The thread for weird regional holidays

I really want those shotglasses.

The first holiday is so regional I think only one family has ever practiced it. When I was two or something (maybe even three, I wasn't really paying attention) I still had a pacifier. To get rid of it without upsetting me, my dad told me that "The Labor Day Man," would take the pacifier away and give me a GI Joe since I would have become a"big boy." They kept the holiday going maybe another 2 years? Each year I would just get a new GI Joe (the little ones, not the big ones). I didn't realize it was all made up shit that no one else had ever heard of until I was 9 and asked someone else about it in school.

Yeah yeah Labor Day is a real holiday but no one celebrated it like I did.

The next holiday is in the vein of those small town celebrations in the summer time that have a parade and a little fair. I'm pretty sure these kinds of things happen across the US, at least. A town just south of where I grew up had one of these celebration/holiday things, though for reasons a lot less boring than most. This town's posse ran out the James Gang when they tried to rob the bank or something so the town celebrates Jesse James Days, and, if I remember correctly (it's been a long time), they even have a mock Western-style shootout. For reference to how not dumb/boring this is, another town had "Mountain Dew Days," as in the soft drink.

Woah, I'm late to the party it seems!

Now, Sofalisa I feel the need to say that I'm kinda mad at you?
Sure, Carnaval has lost its meaning with time, but that's not just for us. It seems by this thread that quite some European countries have their own version or the holiday, and I'm pretty sure they all have the same origin and stuff.
Sure, the holiday and festivities were adapted depending on which country it was celebrated, as the cultures are different and all that jazz.
But the holiday losing it meaning in itself does not mean that it is a shameful holiday. It just so happens that now Carnaval means something different from what its original purpose was, maybe it even just means having real a good time for most people, and I don't think that's really a bad thing.
Sure, there is quite a lot of inconsequential sex and drunk people doing stupid stuff, but they're just having fun.

Besides, I'm pretty sure all of our holidays have lost its original meaning, coming to represent radically different things as time passes. And that's not bad, it just means that the people and their culture change with time.

I remember I used to think like you. "Ooooh, I hate Samba and I hate this stupid exhibitionist's show all up on my TV with their shameless naked girls dancing to stupid songs on fucking horrible parades bluh bluh."
But now I'm more like just "Ohhh, Carnaval is approaching we get three days off of work and college, life is beautiful." Sure, I may not go to Samba School Parades, nor do I celebrate with Carnaval Blocks on the street, and I don't even like Samba, but there's no reason for me to hate them either. They stay out of my lawn and I stay out of theirs.

I'm sorry if I'm sounding especially rude or anything, it's just that I felt kinda like hate in your posts and why hate so much man?
Just.
Just give in to the looove. <3

Nah, I didn't mean it is a bad thing because it has no meaning. The main reason I hate it is actually the music. It's fun to party though, that I can't deny.

Actually, I don't really hate it, I'm just exaggerating as I usually do. But it really feels like it's just distracting us for all the corruption that's going on here, just like I feel with how much soccer is spread by media here, and all those "Bolsa Família" and stuff. You know how it is here: Bread and circus, and everybody's happy.

And having days off? No, I could never think that's a bad thing haha!

We have Fasnacht (or Fasnet in the local Schwabian) here. In fact after the Köln Fasnacht, the Villingen event is the biggest one in Germany - which is pretty crazy given that the town is little more than a tiny village.

Here are some pics from the previous years.

This was my local holiday growing up. The Eggplant Festival.

Contests for who can grow the largest eggplant, the most beautiful eggplant, so much goddamn tempura eggplant that you'll never want tempura anything ever again (until next year), the Eggplant Parade, eggplant-throwing contests - more purple clothing than Prince's Super Bowl halftime show.

And not a single goddamn person in that town knew who the Eggplant Wizard was. I had the best costume ever at twelve years old and it went completely unacknowledged. Buncha philistines.

Well, I don't really like Samba either, but I can respect it as a music genre.
It's tons better than Funk Carioca, and you gotta admit that.

