Venere Travel Blog - It's our business where you sleep!

The common meaning of Easter and the reason for celebrating it was the death of Jesus Christ and his ensuing resurrection. Supposedly he arose from his tomb after he had been crucified to death on the cross and later took his place in heaven alongside God and the Holy Ghost. Despite the religious connotations, it is still cause for celebrations and festivals around the world. In Italy, the celebration of Easter is known as the Pasqua Festival and was named after Eostre, the spring goddess of the Anglo-Saxons.

Held every year in the months of July and August in the area that surrounds the eastern slopes of Mt. Olympus is the Olympus Festival of Greece. As Greek mythology goes, the famous summit was to the god Zeus and the other Olympians. The annual music and theater festival in northern Greece at Pieria in the ancient Theater of Dion. The Greek Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Dion support the annual festival as well as several other Pieria Prefecture local authorities.

The Inter-Cultural Festival of Hungary will be held in Gyor, Hungary the 16^th and 17^th of June in 2012. It is a gathering of groups and individuals from many nations as well as student organizations who promote their cultures and traditions while displaying the cultural heritage of their countries. Costumes, dancing, and folk music are the primary bill of faire at the Inter-Cultural Festival of Hungary all of which serves to bring light to gaining a better knowledge of the different cultures of the world.

For all practical purposes, the London Festival is the grand finale or high point of the 4-year long Cultural Olympiad which began in 2008 this year and will include the Summer Olympic games in the city of London. It begins on the first day or summer 2012, or Midsummer’s Day as it is referred to in the UK, and concludes on September 9^th which is also the last day of the London Paralympic Games. Suffice it to say

In Iceland, it is called “Islendingadagurinn” but in Canada, it is the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. As far as historians have determined, this is considered the 2^nd oldest and continuous North American ethnic festival. The only other festival on record that is older is an Irish festival that is held in Montreal. The first Icelandic Festival of its kind was held in 1874 in the city of Milwaukee, WI while the first one held in Manitoba occurred 16 years later in the city of Winnipeg. Since 1932, it takes place in Gimli.

From its impressive architecture, to the lovely canals that dissect the city , and to the numerous shopping opportunities, the Netherlands capital of Amsterdam holds an abundance of attractions, events, festivals, and sightseeing venues to satisfy an visitor. This is especially true if you are a lover of art or a collector. Between the numerous art events, festivals, and trade shows, the art aficionado never runs out of things to do. This is especially true with Art Amsterdam, the most popular art event of the year.

In many countries around the world, Midsummer’s Day and Eve is the kickoff for a month of celebrations, events, and festivals commemorating the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year. The Scandinavia Midsummer Festival is celebrated throughout the US as well as in the home countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Holiday traditions oftentimes vary from one Scandinavian country to the next.

Also referred to as the “Running of the Bulls”, the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona is an annual event that commences at noon on the 6^th of July. When the starting time of the festival is approaching, thousands of individuals begin congregating in the town square as they anxiously await the Mayor’s announcement to start the fiestas. Although the history of the festival is somewhat cloudy, there is evidence to indicate that celebratory events took place as far back as the 13^th century on October 10^th which coincided with the festival.

There is no more delightful European city to visit in the fall than Paris. Not only is the summer heat and humidity gone, so are most of the tourists. Yet there is no lack where concerts, events, festivals, and other indoor or outdoor attractions are concerned. Paris is by far one of the most targeted tourist destinations in Western Europe. If you’re looking for an event or festival that encompasses dance, film, opera, and the performing arts, the Festival d’Automne à Paris or Autumn Festival of Paris is just the ticket.

The United Kingdom is well recognized as one of the world’s major tourist destinations. However, while so many international visitors tend to focus primarily on the city of London and its many historical landmarks and other structures, they are missing some of the best music festivals that the UK has to offer. Not only are there a large number of these music festivals, they cover just about every music genre imaginable.

If you are looking for a unique theme for an end of October holiday or vacation, you might want to consider the Relentless Energy Drink’s Freeze Festival held in Battersea, London during the last weekend of October.  Formerly known as “London Freeze”, the Freeze Festival is the UK’s ultimate music and snow festival that is held in the Battersea Power Station of London.  It is a sports competition involving the best skiers and snowboarders in the world and a line-up of musicians to match.

The city of London, England is well known for its attractions, diverse cultures, history, many landmarks, and its pubs.  However, what most visitors to the city oftentimes overlook or just miss altogether is the Ice Sculpting Festival that attracts some of the best ice artists from around the world.  It is usually held every January when London’s weather is at its coldest in Canada Square Park at Canary Wharf.  This coming January, 2012 will be the 4^th annual Ice Sculpting Festival.

Europe’s largest dance festival of the year takes place for four days every spring when the Euro Dance Festival is held near Freiburg, Germany in the town of Rust at the Europa Park.

Taking advantage of the attention during the Rugby World Cup, the Real New Zealand Festival runs from 9th September to 23rd October to celebrate and promote the culture and tourism of this beautiful country. The festival is spread out across the entire nation so wherever you are or want to be there should be something worth seeing, doing or eating.

From the 20^th to the 23^rd of October 2011 the Kiev International Tango Festival will take place in the beautiful Ukrainian capital. The festival aims to be an annual event but this year’s will be the second so it still has a small and intimate character. Although it is in its infancy, the incongruous combination of ancient Slavic architecture and modern Latin music works very well and seems set to continue its growth. Of course, Kiev is worth a trip anyway but anyone with a passion for the tango will find even more to delight them.