December 2 - December 3: Chichibu Yomatsuri, Japan One of Japan’s grandest float festivals takes places every year in the small town of Chichibu, near Tokyo. For nearly 300 years the festival has been held to honour the town’s six…

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October 9 - October 10: Takayama Matsuri, Japan Surrounded by the Hida Mountains, the isolated medieval town of Takayama comes alive every autumn for the spectacular Takayama Autumn Festival. The event, which dates back to the 15th-century, begins with a…

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September 1: Elmali Oil Wrestling Event, Turkey High above the city of Antalya and nestled between the Taurus Mountains is the town of Elmali. Every year for three days more than 100 Turkish wrestlers (pehlivan) take part in this 600…

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How Low Can You Go? Round Europe for 1p each way (plus tax) by Tom Chesshyre In his hugely entertaining and unputdownable book, Tom Chesshyre, a travel writer at The Times, flies to several hidden corners of Europe on one…

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June 1 - June 2: Qoyllur Rit’I, Peru The largest pilgrimage of all the indigenous nations of the Americas - Qoyllur Rit’I or Ritual Pilgrimage for the Snow Star – takes place on the glacier outside Cusco. Thousands of pilgrims…

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May - 13 May: St Lucia Jazz Festival, St Lucia Sway to the smooth sounds of new age jazz and soulful rhythm and blues at one of the top music events in the Caribbean: The St Lucia Jazz Festival. Taking…

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March 3: Maghu Puja, Thailand Maghu Puja is one of the holiest days in the Buddhist calendar. It marks the occasion when 1,250 disciples of the Lord Buddha gathered to hear him preach. This evening ceremony is celebrated at the…

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February 9 – February 20: Venice Carnival, Italy For centuries the Venice Carnival has been a celebrated Venetian tradition and a symbol of its elusive decadence. Each year the theme of the carnival changes; this year it’s dedicated to Carlos…

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January 1, 2007: New Year’s Day Concert in Vienna, Austria With a tradition that stretches over 65 years the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year’s Day concert is possibly the most famous concert in the world. The spectacular Golden Hall of…

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It's the month of Christmas, so naturally most of the events taking place around the world in December have a lot to do with Saint Nicholas, a red-nosed reindeer and shopping. But look a little further and there are other...
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