BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Festivals

Davina · October 24, 2012 4:37 pm

Since we just had a posting about a major Hindu festival in India, Dushera, in the weather section I thought it might be a nice idea to make a separate thread for festivals. So here it is. Feel free to post about any festivals as you celebrate them wherever you live.

Last edited by Davina (October 24, 2012 4:38 pm)

Sherlockita · October 25, 2012 8:24 am

This is a nice idea
And here we have a festival season going on ... The next after Dushera is "Karva Chauth" which is mostly celebrated in North India (in Punjab, the most!). This is for married women who keep a fast for the entire day for the long lives of their husbands.;) They drink water and food only after watching the Moon rise. Lots of modern men today don't want their wives to keep such a fast, but wives still keep it coz this is the day when they're gifted with nice jewellery, clothes etc and of course, a grand dinner at the end of the fast

veecee · October 26, 2012 6:14 pm

I'm not muslim, but I think today is Eid.

Sherlockita · October 26, 2012 6:27 pm

@veecee
Yes it is. We had holiday today in various offices. Eid ul Adha..

Davina · October 30, 2012 12:21 pm

So...it is Halloween very soon. Who will be celebrating it and how? My daughter is having a small group of friends over for a party. Could be gruesome!

Sammy · October 30, 2012 4:52 pm

Oh that kind of festival, alright.

Not really celebrating Halloween here, but looking forward to All Saints' Day! (because it means I don't have school )

SusiGo · October 30, 2012 5:05 pm

It's getting more and more popular with children and young people. Until some years ago nobody know about Halloween in Germany but then chocolate pumpkins, horror masks etc. kept appearing in the shops. I don't like the idea of creating such things artificially, especially if traditional festivals like St. Martin's Day are replaced by this.

Davina · October 30, 2012 5:44 pm

Halloween has been celebrated for a long time here but over recent years it has become more and more Americanised. It is All Hallows Eve which is the day before All Saints Day. Here we just used to carve pumpkins and have things like apple bobbing not Trick or Treat.

Yes any festivals in this thread.

veecee · October 30, 2012 6:06 pm

Halloween is an old traditional here. However, we were just commenting at work today that recently some people have gone a bit overboard with the decorations. Anyway, the little kids in their costumes trick or treating are adorable. We usually get quite a few at our door. (For years I made custom costumes for my sibling's children.)

By the way, I do have permission to show up at work in costume tomorrow. I don't know if I will yet, but I did last year at my previous job, where we had an actual party.

Davina · November 1, 2012 2:26 pm

Well we survived the Halloween party, though I confess to having had a lengthy nap this afternoon.

sherlockskitty · November 2, 2012 4:52 am

so what costume did you wear davina? If I worked, which I don't, I would have dressed up as a rennaisance peasant. THOSE are the kinds of festivals that I love to attend. Anything concerning the middle ages, I'll go to them. But they haven't had one in my area for a LONG time. But I love them. I get to see sword fighting, knights on horseback, jousting, eating grub with your hands, dressing up, seeing plays, comedy acts, that sort of thing. I once had my hair french braided too. Someday I would really like to attend a shakespeare festival. they have a small one in my town but I've missed it this year.

SusiGo · November 2, 2012 7:28 am

On 11 November in some parts of Germany St Martin's day is celebrated. He was a Roman soldier who later converted to Christianity. He became a Catholic saint and is said to have shared his long red cloak with a freezing beggar by cutting it in half. Children make colourful lanterns and walk through the streets singing songs. Many schools and kindergardens have someone dressed as St Martin riding on a horse and enact the sharing of the cloak beside a fire. The children are given bags with sweets and sweetened white bread baked in the form of a man. It's a very popular tradition in Lower Rhineland where I live.

Davina · November 2, 2012 8:23 am

Susi that sounds lovely. It is so good to hear of old traditions being kept alive. The sweetened white bread in the form of a man sounds slightly familiar.

