February Full of Celebrations & Fun Festivals

Although for many of us February is often the coldest month there are still lots of fun festivals and events around the world. In the US we have the greatest sporting show on earth: Super Bowl.  But on February 14^th for lovers there is Valentine’s Day. According to a study in Ireland, admittedly not necessarily scientific or independent, 66% of respondents said they’d prefer a night in on Valentine’s Day so they can eat in their pajamas; another 17% said they would be staying in because it means they don’t need to find a date. Who says romance is dead? Also in February is Chinese New Year, although this year it actually started at the end of January – it’s one of those lunar festivals that changes date each year rather like Easter. Chinese communities all over the world organize fun festivals with several US cities vying to have the biggest outside Asia. In China itself there is arguably the biggest migration in human history as factories close and workers stream back to their home towns to visit families. An estimated three billion trips are expected during the period, including more than 2.5 billion road journeys, according to the Xinhua news agency. However attitudes may be changing there with Bloomberg reporting that young Chinese are opting for sightseeing holidays instead of family feasts with airlines adding thousands of flights from China to Japan and Southeast Asia. Another fun festival celebrated all over the world in February is Carnival or the start of Lent. This can take many forms; the infamous Venice Carnival (Italy) takes place this year from 11th-28th February where you can lose those inhibitions, and probably a few other things, at masked balls or fancy dinners. Excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and other yummy stuff banned by the Church during Lent used to be common although now not many of us observe such fasting. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil claims to hold the biggest and best Carnival in the world but if you go to Portugal they will tell you that this huge street party was actually exported from the Portuguese town of Loule. Other big fun festivals held to celebrate Carnival are in Tenerife (Canary Islands), Cologne (Germany), and Nice (France) but you will probably find parties going on where ever there is a large Catholic population. Of course in New Orleans we have our own version known as Mardi Gras. So although February may be a winter month, there is plenty going on to keep you warm. In Long Beach California there is even a Reggae festival where you get “an eclectic mix of flower children, stoners, California bros, dreadheads, and families together”. That’s a great excuse to wear you reggae funzee adult onesie.