Throughout Asia, a variety of cultures and traditions meet and greet one another on a daily basis and this could be due to the conjoined landmass allowing travel so easily just via foot alone. This huge and incredibly diverse land is home to a variety of peoples speaking an even wider variety of languages. These languages number in the hundreds with more than six-hundred different languages being spoken in Indonesia alone, more than one-hundred being spoken in the Philippines and over eight-hundred being spoken in India!
Religions are just as diverse with a plethora of varying beliefs and cultures existing all throughout the region. These languages include the world’s major religions such as the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Islam, the Baha’I’ Faith and Christianity (including many of those alone in a variety of branches and denominations) which originated in these regions as you’d expect; Judaism in Israel, Islam in Saudi Arabia, the Baha’I’ Faith in Iran (classic Persia) and Christianity in Israel as well, also reintroduced to the region as Roman Catholicism by the Portuguese and Spaniards during the crusades of the late middle ages.
Additionally, a range of other and lesser known faiths are practiced in the region including Hindu and Buddhist philosophies, Buddhism is the largest faith in the region with over 60% of the population practicing the faith, Hinduism takes the second spot with over 25% of Asia’s population practicing the faith. Other notable faiths include Jainism, Taoism, Sikhism, Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.
Some of the most amazing sights in the world are observed and experienced in Asia; these include a variety of natural phenomena, festivals and religious celebrations all over the region and must be carefully prepared and planned beforehand. Below are some of the most notable and incredible events during the year.
One of the most beautifully mystical events throughout the year is the blooming of Japan’s many cherry blossom tree varieties during the Cherry Blossom Festivals. The cherry blossoms come into full bloom between January and May based on where you are, typically the further south you travel, the earlier the blossoms. One of the best locations in the country is the revered Yoshinoyama (Mount Yoshino) which has been named the country’s most popular Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing) locations for over a thousand years and is home to over thirty-thousand varied types of entrancing Cherry Blossom trees.
During July 11th to 13th, Mongolia is home to Naadam (games) of the Country and holds a variety of the country’s traditional sports including Mongolian Wrestling, Horse Racing and Archery. Before and during each event it is common to sing songs of encouragement and unity to encourage the participants to compete further and strive harder in each competition.
Diwali (Festival of Lights) has recently made a more prominent appearance in the west and it is celebrated by the Hindu faith every year. Within India especially, the celebrations are incredibly bright and colourful and incorporate a range of food and sweets. Each day of the festival a different aspect is celebrated; on the first day the goddess of prosperity Lakshmi is worshipped in order to bring well-being to the faith, the second day celebrates the mythical defeat of Narakasura (a demon god) by Kali (goddess of time and change and consort to Shiva, goddess of eternity), the third day celebrates light and life, the fourth day celebrates the relationship of marriage and the fifth day celebrates the relationship between siblings.
Celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar year in the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival incorporates a wondrous variety of bright and colourful lanterns all over China. The celebrations often include children going out at night in traditional dress with lanterns to solve riddles at the temples. These lanterns have been designed to symbolize good fortune and in recent years the release of flying lanterns to light up the skies have become more commonplace and are brilliantly captivating.
Holi in India is the festival of colours and is celebrated at the approach of the vernal equinox on the full moon, typically this is in February or more commonly March and celebrates the victory of good over evil, the end of winter and the arrival of spring, as well as signifying the letting go of wrongdoings and broken relationships. The most significant event during the festival is the playing with colours where coloured but washable plant-derived solutions are used to spray one another to become coloured with colour and symbolizing the revitalization of new life and new beginnings.
These sights are just too good to be true but they’re all very enjoyable and real experiences and can only be properly experienced if visiting or living in the region. So why not check SeekTeacher’s jobs page to see just what you’re missing out on?