Travel 101 Rotating Header Image

Events

Mexico's running of the bulls

Feb 3rd, 2009
by admin.
No comments yet

raging_bulls A TEENAGE girl has suffered a dislocated jaw as ten half-tonne bulls kicked at screaming spectators during Mexico’s chaotic version of “Running of the Bulls.”

The tradition, enacted in a handful of Mexican towns, traces its roots back to the centuries-old Pamplona bull-run in Mexico’s former colonial power.

But unlike Pamplona, where a pack of bulls chases people for a few minutes down a carefully cordoned-off path, in Tlacotalpan the beasts are let loose to rampage through the streets for hours as crowds taunt them.

(more…)

Rio Carnival

Feb 3rd, 2009
by admin.
No comments yet

rio_carnival Although Carnival (Carnaval in Portuguese) is celebrated in towns and villages throughout Brazil and other Catholic countries, Rio de Janeiro has long been regarded as the Carnival Capital of the World. The Rio Carnaval is not only the biggest Carnival, benchmark against which every other carnival is compared but also one of the most interesting artistic events on the Globe. Pretty much everyone has heard of the Rio Carnaval. Foreign visitors to it alone number around 500,000 every year.

(more…)

Trinidad goes all out for Caribbean-style carnival

Feb 3rd, 2009
by admin.
No comments yet

j'ouvert PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Mardi Gras in the U.S. means New Orleans. In South America, it’s Brazil, and in Europe, it’s Venice.

But in the Caribbean, Trinidad is the place to be for carnival, with a celebration of culture, calypso and cuisine, complete with parades, elaborate costumes, bands and masquerade balls.

(more…)

The Venice Carnival

Feb 3rd, 2009
by admin.
No comments yet

venice_carnival When Napoleon invaded Venice in 1797 he was so shocked at the excesses of the annual Carnival he banned it. No wonder. In the dying days of the Venetian Republic, the festival’s decadence knew few bounds, with masked merrymakers streaming into casinos to gamble, partygoers indulging in illicit liaisons, and crowds calling for blood at bullfights. Today the pre-Lenten event is more family-friendly. But there’s still a touch of hedonism as fancy-dress parties, concerts, fashion parades and firework displays transform the city into a vast alfresco theater.

This year, the 10-day Carnival kicks off on Feb. 14. To soak up the scene before the crowds descend, visit St. Mark’s Square on the first morning. An outdoor table at the 18th century coffee-house Florian offers a ringside view of the counts, sultans and harlequins as they swan about the piazza.

(more…)

Exhibits, events mark Lincoln bicentennial Feb. 12

Feb 3rd, 2009
by admin.
No comments yet

Lincoln bicentennial WASHINGTON – Some of the biggest celebrations of the bicentennial of Abe Lincoln’s birthday kick off in Washington on his Feb. 12 birthdate. But you can also catch many Lincoln-related exhibits and events later this year and in other parts of the country.

Here are some details, with more information at http://www.lincolnindc.com/ or from the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org/.

The National Park Service celebrates Lincoln’s birthday Feb. 12 with live music at the Lincoln Memorial. On April 12, Easter Sunday, the memorial will host a recreation of Marian Anderson’s landmark concert. She sang at the memorial steps in 1939 after a nearby concert hall turned her away because she was black. And on Memorial Day, the Lincoln Memorial will be formally rededicated.

(more…)