Holidays: Learning about Spectacular Cultures in South America, China and India
Going overseas is a great adventure, regardless of which destination is chosen. One of the valuable lessons going abroad is learning that every country and culture has its own quirks and eccentricities, but is of equal importance to all other threads in the quilt of humanity. Each regional colour works together in weaving a cultural tale of the world. Cultures differ in their dances, traditions, and maybe most interestingly, their vacations. In studying three spectacular international cultures, we can see how South Americans, Chinese, and Indians celebrate holidays.
South America holidays are primarily Catholic in nature. Because of this, Saints festivals are some of the most celebrated holidays in South America; Dia de Todos Los Santos for instance celebrates all Catholic saints, but each day of the year celebrates a specific saint. Individuals in South America are oftentimes named for the saint whose day they were born on. Festivals such as Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday are very popular, South America has a similar called Carnaval. Carnaval celebrates the day before the forty-day Catholic festival of Lent and involves huge celebrations of excess, samba music, and parades.
Holidays in China can be very diverse for the locals and are very different to other nations. China has a unique blend of cultures where the religious and orthodox meets the trendy and the eccentric. The chinese celebrate their holidays with great spiritual importance. The spring festival, or Chinese New Year, is the biggest holiday celebrated in China. Almost everyone in China hold the day sacred, partaking in rituals and ceremonies to ensure a prosperous and healthy year ahead. Modern holidays like Women’s Day are also adopted where all women in China are allowed to take time off.
Holidays in India have a different tone than either of the aforementioned regions. These holidays range from those related to Hinduism to Christian holidays, to Muslim festivities. For the Indian population, holidays come every day of the year. The most famous civic holiday celebrated is the birthday of celebrated civil rights leader, Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi’s birthday has been designated as a day of non-violence, and no alcohol is traded on this day in his respect.
Half of the experience when traveling is researching about the culture of the country that you will be visiting. These are just a handful of the many marvelous and exhilarating holidays seen abroad.

