attempt to promote an alternative to the animal cruelty associated with the Running of the Bulls , 25 streakers ran the famed San Fermin course in Pamplona, tackle out! Today the event has a name, the Running of the Nudes , and a place on the calendar, two days before the setting off of the chupinazo to mark the beginning of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain.

Paricipants, nude or close to it, donned in red scarves and plastic horns bounce and jiggle there way along the half-mile course in an event where organisers aim to highlight the cruelty implicit in el encierro and bull-fighting in general. Unsuprisingly, the Running of the Nudes garners a heap of worldwide media and public attention and although the run lasts little more than an hour, the celebration in true Spanish fiesta tradition, kicks on all night and then some.

Running of the Nudes - When, Where and More Info Please

When: Early July each year

Where: Pamplon, Spain.

More Info Please: For more info and exact dates and deets check out the Running of the Nudes web site.

Kulmbach Bierfest - Kulmbach, Germany | snippet

Kulmbach Bierfest - Kulmbach, Germany

For a little over a week every July another Bavarian town celebrates it's love of the amber liquid.

The Kulmbach Bierfest on the edge of the Thuringian Forest may not rival Munich's Oktoberfest for size or extravagance but what it lacks in magnitude, it certainly makes up for in atmosphere, choice and quality.

Pay 'em a visit and take on Kulminator 28, one of the strongest beers in the world!

Kulmbach Bierfest

When: For 9 days each and every July

Where: Kulmbach, Germany

More Info Please: Check out the Kulmbach Bierfest website for all the dates and deets.

Bonfire Night - Guy Fawkes Night - All Areas, England | snippet

Bonfire Night - Guy Fawkes Night - All Areas, England

The Brits love a liberal lashing of irony, and it's with that in mind that every 5th of November they go to great lengths to burn things to the ground and blast things into the stratosphere.

Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night has been celebrated in the UK since that near fateful day in 1605 when a number of sneaky Roman Catholic conspiritors (including Guy Fawkes) attempted to blow to smithereens the Houses of Parliament in London, England in a scenario now known as the Gunpowder plot . As history spells it out, the plot was foiled, Parliament was saved and to the present day Brits spend the anniversary of the event burning effigies (otherwise known as "guys" in reference to our Mr. Fawkes) and setting off fireworks in a celebration of the fact that nothing was burnt or blown up all those years ago. Strange!

Guy Fawkes Night - When, Where and More Info Please

When: November 5th annually

Where: There are plenty of local celebrations the length and bredth of the empire with the largest of these taking place in Lewes, Sussex.

More Info Please: For more info check out Wikipedia's entry on Guy Fawkes Night .