Rio de Janeiro's Carnival

Although carnival is celebrated in thousands of cities around the globe, Rio de Janeiro has become the eternal capital of carnival in the world. Carnival in Rio is not only the biggest, it also serves as a standard for every other celebration to be compared with and show its greatness. Everyone, in any part of the world, has heard of carnival in Rio, an annual event that moves over half a million tourists that flock to Brazil to witness this crazy happening.

This event is a four-day celebration. It officially starts on a Saturday and ends on a Tuesday. Carnival, with all its excesses is celebrated in February, the hottest month is the southern hemisphere, at the peak of summer. Whether it's because of the weather or not, the festive atmosphere is unlike any other, where you can see dancing and bodies with little clothing, in a climate of unique human closeness. This is, in fact, the biggest cultural event in Brazil, incredibly well-known and broadcast around the world.

With this event approaching, here are a few pictures to open your appetite and, who knows, convince a few Europeans to take the trip of a lifetime. One last note to the colourful pictures by Carlos Morel. Refferences at the bottom of the article.

Easter in Romania

Although Romania does not have a national religion, Greek-Orthodoxism is widespread (87%), making Orthodox Easter one of the most important holidays.

Easter is considered an extremely important holiday in Romania, celebrating Jesus Christ's Resurrection three days after his crucifixion. It is a celebration of tradition and church going, preceded by the Holy Week (The Passion of the Christ).

Orthodox Holy Week Rituals

Great Thursday is also named Black Thursday and it marks the beginning of the Passion of Christ.

Tradition says that on this particular day the doors of heaven and hell open and that the loved ones who passed away come back to celebrate Easter with their families. This is also the time when the Easter eggs are being painted in different colors. Housework is absolutely forbidden on Black Thursday.

Great Friday is a day of fasting and remembering the terrible sufferings of Jesus Christ (Passion Friday). Most people go to church to confess their sins to the priest.

Tradition says that bread should not be baked and trees should not be planted on this day. The house should be very clean and all the food ready for Easter day.


Easter Food and Traditions

Easter eggs are usually painted on Great Thursday.

Initially, the only color was red, to symbolize the blood of Jesus, but now all colors are used, with different meanings.

In rural areas, people paint different images of Christ, angels or a cross on their Easter eggs or use plant imprints; Easter egg painting is an art that is widely recognized in Romania.

Easter cake (Pasca) is thetraditional cake that is usually baked on Saturday, Easter Eve. It is round, with a cross-shaped middle braid that represents the crucifixion of Christ. It is made made of cheese, egg yolk and raisins. Some people place coins inside the cake for good luck.

The Easter lamb, steaks and meat pies are traditional dishes. Together with the Easter eggs and the cake, the meat is placed on the dinner table on Saturday evening, before midnight.

At midnight, everybody goes to church to attend the Ressurection service (Invierea Domnului).

The priest lights his candle first, after which all the people light their own candles from the first one with the "light of Jesus's life". They take these candles at home and give the "light" to the members of the family that did not attend the service.

Everybody has dinner after the midnight service, with the lit candles on the table. The candles are kept for the entire year, as they are supposed to protect the house and people's health. The tradition of knocking the eggs must be respected: two people hold eggs in their hands and they break the other person's egg saying "Jesus is Alive" (Hristos a Inviat). The person that has their egg broken is considered weaker and must give their egg to the "winner."

On Monday and Tuesday people visit their relatives and bring lamb, Easter cake and painted eggs for lunch or dinner to celebrate the Resurrection. For the next 40 days, people greet each other with "Christ is Alive" instead of the common greetings.

Easter is a celebration for the soul, it is a period of spiritual insight and improving oneself. It teaches us to be good, kind and to respect everyone and everything that surrounds us. The sacrifice of Jesus Christs is the symbol of pure love and hope.

Philippine Easter Rituals of Crucifixion

 Bloody Filipino Observances for the Atonement of Sins

 Each Easter in the Philippines, Christians make a grueling march on Good Friday to atone for their sins through self-flagellation and crucifixion.

In the Philippines at the Easter season, Roman Catholics practice the extreme ascetic rituals of flagellation, cutting,wearing crowns of thorns, bearing crosses, and crucifixion, emulating the passion of Christ. These Christian Filipinos are Roman Catholic, although the Church does not officially approve of these observances.
Purpose Behind the Ascetic Rituals

The purpose of performing these rituals is to ask forgiveness for the sins committed over the year for oneself and one’s family -- a type of penitence. In following the last painful events in the life of Christ, these people feel a closer connection with their religion and their God, and a feeling of ease or forgiveness for their sins.

