A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. "Cherry Days" in Paonia, Colorado is a typical festival. The word fest derives from the German language (see list of German expressions in English). In religion, a festival is also a set of celebrations in honour of God or gods. Festival - Types of festivals. Arts festival Film festival Food festival Literar ...

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• Festival - Types of festivals

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festival: A time of religious celebration and special observances. Festivals generally recur yearly, their dates varying slightly according to astrological calculations. They are characterized by acts of piety (elaborate pujas, penance, fasting, pilgrimage) and rejoicing (songs, dance, music, parades, storytelling and scriptural reading).

See: sound, teradi.

(See also: Festival, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

FESTIVALS: times for Pagan and Witch celebrations; high holidays and cross-quarter days.

(See also: FESTIVALS, Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

The Kavadi Festival

Perhaps the most potent propitiatory rite that a devotee of Shanmukha undertakes to perform is what is known as the Kavadi. The benefits that the devotee gains from offering a Kavadi to the Lord are a millionfold greater than the little pain that he inflicts upon himself.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

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Latest news from the Oneness Festival team.

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Ridvan is a garden chosen by Baha'u'llah for announcing his divine mission. The Festival of Ridvan is celebrated over 12 days from April 21 to May 2. The first, ninth and twelfth days are consecrated for special worship and service.

The Baha'is believe that the events in the Garden of Ridvan are of tremendous significance for the regeneration of humankind. So the festival is celebrated with great joy and fellowship.

(See also: Festival of Ridvan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Holi:

IN DAYS of yore, there were communities of cannibals in India. They caused much havoc. They threatened the lives of many innocent people. One of them was Holika or Putana. She took immense delight in devouring children. Sri Krishna destroyed her and thus saved the little children. Even today, the effigy or figure of Holika is burnt in the fire. In South India, the clay figure of Cupid is burnt. This is the origin of the great festival of Holi.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

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In muslim communities, Eid (Arabic: عيد ) is the name of two Islamic festivals: Eid ul-Fitr, marking the end of the month-long fast of Ramadan, held on the first day of Shawwal. Eid ul-Adha, commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah, held on the tenth day of Hajj. Eid is Arabic and means "festival" or "festivity". ...

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The Carneian festival (Κάρνεια) was one of the most important religious festivals in ancient Sparta, held in honor of Apollo Carneios, who was worshipped in various parts of the Peloponnesus. There were nine major festivals on the Spartan calendar, the most important of which were the Carneia, the Gymnopaedia and the Hyakinthia held at Amyclae. The Carneia began on the seventh day of the month of Carneios (the Athenian Metageitnion) and lasted nine days. Nine tents were pitched near the city w ...

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In England, thanks has been given for successful harvests since pagan times. Celebrations on this day usually include singing, praying and decorating churches with baskets of fruit and food in a festival known as Harvest Festival. In Churches and schools, people bring in food from home. The food is later distributed among the poor and senior citizens of the local community. Harvest festival - When is Harvest Festival?. Harvest festivals are traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harv ...

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• Harvest festival - When is Harvest Festival?
• Harvest festival - Customs and Traditions

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The V Festival is an annual rock festival in England, the first to be held simultaneously at two sites - currently Hylands Park in Chelmsford, Essex and Weston Park in Staffordshire. Originally, the festival took the name of the current year, with the first festival "V96". It discarded its year specific name in 2003 since it has been known as simply the V Festival. The "V" represents the Virgin Group, and began as another means of promoting Richard Branson's companies. The event is sponsored by Virgin Mobi ...

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• V Festival - 2005 V Festival
• V Festival - History

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The following is a List of Festivals in India: Indian festivals - Hindu. Diwali Bhaubeej Dussehra or Daserra Kumar Purnima Chhath Holi Makar Sankranti Pongal Mahashivratri Ugadi Gudi Padwa Ramanavami Baisakhi Onam Raja Shankranti Puri Jaganath Ratha yatra Ganesh Puja Saraswati Puja PrathamAstami Krishna Janmastami Including:

• Indian festivals - Hindu
• Indian festivals - Islamic
• Indian festivals - Sikhism
• Indian festivals - Zoroastrian
• Indian festivals - Christian
• Indian festivals - Others
• Indian festivals - Unofficial

Read more here: » Indian festivals: Encyclopedia - Indian festivals

Creation East and West are two popular Christian music festivals. "Creation East" is the biggest Christian music festival in the world. "Creation East" is located in Mount Union, Pennsylvania, and "Creation West" at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. The festivals feature music, guest speakers, public baptizing, fireworks, extreme sports, and a candlelight service. Creation Festival - Creation History. Rev. Dr. Harry Thomas, Jr, and Timothy Landis founded Creation East in 1979 in a rural ...

