June Festivals

We're taking a brief halt in our Stamp safari to do a quick trip around the world's festivals in June. Many of them celebrate the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and others in the Southern Hemisphere.

We kick off in St Petersburg, Russia with the White Nights Festival that celebrates midsummer when the sun hardly sets. The Scarlet Sails ship is the iconic motif of this celebration. the event is a tribute to the Russian children’s tale ‘Scarlet Sails’ and was started when several Leningrad schools united to celebrate the end of term. You can expect extraordinary fireworks, a concert and a massive water show while an incredibly illuminated boat with red sails pass through.

Far across the Atlantic ocean and over the Andes every June 24th, Cusco reenacts the Inca Festival of the Sun, complete with a procession from the Qorikancha (Inca Sun Temple) to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, with an address by the Sapa Inca in Quechua from a golden tower in the Plaza de Armas.

Año Nuevo Aymara (Aymara New Year) celebrates the start of a new agricultural cycle, the winter solstice, and the Aymara new year. Each year colorful ceremonies take place across the Altiplano and throughout Bolivia – offerings are given in thanks to Pachamama, or Mother Earth, and the sun so that there will be a good harvest in the coming year. It is a day filled with ceremonial clothing, drinking singani, chewing coca, sacrificing llamas and dancing until dawn.

In Britain Stonehenge is the centre of the Druid faith that has been resurrected. The Chief Druid of Britain leads the Summer Solstice rituals at the greatest of the stone circles. A far more worldly affair is the weeklong Ascot Races attended by the Royal Family, blueboods and commoners. The best bloodstock is in racing form and fortunes are won and lost on the track.

Firenza (Florence) in Italy celebrates Festa Da San Giovanni - the feast day for its patron saint, St. John the Baptist, considered the "symbol of moral rectitude and political correctness" whom medieval Florence aspired to emulate. A day of fantastic events, for example, Calcio Storico, a parade in historic dress and firework that will take your breath away!

In the United States the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, established in 1967, honors contemporary living cultural traditions and celebrates those who practice and sustain them. Produced annually by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Festival has featured participants from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.This year it is the turn of the Catalans and Armenians to showcase their cultures with cooking, singing, dancing, folk traditional crafts and language.

Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival has been celebrated for 28 years in Oklahoma City. Native Americans from all over the continent gather for a week of dancing, singing and handwork competitions. The costumes are gaudily gorgeous and the parade is great to watch.

Duanwu Jie - Dragon Boat Festival - is celebrated in Shangai but also many other cities with large Chinese populations. The boats are art work masterpieces and as I have a son who is a rower I have some idea of the work and practice that goes into making those boats shoot across the water in syncophated rhythm. Physical aptitude, team work, discipline and the ability to withstand pain are pre-requisites for any rower.

India can't be left out of course but this month I've only featured two of the many festivals as Indian festivals have dominated the last couple of months puzzles. The Rath Yatra or the Chariot Festival is one of the main festival and attraction of Puri, in the state of Orissa. Sindhu Darshan Festival is one of the leading events in Ladakh.

All these festivals are bright, colourful and reach deep into the antiquity of human cultures across the world. Human beings are incredibly diverse and talented at making beauty, fun and faith into part of the huge tapestry of life.