festival highlights
February March
PhiliPPines
JAN 1
AGUMAN SANDUK
Men dress up as
beauty queens in
this festival of farce
Thailand
mAr(TBC)
WAT BANG PHRA
TATTOO FESTIVAL
Thousands of
people travel to the
temple to receive a
spiritual tattoo
india
JAN 2–
feb13
MAGH MELA
Held every year
on the banks of
Triveni Sangam,
Allahabad
Turkey
JAN (TBC)
CAMEL WRESTLING
FESTIVAL
Male camels wrestle
for glory in the
Aegean region
jaPan
FEB 3
SETSUBUN
Celebrating the
day before the
beginning of spring
PhiliPPines
MAR
25–31
HOLY WEEK
Catholics observe
Holy Week through
re-enactments of
Christ’s crucifixion
sinGaPOre
JAN 31
THAIPUSAM
A festival of physical
sacrifice in Tamil
communities
vieTnam
FEB
16
TET NGUYEN DAN
Feast of the First
Morning of the First
Day – celebrating
the arrival of spring
TibeT
FEB
16–18
LOSAR
A new year’s
celebration on
the first day of the
Tibetan calendar
cenTral asia
MAR 21
NOWRUZ
The Persian New Year,
celebrated for over
3,000 years in West
and Central Asia
iran
MAR 20
CHAHARSHANBE
SURI
The Persian Festival
of Fire, celebrated on
the last Wednesday
before Nowruz
china
MAR 2
DA SHUHUA
A pyrotechnic show
where a team of
blacksmiths throw
molten iron
PhiliPPines
JAN
15–21
ATI-ATIHAN
FESTIVAL
Held in honour of
the Santo Niño
(baby Jesus), with
tribal dancing,
music and parades
russia
FEB
12–18
MASLENITSA
FESTIVAL
An Eastern Slavic
folk holiday of great
indulgence before
the start of Lent
January
You’re Invited!
YOUR CALENDAR GUIDE TO THE FESTIVALS OF ASIA IN 2018*
*Dates are subject to change
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