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• Creation Festival - Creation History
• Creation Festival - Artists at Creation East 2005

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O-bon (Jap. お盆) or only Bon is a Japanese Buddhist holiday to honor the departed spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist festival has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people from the big cities return to their home towns and visit and clean their ancestors' graves. Traditionally including a dance festival, it has existed in Japan for more than 500 years. It is held from 13th of July to the 16th ("Welcoming Obon" and "Farewell Obon" respectively) in the eastern part of Japan (Kanto), and in August in the ...

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• Bon Festival - Bon Odori
• Bon Festival - Festival in China

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The Woodstock Music and Art Festival was the most famous rock festival of its era. It was held at Max Yasgur's 600 acre (2.4 km²) dairy farm in Bethel, New York, on 15, 16, and 17 August, 1969. The Woodstock Festival represented the culmination of the counterculture of the 1960s and the ultimate climax of the "hippie era". Many of the best-known musicians of the times appeared during the rain-plagued weekend, much of which was captured in a successful 1970 movie, Woodstock. Joni Mitchell's song Woodstock encapsulated th ...

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• Woodstock Festival - The festival
• Woodstock Festival - Artists who performed at Woodstock
• Woodstock Festival - Myths of Woodstock
• Woodstock Festival - The film
• Woodstock Festival - The albums

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Bun Festival (太平清醮 in Chinese, "醮" being a Taoist sacrificial ceremony) is a traditional Chinese festival in Hong Kong. It is held by several (mostly rural) communities, either annually or once every few years. By far the most famous is the Bun Festival at Cheung Chau, which draws tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year. The festival is staged every year on the island of Cheung Chau to mark the Eighth day of the Fourth Moon, in the Chinese calendar (usually in early May). It thus coincid ...

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• Bun Festival - History
• Bun Festival - The Bun Festival in Cheung Chau
• Bun Festival - Vegetarian
• Bun Festival - Parade of floats / Parade-in-the-air
• Bun Festival - Deities
• Bun Festival - Bun scrambling
• Bun Festival - Burning of paper effigies
• Bun Festival - Return of bun-snatching
• Bun Festival - More about My life as McDull and bun-snatching

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The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival international du film de Cannes or simply le Festival de Cannes) is the world's most prestigious film festival, first held from September 20 to October 5, 1946 in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France. Since then, it has been held annually in May with a few exceptions. Given massive media exposure, the non-public Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their ...

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• Cannes Film Festival - Golden Palm winners
• Cannes Film Festival - Other awards
• Cannes Film Festival - Winners of the Palme d'Or by country of origin
• Cannes Film Festival - Related topics
• Cannes Film Festival - Cannes portrayed on film

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The Cambridge Folk Festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. It occurs over a long weekend (3 1/2 days) in summer at Cherry Hinton Hall. 2004 was its 40th anniversary. The festival is very popular and tickets sell out quickly. Cambridge Folk Festival - History. In autumn 1964 Cambridge City Council decided to hold a music festival the next summer and asked Ken Woollard a local firefighter and socialist political activist to help organise it. K ...

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• Cambridge Folk Festival - History
• Cambridge Folk Festival - Current structure
• Cambridge Folk Festival - Artists

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The Winter Solstice Festival (Chinese: 冬至; Pinyin: dōng zhì; "The Extreme of Winter") is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians on or around December 22 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest, i.e. on the day of the winter solstice (see also jiéqì). The origins of this festival can be traced back to the Yin and Yang philosophy of balance and harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is sy ...

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The Cork Jazz Festival is an annual festival held in Cork City, Ireland in late October every year since 1978. The Festival is Ireland's biggest and most prestigious jazz event and attracts hundreds of musicians and thousands of music fans to the city each year. Renowned as Europe's friendliest Jazz Festival, the event has hosted many of the jazz 'greats' in its history, including: Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Cleo Laine, Dave Brubeck, Benny Carter, Joe Zawinul, Art Blakey, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Stéphane Gra ...

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