Ascetic practices, or what might be called “mortification of the flesh” can be seen in some religious sects. This was shown in the Opus Dei (a controversial Roman Catholic organization) character in the fictional work The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (Doubleday, 2003). This Opus Dei assassin practiced mortification of the flesh in order to bring his body under subjugation of his spirit.

Some Christian ascetics believe that the apostle Paul taught asceticism in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 8:13 "If you live after the flesh, you shall die, but if through the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live." The Catholics believe that this means that mortification or self-inflicted acts of pain will end the disease of the soul.

While Christ’s atonement was to pay for all men’s sins, the Catholic belief is that men should also do something in the expiations of their own sins, which sacrificing acts are pleasing to God. Protestants do not practice such extreme asceticism, but do practice fasting for somewhat similar reasons.


Easter Rituals in the Philippines

Each year in the Philippines, particularly in Pampanga Province, men and women take part in the passion plays of torture and crucifixion as symbolic of the suffering of Jesus Christ. At the end of the march on Good Friday, with self-flagellation, whipping and cutting of the flesh by officials, and carrying heavy crosses. Each year, over a dozen people are actually hung on crosses.

Crucifixion is an extremely painful form of torture and death. The Filipino crucifixion followers are either tied to the crosses or actually nailed there. They are not left on the crosses to die, as was the practice during ancient times by the Romans and other civilizations worldwide generally from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 4th century C.E.. In actual crucifixions, people usually died from asphyxiation or heart failure.

Most Filipinos attest to the feeling of worship, forgiveness and cleanliness that occurs through the process of their painful Easter rituals. They generally practice self-flagellation and crucifixion to atone for their sins.

Others Who Self-Flagellate

The Filipinos are not the only modern group to practice self-flagellate in the name of religion. It is also seen by the Shi’ite Muslims as they commemorate the passion of Imam Husayn and other martyrs at the Battle of Karbala in the 7th century C.E. Catholic monks and nuns practiced self-flagellation since medieval times as a reminder of the suffering of Christ. In modern days Los Hermanos Penitente of Colorado and New Mexico practice self-flagellation, the bearing of crosses, and actual crucifixion like the Filipinos.

It was reported by a nun who looked after Pope John Paul II , that he practiced self-flagellation, and the sounds of the whip on his flesh could often be heard from his living quarters.

Sources:
New World Encyclopedia

The Most Bizarre Festivals of Asia

Sure, you could visit Asia for the rich history or the exotic food, but if you really want to experience Asian culture first hand you have to check out some festivals. Every year there are amazingly strange and fun festivals all throughout Asia that you have to see to believe. From the Monkey Buffet in Bangkok to the Festival of the Steel Phallus in Kawasaki, here are 10 of the most bizarre festivals of Asia.

Phuket Vegetarian Festival – Phuket, Thailand

 If you think the Phuket Vegetarian Festival sounds bland, you might just be missing out on the most flavorful event the world has ever known. What sounds like a humble Taoist tradition to abstain from eating meat, also happens to feature amazing performances like fire walking and unbelievable displays of face piercing.

Konaki Sumo – Japan

If you thought a bunch of rotund men in diapers pushing each other out of a ring was weird, wait until you hear about Konaki Sumo, or the Crying Sumo Festival. More than 200 unsuspecting babies are handed off to Sumo Wrestling students who face off to see who’s baby cries first. It’s not as cruel as it sounds… it’s to wish for good health of the children since it’s thought that babies who cry often grow up to be strong.

Holi Festival – India

Holi festival, a popular Hindu spring festival, is also known as the Festival of Colors since it is celebrated by people throwing colored powered and water at each other. The Holi celebration starts with bonfires which represent the burning of Holika, part of a story about good overcoming evil in the Hindu religion. However the really fun part of Holi is the following day, Dhuleti where Indian people young and old from all walks of life come together to sing, dance and smear each other with color.

Boryeong Mud Festival – South Korea

The Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea is a recent tradition started in 1998 as a way to promote the skincare benefits of the mineral rich mud found in Boryeong. The event draws tourists from all over the world, many of whom could care less about the skin care benefits and just want to have a week of sticky fun. During the week people can participate in events like mud wrestling, mud sliding and photo contests. When you’re ready to clean up you can pick up some of Boryeoungs famous mud products like mudpacks, mud shampoo, mud soap and mud sun block.

Songkran Festival – Thailand

If the Mud Fest left you feeling icky, you’ll find the Songkran Festival in Thailand quite refreshing. Taking place during April, Thailand’s hottest month, Songkran is the essentially world’s biggest water fight. Friends and strangers splash each other with hoses, water balloons and even water guns. Originally the sprinkling of water was more ceremonial, but it’s since become a wet and wild celebration that lasts 3-10 days, depending on what part of Thailand you’re in.

