The unusual world of festivals

Four interesting holidays and events celebrated outside the U.S.

SATVIKA NITYA /ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

 A big part of American culture is rooted in participation in group festivities and the eagerness for the holiday spirit. From the values of Thanksgiving dinner to the widespread commercial success during Valentine’s Day, and the hype of Super Bowl Sundays to the cheer and festive joy of the Christmas season, nothing brings families closer in the U.S. than big celebrations and holidays.

And this trend does not stop at the borders of the West. Rather, countries all around the world come closer together because of festivities and holidays specific to their region. Derived from either local historical stories or subjective traditions for international holidays, here’s a list of four unique celebrations that happen annually across the world.

La Tomatina (Spain): 

Celebrated on the last Wednesday of August every year, La Tomatina is the world’s largest food fight festival that takes place in the small town of Buñol in eastern Spain. People from all over the world come to participate in this unusual tradition by using an ammunition of 120 tons of red tomatoes to throw and fight amongst a population of 20,000 people. 

This festival does not have any significant reason for its origin, rather starts from a simple brawl that occurred near a vegetable stand in 1945, resulting in a tomato food fight between those involved. 

In the years that followed, the fight was repeated, inviting larger crowds and spectators to participate upon every repetition. It even got banned in the 1950s during the fascist Franco dictatorship on the grounds of having no religious significance, but after a local protest against the ban, the festival was reinstated and gained massive international popularity. 

Now, La Tomatina is a well-organized event that invites large crowds and lasts for an hour starting midnight on the assigned day. Trucks filled with tons of overripe and inedible tomatoes drive and drop the tomatoes on the ground of the fight area. 

After the trucks leave, all the participants dive onto the ground, scooping up tomatoes and arming themselves for battle. Right after the hour-long limit of the festival, fire trucks and firemen hose down the area. 

In fact, the acidity of the tomatoes helps aid the cleanup of streets. This year, the festival will be held on Aug. 30.

Bloomsday (Ireland):

Celebrated on June 16 every year, Bloomsday is the annual tribute to one of the most influential Irish authors, James Joyce, and his most famous book, “Ulysses.” The day is named after the book’s protagonist Leopold Bloom, the character that helped immortalize Dublin during the late 1800s in all its gritty reality. 

The first-ever celebration of this day was seen in 1924 by a small group of people, two years after the novel’s publication. 

Today, the festivities are bigger than ever in Dublin, with the city’s streets transported back to the book’s setting of 1904 filled with readings, performances, workshops and walking tours. 

People dress up in Edwardian fashion to resemble the characters, and the whole day is spent as a day in the life of “Ulysses” — eating the featured food and reenacting scenes in the places mentioned in the book. 

Cultural figures, literary enthusiasts and regular readers from around the world wait for Bloomsday, a celebration that has proven to be delightful even for those who have never read this classic.

USD first-year Sofia Quinonez considers herself a big reader and talked about her reaction to hearing about this festival.

“It’s super cool, and I’m definitely jealous,” said Quinonez. “Props to Dublin for doing that ‘cause reading culture is really cool and seeing an entire festival based on a book and people celebrating it is amazing. Even people who haven’t read the book can be a part of it because now the book is part of a tradition.”

Picnic Day (Australia):

A regional public holiday recognized by the Northern Territory of Australia, Picnic Day is celebrated on the first Monday of every August with several traditions. Its origins vary from home to home but one of the more popular interpretations  explains that the holiday was first declared to give a break to the railway employees in order to visit the Adelaide River and take pleasure in a picnic. 

However, other stories say that the holiday was initially started to memorialize the liberation of the Chinese Coolie, a group of bonded laborers, who chose to visit Adelaide River for a picnic after their freedom. Additionally, it was started to commemorate the success of the beginning of the annual Harts Range races, which included activities like riding, barbecue and dance. 

Regardless, Picnic Day was declared a public holiday in 1936 and today, many families celebrate it by going on short trips, picnics along the Adelaide River, attending the Harts Range races or relaxing and enjoying the long weekend at home. Businesses and schools shut down for the day; those who visit the river get involved in activities like tug-o-war, sack and three-legged races, egg and spoon races as well as eating traditional railway food and refreshments that are served by local vendors. This year, Picnic Day falls on Aug. 7.

Friendship Day (India):

Though Friendship Day is internationally recognized by the United Nations on July 30, national traditions in India celebrate this day every year on the first Sunday of August. With its establishment originating from the founder of Hallmark Cards, Joyce Hall, this day was unpopular in the West because it was viewed as another way to capitalize on a made-up-holiday. However, many Asian countries commemorate this day by celebrating friendships through small gift exchanges.

In India, specifically among kids and teenagers, the day is marked with the exchange of friendship bands and rings. A stock of friendship day merchandise is purchased from local shops the day before and on Friendship Day. 

Kids tie bands and give out rings to their friends, with the quality of the gift equally demonstrating the quality of your friendship. Oftentimes, kids will attempt to fill their forearms and fingers with bands and rings so that they can count them all at the end of the day. 

For older teenagers, this day is often marked with planned outings and smaller gifts to show appreciation for the friendships cultivated in their life. This year, Friendship Day falls on Aug. 6.

USD sophomore Adriana Myers talked about her reaction to the customs of Friendships Day rituals.

“It sounds like so much fun and seems like a good bonding experience,” Myers said. “It would be a great thing to have in the U.S. ‘cause it would bring people closer. I love days that are specifically assigned for certain themes and this just gives an excuse to celebrate the friends in your life and the people you love.”

Celebrating, participating and even learning about different traditions in other countries helps spread intercultural dialogue. Festivals and events often tell us a lot about the values, beliefs and people that celebrate them. Taking a step to become more aware and involved in other cultures can be both intellectually rewarding and fun.