Parties and celebrations all year round!

People have the need to celebrate the different phases in life. All countries have their own traditions. Each month there is a celebration somewhere in the world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that happen in January, February and March.

📷 New Year’s fireworks over the Forbidden City in China
What happens in april, may and june?
What happens in july, august og september?
What happens in october, november og december?
Nyttårsaften med fyrverkeri over den forbudte by i Kina.
Nyttårsaften med fyrverkeri over den forbudte by i Kina.
The month January written in white on a black background
The month January written in white on a black background

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is the most important celebration for the Chinese. It happens between 21 January and 20 February. The celebration lasts for two weeks, and schools are closed during this period.

Animal symbols

Every Chinese New Year has its own animal symbol. Closer to the New Year, shops have a lot of products with the animal representing that year. The animal for 2023 is the hare. The animal of the year you were born describes your character.

📷  2022 was the year of the Tiger

Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year is part of the Lunar New Year. There is a big celebration of the Lunar New Year in Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam, Tibet and South Korea.

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Illustrasjon i tigerens år i Kina i gull på rød bakgrunn.
Illustrasjon i tigerens år i Kina i gull på rød bakgrunn.

New Year’s Fireworks

Fireworks are a big part of the New Year celebration. They are both loud and spectacular. There are more fireworks in China than anywhere in the world. Evil spirits are supposed to be scared away by the noise.

The Lantern Festival in Taiwan

The Lantern Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar. Many Asian countries use a lunar calendar. In a lunar calendar, each month is 29½ days in a year, that is 354 days. We have 365 days in a year on our calendar.

Old tradition

The Lantern Festival is an old tradition. In the 1990s, it became more popular again. In the beginning, fireworks were supposed to scare away evil spirits and diseases. The lanterns symbolised that the village was safe. People also wrote wishes on the lanterns.

The lanterns fly

It is beautiful to see the lanterns in the sky. But it can be dangerous. The lanterns are made of paper, and the firefighters are ready to put out any fires.

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The The month January written in white on a black background February written in white on a black background
The The month January written in white on a black background February written in white on a black background

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th. Valentine’s Day celebrates love and romance. It is common to buy gifts or give a card to the person you love.

Celebrated in many countries

You can also give a gift to a good friend. The most common gifts are chocolate or roses. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries but it is the most popular in English-speaking countries and in France.

Popular wedding day

In the Philippines, February 14th is the most popular day for couples to get married.

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Read more about Valentine’s Day
Mann står foran en sittende kvinne og han holder røde roser bak på ryggen.
Mann står foran en sittende kvinne og han holder røde roser bak på ryggen.

Dragobete

Dragobete is the Romanian day of love and a celebration that spring is coming. It started with boys and girls meeting to look at spring flowers. It is celebrated on the 24 February.

In the middle of the day, boys will try to catch the girl they are in love with when the girls run through the village. If the boy catches the girl, she can choose if she wants to kiss him or not. The legend goes that if you are a part of Dragobete, you will not get sick for the rest of the year.

 

Twitter-faksimile av merkedagen dragobete

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is French and means Fat Tuesday. After Fat Tuesday comes Ash Wednesday, which is the start of the 40-day fasting period called Lent. Lent lasts until Easter. You are supposed to eat a lot on Fat Tuesday before Lent. During Lent, you should not eat meat and fatty foods. It is different from country to country how people celebrate it, but many dress up and wear masks.

Carnival

In Norway, we call Fat Tuesday Fastelvn. It is celebrated in many countries with Fastelavn buns and carnivals. New Orleans in the United States is famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations. They have a lot of parades and carnivals. Many tourists visit during this time. In Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Mardi Gras is also celebrated with big carnivals.

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Fargerike masker til karneval.
Fargerike masker til karneval.

Kalevala Day

Kalevala Day in Finland is celebrated on the 28th of February. They celebrate the Finnish language and culture. The name comes from the Finnish national epic Kalevala. This poem includes 50 songs written in a traditional Finnish way. Elias Lönnrot wrote them down as a collection in the 19th century.

Kalevala plays a big role in Finnish identity, language and culture.

party.

📷 A painting of Elias Lönnrot. Artist: Bernhard Reinhold
Maleri av Elias Lönnrot.
The month March written in white on a black background
The month March written in white on a black background

Hinamatsuri

On March 3rd, Japan celebrates Girls’ Day. On this day, they celebrate the health and happiness of girls. When girls in Japan are born, they are given Hina dolls. These dolls are important during the celebration.

Dressed in traditional costumes

Dolls are placed on a stairway on different steps. The dolls that represent the emperor and empress are at the top. The other dolls are placed on the steps below. All the dolls are dressed in traditional clothing from the imperial period called Heian.

The dolls must be packed away in time

The dolls need to be packed away on March 3rd. If they are not, it is said that it will be difficult to marry off the girl in the future. Some of the dolls are sent down a river to take away diseases and evil spirits.

Decorating with peach blossoms

During Hinamatsuri, people decorate with peach blossoms. Rice and cakes are pink, white or green. It is a colourful celebration.

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Japansk jente dekorerer rommet sitt med hinadukker.
Japansk jente dekorerer rommet sitt med hinadukker.

Holi

Holi is celebrated on the 8th of March and is the Hindu Spring festival. It is also called the festival of love or colour. People gather at a bonfire the night before, and the celebrations start. Rituals are made to chase away demons or evil.

Playing with colour

The next day, they play with colours. People throw coloured powder at each other. This shows that the gods give colour in the same way as when Spring comes. You can also make new friendships or repair old ones. This tradition is old and most common in the northern parts of India.

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Ung jente feirer Holif
Ung jente feirer Holif

St Patrick’s Day

Ireland celebrates St Patrick’s Day on their national day, the 17th of March. It is a celebration about St Patrick, a Christian saint.

Churches and schools were built during his time. To start with, St Patrick’s Day was a religious tradition. The Irish brought the tradition to the United States in the 19th century and made it common.

It’s common to dress in green

Many people dress in green on this day. Ireland is known for the colour green. Some people also carry three-leaf clovers. People join street parades, eat traditional Irish food and drink Irish beer on this day. It is common to celebrate this day in the United States and Great Britain. For example, the river in Chicago is coloured green.

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To menn med høye grønne hatter står og ser på en parade på Manhatten.
To menn med høye grønne hatter står og ser på en parade på Manhatten.

Ramadan

Ramadan is the month of fasting for Muslims. It marks the Muslims fast for a month, and this is called Ramadan. The Prophet Muhammad got his first revelation during this period. He got a calling from God to preach God’s words. This is written in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. Ramadan is one of the five things Muslims must do.

You shall not eat or drink

You can not eat between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan. Children and pregnant women are allowed to eat. Fasting is going to give you inner cleansing and experience of how hunger feels.

The celebration of Eid

At the end of Ramadan, people come together and pray. After this, there is a celebration of Eid al-Fitr. People eat a lot of food and sweets at the party. People exchange gifts and people dress up for the party.

The date varies from year to year

Ramadan is in the 9th month of the Lunar year, so it can be on different dates. Muslims follow the lunar calendar, which has twelve periods. In the next few years, Ramadan will take place in March.

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En muslimsk familie på fire personer sitter rundt et bord og spiser et festmåltid under id-festen.
En muslimsk familie på fire personer sitter rundt et bord og spiser et festmåltid under id-festen.

Sources:

  • Vogt, Kari: ramadan i Store norske leksikon på snl.no. Hentet 13. desember 2022 fra http://snl.no/ramadan

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