Traditional Festivals

Early each November Mexican's the width and breadth of the country pack a hamper and head to the cemetery to celebrate el dia de los muertos, the day of the dead. And yep, I said celebrate.

Far from being a sombre affair, day of the dead festivities are round-the-clock celebrations of the lives of those family members that have passed before them. Families gather, food is shared, tequila is downed, cigars are smoked - as far as Mexican celebrations go, it doesn't get much bigger.

Marvel as millions (70 million over the 45 days of the Ardh Kumbh Mela) of Hindus come together for the largest, most colourful gathering in the world, Kumbh Mela. Four times every 12 years this mass Hindu Pilgrimage rotates between four locations in India: Allahabad (Prayag) at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and mythical Saraswati River, Haridwar on the Ganga River, Ujjain along the Kshipra River and Nashik on the Godavari River. It truly is a spectale beyond scope and a once in a lifetime event for anyone who attends, regardless of religion.

At noon on the seventh day of the seventh month (that's July 7th for those calendarily challenged) for a duration of seven days, the Spanish city of Pamplona plays host to the festival of San Fermin (known locally as Sanfermines and famously depicted in Hemingway's, The Sun Also Rises).

The event draws party-goers from near and far and although Sanfermines entails so much more to the locals, it's the Encierro - the daily running of the bulls - that the majority of the tourists are on hand to see. For a little over half a mile bull runners - clad in all white with red handkerchiefs tied around their necks - battle the cobbles of Santo Domingo en route to El Plaza del Toros whilst in pursuit are six, infuriated, agitated and totally disorientated toros. Injuries are numerous, since 1924 they've proven fatal for 13 protagonists.

San Fermin is a festival steeped in history, tradition and local culture but not without it's detractors as is seen in the annual Running of the Nudes - an event highlighting the animal cruelty aspects of San Fermin.