Festival of the Hungry Ghosts – China

Yue Lan or Festival of the Hungry Ghosts marks the day when Chinese people believe that a door to the underworld is opened allowing restless spirits to wander the earth. To appease the spirits people burn fake money and paper representations of items like cars or houses as a way to pass these comforts on to the other world. During the 2-3 days of the festival streets are lit up with paper lanterns and incense to keep ghosts at bay, and in some areas fireworks are displayed for the spirits.

Kanamara Matsuri – Kawasaki, Japan

Even the most open minded tourists would blush at seeing the people of Kawasaki parade through the streets carrying giant penis statues while folks, young and old, suck on penis and vagina shaped candy. Kanamara Matsuri, or Festival of the Steel Phallus, is a Shinto festival that takes place on the first Sunday in April every year in Kawasaki, Japan. The festival is based on an old legend about a sharp toothed demon that hid inside the vagina of a young girl. The demon was defeated by a black smith who created a steel penis that broke its teeth. The festival is meant to promote sexual health. Traditionally Geishas would attend the festival and pray for protection against STDs, and in modern times the festival raises money for HIV research.

Parade of the God of Medicine – Taiwan

More than 160 temples in Taiwan celebrate the God of Medicine with a Parade, but the place to be is the Temple of Ching Tzu in Hseuhchia. Dancers, priests and musicians travel the streets with floats featuring legendary figures like the Medicine God, headed by a group called the Centipedes. Worshippers throw themselves on the ground in front of the Centipedes to be trampled in hopes that they will exorcises evil spirits.

Hadaka Matsuri – Japan

If the Festival of the Steel Phallus didn’t scare you off, then you won’t even bat an eye at the Naked Man Festival. Another Shinto tradition from Japan, thousands of men gather for the Hadaka Matsuri wearing traditional Japanese loin cloths called fundoshi. Among them, one man is completely naked and it’s considered lucky to touch him as he is said to absorb your bad luck and evil deeds.

Monkey Buffet Festival – Lopburi Province, Thailand

No, we’re not monkeying around. There really is a monkey festival just for monkeys every year in Thailand. On the last Sunday in November at the Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi province, north of Bagkok, thousands of pounds of fruit is gathered for a huge buffet just for monkeys. The macaque monkeys are surprisingly mild mannered (although mischievous) and hang out with tourists and photographers while they eat fruit and throw back soft drinks.

Pictures from Cobra Gold 2010 in Thailand

Cobra Gold is the largest multi-nation military exercise in the world, where soldiers from six nations learn how to deal with critical situations.

In 2010 the Cobra Gold military exercises are being held in Thailand, and this was apparently a chance for US soldiers to get acquainted with Thai delicacies. During a survival exercise at an army camp in Chon Buri Province, soldiers had to eat cooked scorpions and lizards, as well as drink that legendary wonder cure, cobra blood.

In some Asian cultures, snake blood is believed to enhance male potency and can be found in panacea stores. Now, why would Thai masters want to feed cobra blood to soldiers? After all, that’s not the gun they should be using, if you know what I mean ;)

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Soccer Match for Blind People

This might be the most bizarre soccer tournament ever, the soccer tournament for the blind people. but how can the blind people play soccer?? well you have to check this out about the Blind Soccer Tournament | The Soccer Match for the Blind People.

The latest tournament took place in the Sokolniki district of Moscow. Four international teams gathered for a series of matches “in the dark”. It’s hard to understand how you can play a game like soccer without seeing a thing. All the players, with different degrees of blindness, have their eyes stuck shut with a kind of band-aid and covered with a night mask that provides protection and puts them all on equal footing.

But just because their vision is impaired, doesn’t mean they can’t use their other senses to coordinate. Their developed hearing helps them locate the ball and their team-mates and guides them towards the opposite goal. The ball itself is not the kind used in normal soccer matches, it’s a lot heavier, doesn’t bounce and produces a rattle noise to alert the players to its location.

The game lasts for two 25-minute halves, in which the players, guided by their coaches and team-guides, people who sit behind opposite goal and direct players on how to approach and score. One of the most interesting things about soccer for the blind is the goalkeepers aren’t blindfolded, so they can see where the ball is going. Still, goals are scored regularly, unlike in the Eton Wall Game.

Don’t imagine the game looks anything like the normal soccer games, the players hardly ever pass long or use their heads, they mainly stick to dribbling, short passing and shooting at the goal.