Skitty, I dressed up as me- yeah really scarey! My daughter was a gangster's moll (she didn't like the Ghostbuster's costume she was going to wear) we had zombies, a native American (Indian), Captain Underpants (don't ask!), Hannibal Lecter (real name Roman - yes Polish descent) etc. Most of the girls' costumes seemed to be a bit skimpy.

We have an annual Medieval Fair near here every year, they call it the Robin Hood Festival (although we are nowhere near Nottingham!) It has jousting (dangerous), falconry, stiltwalkers, crafts etc. I took the children when they were young but I haven't been for years. The year we went one of the falcons took off and never came back. I love watching jousting though. I've even seen some in Florida.

Last edited by Davina (November 2, 2012 8:24 am)

Davina · November 3, 2012 4:47 pm

Monday, November 5th is officially Guy Fawkes (or Bonfire or Firework Night) here, however I think most people who are interested will go to large scale public shows tonight or tomorrow. These involve loads of fireworks and usually a big bonfire. In the past people would stuff old clothes to make a human effigy, often with a paper/card mask which was called the Guy. The Guy was burnt on the top of the bonfire. Children used to sit by shops and in front of their doors prior to Guy Fawkes Night and shout out, ' a penny for the guy!' and hope to get money with which they could buy fireworks. Some people will still have fireworks at home and perhaps a bonfire too. Up unitl fairly recently the fireworks etc. were only ever set off on November 5th but this has now spread over a couple of weeks at least, which is not good if you have animals that are afraid of them.

On an historical note this festival is to 'celebrate' the discovery of a plot during the reign of King James 1 (of England, 6th of Scotland - same person, bit confusing) to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The leader of the plot was a Roman Catholic called Guy (or Guido) Fawkes. The plotters met a terrible fate. Personally I think it was a bit of a put up job. More information in these links for those who are interested:

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night

Last edited by Davina (November 3, 2012 4:50 pm)

Sherlockita · November 14, 2012 4:12 am

Hello everyone
I came here just today after a long time... was busy in Diwali shopping, and preparations..... It was Diwali here yesterday...the biggest Indian festival just like Christmas in the western countries..
Belated Halloween to all.. !!! When I was a kid, we were unaware of this festival but now the younger kids do know about it..and sometimes, Halloween parties are also organized by some of the kids' parents too...

These are a few Diwali pics at my home..

Diwali Rangoli

Diwali Worship

PS: I was really tempted to make a Sherlock Rangoli this time..but then I thought my parents are gonna think I am crazy

Last edited by monitaa (November 14, 2012 4:13 am)

SusiGo · November 14, 2012 7:26 am

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Monitaa, they're really beautiful. Maybe you could make a Sherlock Rangoli just for us and take a photo.

Mattlocked · November 14, 2012 7:28 am

Very nice, thank you.
I searched for Rangoli with Google already and was a bit shocked at first by noticing quite often the sign we call "Hakenkreuz". But I see that it has a completely different meaning than it has here in Germany....
Everything else I could see was so beautiful and full of colours, I really like that!

Davina · November 14, 2012 7:37 am

Lovely pictures and all those little lamps of light too.

Sherlockita · November 14, 2012 8:09 am

@Susigo

Thanks so much for appreciating. I still have the colors. So, I'll try making a Sherlock one too , in my room!!
@Mattlocked: Hehe.. i know about Hakenkreuz.. Actually, the symbol that I've drawn is called "Svaastika" in India and it represents the Hindu God- Ganesha or Ganpati. It's a symbol of good fortune and made in every pooja (worship) usually. I have no idea why Nazis chose it for their flags though

@Davina
Thanks!! Those little lamps are called 'Diyas" here

Harriet · November 14, 2012 8:12 am

Thanks for posting, really cool! I have a few ideas for a Sherlock Rangoli now, too
Apples, scarfs, violins - maybe next year?