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Fantastic Festivals of the World Season 1 Episodes

Season 1 Episode Guide

16 Episodes 2004 - 2004

Episode 1

The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival - Hong Kong

Mon, Apr 5, 200449 mins

The Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival dates to the 14th Century uprising against the Mongols when rebels wrote notes on paper and hid them in pastries to smuggle to compatriots. Hong Kong is illuminated once a year in memory of the uprising.

Where to Watch

Episode 2

Festival des Marionettes - Charleville-Mezieres, France

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

The art of puppet theater began in World War II to lighten peoples' spirits and provide an uplifting aspect to their days during tumultuous years of war and conflict.

Where to Watch

Episode 3

The World Buskers Festival - Christchurch, New Zealand

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Experience lively, dramatic, beautiful, and sometimes dangerous street performances by some of the best "buskers" from around the world.

Where to Watch

Episode 4

Carnaval de Quebec - Quebec City, Canada

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

This twelve-day carnival is the world's largest snow-oriented festival. Among the festivities are over 300 fun and interactive family activities that bring out the warmth within people as they brave temperatures well below zero.

Where to Watch

Episode 5

Festival Las Fallas - Valencia, Spain

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Parade of giant creations of Styrofoam, wood and paper mache, created in honor of St. Joseph, patron saint of all carpenters.

Where to Watch

Episode 6

Carnival - St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Dive into this nonstop April carnival and dance to the easy rhythms of calypso music as positive energy and color surround you. The joy of the islands springs to life, and the fun you experience you will not soon forget.

Where to Watch

Episode 7

Gypsy Festival - San Marie de la Mer, France and the Medieval Fair - Sedan, France

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Two amazing festivals occur in France each year. The Medieval Festival recreates to a fantastic degree life in the Middle Ages. The Gypsy Festival honors Saint Mary, and every year people from all over the world gather to worship.

Where to Watch

Episode 8

Rath Yatra - Puri, India

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Every year millions gather throughout India to celebrate one of the oldest festivals in the world honoring the deities of Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra. Exquisitely decorated chariots are pulled through Puri's main street.

Where to Watch

Episode 9

The Green River Rendezvous - Pinedale, Wyoming, USA

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

For generations, people gather every year at the Green River Festival to honor the call of the wild and the spirit of the mountain man in preparation of the coming winter.

Where to Watch

Episode 10

Fiesta de Urqupinia - Quillacollo, Bolivia

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Beginning in the 18th Century, Bolivians celebrate beautiful acts of faith that portray a combination of Indigenous and Christian beliefs. People from all over Bolivia perform, dance, and play music in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

Where to Watch

Episode 11

Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals - Okinawa, Japan

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Every summer, for three special days in Okinawa, the Kyu-bon and Eisa Festivals arise in honor of each family's deceased ancestors who, it is customarily believed visit their living relatives each year at this time.

Where to Watch

Episode 12

September Cultural Shows - Papua New Guinea

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Each September, countless people from communities all over Papua New Guinea celebrate in diversity, while also taking the time to honor the their ancestors and rare orchid flowers that grow in the region.

Where to Watch

Episode 13

Whirling Dervishes - Konya, Turkey

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Sufi's are known as the mystic seekers in Islam, and every December they perform the Whirling Dervishes Festival, portraying whimsical dances replete with red turbans and flowing white skirts.

Where to Watch

Episode 14

Songkran Festival - Thailand

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Songkran marks the Thai New Year and is considered to be the Kingdom's most fun and family oriented festival with its traditional water splashing, water cannons, and water purification and cleansing from illness.

Where to Watch

Episode 15

Spring Fiestas - Andalusia, Spain

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

When fiestas arrive in spring in Spain, you might imagine a sunny landscape, a bull fighter, or a Spanish dancer with a vibrant dress. These are certainly some of the symbols of Spain, but there are many more.

Where to Watch

Episode 16

Lunar New Year - Hong Kong

Mon, Apr 5, 200448 mins

Chinese New Year is the mother of celebrations. Hong Kong is dressed in gold and red, colors of good fortune. The New Year's parade attracts groups from around the world. The Costumes, music, and dances are nothing short of spectacular.

Where to Watch