Arena di Vorona festival - Italy

If we think opera, we imagine luxury and elegance. When we say an arena, then we think blood and cruel things. Then, can you imagine combination of opera and arena? It will be a hard question but actually there is a festival which holds in arena. It is opera festival which is held in Verona, Italy. Verona is familiar because it is background of Romeo and Juliet. The starting Verona opera was in 1913 to celebrate 100th of Giuseppe Verdi. And then it became famous. At that time, Some Verdi's opera was played under Tullio Serafin who was a leading Italian opera conductor. Many famous musician watched this performance and after this, it was developed to opera festival to represent of Verona. It lets audience to visit Verona and in just summer time, over five hundred thousand people come to watch opera.

Arena festival is international open field opera. Arena stadium was made in 120~13 in Rome era but it preserves well and it can hold about 20000 people. 1/4 is for stage and 3/4 and floor are for audience. The origin purpose of arena was fighting ground or hunting wild beast. Arena means sand in Latin and it was named because they paved sand on the bottom of stadium. After Rome era, it was used by execution ground or fighting ground of knights. In the end of 16 century, it was used to event ground by men of power and in the end of 18 century, it was used to bull fighting ground or performing ground. Even though it is open field stadium, we can hear little tiny itty bitty sound.

Opera performs 5 operas June to October in every year. Among them, "Aida" is very popular. Usually opera starts at 9:00P.M and does performance around 4 hours. And it is famous for letting watcher to hold candle before opera start. In break time, they sell snack and cushion but it is too expensive. Therefore it will be good to buy that kink of stuffs before noon. It is doing at open field so it has advantage that you have good sight and wind but if is rain performance will be canceled. After opera, it will be 1:00 A.M so there is no train. So you should stay one day. Although sleeping is a problem, it will be good to watch opera to low price.

Sapporo Snow Festival - Japan

Winter is cold. So I dislike to go to outside and hang around. But an intersting thing is attracting me. If someone who likes festival and canival will like and love it. When you go to a wedding hall, you may see snow statues. It is very beautiful and enough to attract sights. But it is the tip of the iceberg. There are many and huge snow statues in Sapporo snow festival. The snow statues are made very detaily and exquisitly. From now on I am going to explain about sapporo snow festival. It is the one of the famous festival in the world.

 The average temperature is -3.5℃. Despite it is so cold, Sapporo snow festival is very famous. Sapporo overcomed that Sapporo is cold. The number of visitors is over two millions. So, it is good time to advertise Japan, Sapporo, traditional food and something like that. In addition, the snow was used 6500 of 5tons truck. It is huge amount. Period is 7days and it holds 4 places; Odori park, Makomanai, Nakajima, and Susukino. There is no enough time to look around all things. So many people look around odori park. Odori park is heart of Sapporo because every subway pass Odori station. Sapporo is famous for noodle, beer, and diary prosucts.

  

When we see snow statues that made up of  snow and ice, it is just beautiful. However, it this beauty, there is pain of world war II. Saporro snow festival was started to overcome the losing of world war II. At that time, middle students made snow statues at the park. First, students made just for fun. After that, snow fighting, carnival and displaying of snow statues were done. Although it was small festival fifty thousands people visited after it developed more big festival. In 1967, it became more detail and main thema. At that time, Sapooro Olympic was held and it was well known. And then the visitors were increasing and it became very famous and huge festival in the world. So it became a good rest place to dejected Japanese.

It is good for children also. There are lots of place for children. There are some palce that can play with parents. Also, we can see comic book characters.

Not only snow statues, music concert, ski show, and singing contest. You may not bored.

Oktoberfest - Germany

If we say "BEER", then we will imagine Germany. Germany is the 1st country that consumed beer. Not only that also the kinds of beers that produced in Germany are over 4000. Beer is almost close at common drink because of lacking of water. In 1516, Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria said that beer have to be brewed from barley, hops, and water. It is because beer is a common drink like water so he did not want to add harmful things in beer. Anyway today I want to talk about Oktoberfest.de (october+festival) which is one of the famous festival in the world.

Oktoberfest.de is also called beer festival. Beer festival period is in 3rd week of September to 1st week of October, 16days. Beer festival is held in Munich, Germany. Origin of Oktoberfest.de is in October 17th 1810, the wedding of the Bavarian King, Max Joshph and princess Therese. To celebrate them, the music festival was played during 5days. Every year they reenacted their traditional clothes and paraded. But it was not that big. After 8years, the real beer festival was held and the beer festival's meaning is thanks giving.

At first, citizens who put on make up to king, queen, noble, farmer, and acrobat parade from Wilhelm Richard Wagner to open ground in front of city hall. Then the mayor of Munich shows off the first produced 6 degrees beer and declares the starting of festival with fireworks. Band that wears tracht which is the traditional clothes sings songs and dance.


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In Theresienwise which is the open ground around 20 tents are set up and sell beer, chicken and some meat that can eat with beer. And there is only 1L size of glass.

 

Oktoverfest.de is so famous so during this period, there is no place to sleep even sit if you not register few month before. In 1999, around 6million 80hundred thousands people invited this festival. They consumed 6million liter of beer, 63hundred thousands chickens, and 79cows and over 1000 companies of Germany beer was participated. After, in 2000 it was over 700million people and the amount of visitors is increasing. The incoming is over 30thousand million marks.

 

Rio De Jeneiro Carnival - Brazil



I am going to introduce a one of the best and famous festival in the world. This famous well known festival is Rio Carnival. You may think Samba when you hear a word “carnival.” Besides, you may hear “Samba Dance.” Samba dance is from Rio Carnival so Rio Carnival is also called "Samba Festival.” The origin of carnival came from Latin, carne vale which means "meat, stop.” 

Rio Carnival is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in between the end of February and the first of March for 4 days. During these 4 days, the festival does not stop even night. This festival is biggest festival in the world. So there are some samba schools. Anyway, the core of festival is Samba Parade. There is a huge place that does Samba Parade. Rio Carnival is like a contest of samba. Many teams resister and participate this festival. Around 4 thousand people are in one team and they parade around 90minutes. They show their dance and performance. The panels of judges judge their parade and they choose winner. Participants prepare their parade 1year for just this festival. They parade in sambodromo which is main stadium and can accommodate about 70 thousand people. Over 60000 visitors come to Brazil to enjoy the Rio Carnival.
 

Rio Carnival was not big from first. Until the first of 1930, it was just a normal street festival. After that Samba schools was established and they parade as each school and it develop such as this biggest festival.

                                                          Old Rio Carnival

When you watch or hear Rio Carnival through TV or media, the participants and people who dance in the carnival look all happy. Now days Rio carnival is always happy and everybody enjoy it. Did you know that Rio carnival was from their painful history? Samba was started by Africans who were brought by Portuguese. Portuguese drive out native Indian who lived in south America and they planted sugar cane in huge ground and they needed slave and many slaves were taken to South America to work. African missed their hometown and starving and hard working made them tired. They were free only during lent time because Portuguese permitted to rest only lent time. It was only time that they could stress out and tired so that they were dancing and singing. Therefore, Rio Ceremony was mixed with lent ceremony form and African’s traditional percussion instruments and dancing. We should know the origin of festival in short.

As Baseball or basketball or festival, it has big difference between watching through TV and participating in there. Especially, Samba festival is. It is impossible to explain by writing. You will feel and understand when you go there and see with your eyes and listen with your ears and shake your body together. You may like and out of control the delight.

                                                          Rio Carnival