In line with this offer, we wanted to share with you three great upcoming festivals that you could in-country to enjoy – making your free week even more awesome!
India: Festival of Holi
First up is the Festival of Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors which is celebrated in India to mark the end of winter and to welcome the upcoming spring. Besides celebrating fertility, color and love, the festival also commemorates the victory of good over evil by praising the burning and destruction of demoness, Holika.
Holi is celebrated the day after the full moon in March. For 2017, this means that the festival will commence on the 13th March – perfect timing for your free week!
So, this festival takes place over the course of two days. ‘Holika Dahan’ is the name given to the first part of Holi. You can join in the fun and visit local bonfires all whilst singing and dancing in order to celebrate the death and burning of evil demoness Holika.
The second part of Holi is called ‘Rangwali Holi’ – the messy bit! This is where people throw colored powder and water at each other while partying and dancing under water sprinklers. There are also special events that are organized surrounding this festival, which take place in some of the main cities around India. Get yourself and your friends involved and make as much mess as possible!
You could say that Holi is a carefree festival that is great fun. That being said, make sure you wear some old clothes that you don’t mind ruining. A little Kaya team tip to help you wash the color from you skin and hair would be to rub some oil on your skin before you attend the celebrations to prevent the color from absorbing!
Vietnam: Tet Nguyen Dan
Secondly, Tet Nguyen Dan, also known as Tet for short, is the name for Vietnamese New Year and is the occasion for the Vietnamese to express their respect and remembrance for their ancestors. This is the most popular festival of the year in Vietnam so get yourself involved! Preparations begin many weeks in advance where people will start to thoroughly clean their homes, resolve any arguments and act kindly to each other to cleanse themselves of any bad luck before the New Year begin.
Tet is celebrated on the first day of the first lunar calendar month. For 2017, this means that Tet will begin on the 28th of January and will follow with several days of celebrations – don’t worry you still have time to book onto one of our Vietnam projects!
Leading up to Tet, city streets will be lined with people selling an abundance of fresh flowers and fruits amidst the tunes of traditional Tet music. You could be a part of the hustle and bustle of the busy city streets by simply booking to volunteer in Vietnam on one of our projects.
On the eve of Tet, experience and share the excitement and anticipation of the New Lunar Year. Once midnight strikes, you will be able to hear the beating of drums and gongs whilst witnessing magnificent firecrackers to mark off the occasion!
What are you waiting for? Join in the happy moments with the Vietnamese now.
Sri Lanka: Aluth Avurudu
Lastly, on the 14th of April each year the transition of the sun from the House of Pieces to the House of Aries marks the Aluth Avurdud, which is the name for the New Year festival in Sri Lanka. During this time, you will be able to see people gear up in the festive mood to ensure they enter the New Year on a joyous note. It also marks the end of harvest and spring.
Hear the sound of firecrackers and the beat of the rabana (a traditional one-sided drum) for yourself and take part in various games and other fun activities that take place in the city streets, bridging families and friends closer together.
So there you have it! Three great festivals that might twist your arm to get involved with one of our amazing volunteer projects in either of these countries, all still possible and involve redemption of a free week with our special offer.
If you would like to enquire about more information about this offer then click here to request a call back from one of our placement advisors.
Recent comments