CHENNAI: As the festive season is upon us, let’s give you a different perspective to it, and look at those which focus exclusively on animals. From monkeys, dogs and cows to whales and eagles, a wide variety of creatures are honoured around the world with festivities that celebrate their contributions to humanity. Closer home is the famous Kukur Tihar festival: The Nepali equivalent of the Indian Diwali. However, the second day is dedicated to the worship of dogs. As man’s best friend, the dogs are paid respect to with garlands and a lot of good food.
Turtle festival
Velas Turtle Festival in India every year is celebrated around March where hundreds of people gather on Vela’s Beach to witness a true miracle of nature; the hatching of the Olive Ridley turtle’s eggs. Wildlife conservationists play an important role in preventing the eggs of the vulnerable species from getting crushed by placing baskets over them. It’s truly a sight to behold.
Feast for elephants
Thailand is famous for Surin’s Elephant Roundup Festival which is an attempt to showcase and preserve the local way of life between humans and elephants. The event takes place at the Si Narong Stadium, which is the world’s largest domestic elephant village. 300 domesticated elephants enter a parade and in return, are given a huge feast. Another major attraction in Thailand is the Monkey Buffet Festival set up in the province of Lopburi, Bangkok. A veritable feast of fruits, vegetables, cakes and candies are set down in front of temples for the delight of the 3,000 monkeys in the area.
Animals in Italy
‘Blessing of Animals’ is celebrated in Italy when each year on October 4, dogs and donkeys, cats and canary, hamsters and horses, are led to churches for a special ceremony. This custom is conducted in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi’s love for all creatures. Devotees get their pets blessed in the spirit of this patron saint of animals and ecology.
Worms turn weathermen
One of the most unusual festivals known to us is the Banner Elk Woolly Worm Festival celebrated in the USA. Much like Groundhog Day, the worms decide the fate of the weather in this festival. Worms are made to race after which the winners are examined by experts to forecast the weather.
Birds paradise
The annual Birds of Chile Festival is held in Viña del Mar. Talks by professionals, educational workshops and excursions to diverse habitats and ecosystems nearby are on the agenda
Rabbits train
The Rabbit Hopping Festival popular in Denmark features small fur balls jumping over obstacles with great ease. They are trained for 2-3 years before they can make it to the elite class.
Ode to Golden Retrievers
The Golden Retriever Festival in Scotland celebrates one of the most popular breeds of dogs in the world, the amazing Golden Retrievers. This festival is growing in leaps and bounds every year with participants coming from across the world.
Dogs’ day out
USA is home to many dog-related festivals like Woof-Stock: Boasting to be the largest outdoor dog festival in North America, Woof-stock occurs every year in Toronto. Similarly, there is also the Dog Day Festival organised by the Nashville Humane Organization, where over 7,000 dog lovers travel to Tennessee for a one-day celebration of everything that is dog.
Whale of a time
For two weekends each March, the town of Dana Point, California, celebrates gray whales as they make their annual migration from the Arctic down the West Coast to Baja, Mexico. The Festival of Whales includes a parade with whale-themed floats, whale-watching excursions and environmental activities, as well as sand sculpting, crafts and concerts.
Eagles soar over Alaska
Around mid-November, several thousand bald eagles descend on Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska, to feed on late-running salmon. The American Bald Eagle Foundation holds an annual festival that attracts people from all around the world to the 48,000-acre preserve to see the majestic birds.
Dress-up for cows
Each fall in various towns throughout Switzerland, cows are dressed with flowers,
ribbons, flags and other fancy regalia as they are herded down from their mountain pastures and paraded back to their homes in a show of respect for their work. Called Alpabzugs, Alpabfahrts, Alp Processions or Cow Parades, the annual celebrations are often accompanied by festivals, folk singing and dancing, and dairy and produce markets. Similar parades are also held in various towns throughout
Austria and Germany.
Fun fair with camels
Pushkar Camel Fair in Rajasthan, originally created as a place for local people to trade livestock, is now a popular event that attracts more than 11,000 camels, horses and cattle, as well as about 4 lakh people who go to witness the colourful spectacle. Some groups of animals, herders and traders travel for three weeks to get to the fair. In addition to camel and horse trades, there are camel races, camel cart rides and camel competitions.