I also agree that, yeah, it's used as a distraction, just like soccer. And that soccer is blown out proportion because come on it's not even that fun [/biased]. But, well, it's not exactly the holiday's fault or anything.
IT'S THE EVIL MEDIA. And the MEDIA is EVIL EVERYWHERE. Even in made up worlds!

Free days off are always welcome especially considering that we're kinda fucked this year~!
When's our next holiday? September? (Now I'm clearly exaggerating, we probably have a holiday on May)

What a glorious festival.

Now to stay in topic, I'll elaborate a little more on how Carnaval is for us!

I can only say about what happens in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but I know other states and cities celebrate differently on their own, kinda like how in the state of Bahia they have these huge-ass mobile stages where they put famous singers and set on to drive through half the city with an enormous(ly drunk) mob following it around and just having a good ol' time.

Both in Rio de Janeiro and here in São Paulo we have these constructions that are like giant roads with some sort of viewing areas surrounding it to accommodate the viewers (herpderp). These constructions are called Sambódromos, Sambadromes, according to Wikipedia. Now, some other cities have those as well, but ours are the most famous ones.

These places were created specifically for Carnaval Parades, organized by Samba Schools (that are basically dance schools/clubs). A Carnaval Parade is kinda different from most parades, in that each Samba School chooses a theme and develops their own parade based around that theme and a song written about it. The parades can get pretty elaborate, with several floats and various "sections" and thousands of dancers, a few of them on top of the floats and the rest on the floor. Mind, around half of those dancers is wearing a complex costume (even the semi-naked girls), and the floats are not only huge but some can be pretty beautiful too. Do a Google image search for "Carro Alegórico" to see what I'm talking about.

The floats are absolutely my favorite part about the Carnaval Parades, I'll post some pictures here to illustrate better what I'm talking about (if you happen to be too lazy to Google those two words up there). Some people believe that the best part of the holiday is the gratuitous nudity that comes with the celebration, but those people are wrong, because I certainly am not.

After every school is finished, a bunch of dudes rate their parades and choose the best one for the year. The poor sap who got last place in the main group is kicked out of it and is replaced by the one who got first place in the secondary group. But no one cares about that.
Now, tickets to see the parades are fucking expensive so we, normal people, mostly just watch it on TV.

There are other ways we celebrate, though.
In Rio de Janeiro, some people just gather and walk around town playing instruments, wearing costumes and just having a mini-parade themselves. Those are called Carnaval Blocks.
I've never taken part in one of those because a) when I went to Rio, Carnaval was over and b) I hate crowds, but I've seen videos and there are many kinds of blocks around town.
My old boss, who happened to be from Rio, showed me a video of a Super Mario Carnaval Block. That I present to you because I am so nice. Please note how drunk all these people are.
(Jump to 1:25 to see a drunk Mario chasing an even more drunk star-man)

It's better than Funk indeed. But I don't dislike Samba itself, I dislike Axé and Pagode and such. The older Samba was much better though.

Soccer is not fun at all for me, and everyone seems so enthusiastic about it! And it's so stupid how people take this to violence. I really think this is a disease of some kind. I don't see how anyone with a sane mind go around on the streets like a wild animal, screaming like crazy-ass-shit because his fucking team won. I mean, what the fuck?

Another thing Brazil and The Netherlands have in common apparently! I'm starting to think we are secretly the same country only like, two versions from different dimensions.

Does the Folsom Street Fair qualify for this thread?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

In the city I usually spend Carnaval in, there's a specific ritual, called Enterro do Pereira (Pereira's Burial) where people dress up as monsters, and there's also some men dressed as women, but there's mostly monsters. Then some monsters walk through the city to take a coffin with a doll inside to the river, followed by everybody while playing sad music. Then, when they throw the coffin, the monsters turn around and start spraying that white thing on the people, and everybody screams and tries to run away, and then the Bois Bumbá (Bumba oxen? Bulls?) start following everybody too.
It's kinda funny, but I found it terrifying when I was a kid.

... Does that get any better less worse in context?

Hmmm are you from the North region? I heard on TV that celebrations like that happen around there. I am quite ignorant about the culture of our states, though, so I'm probably wrong~! :D
I do wonder who this poor Pereira was, though.

Oh, that's a tame (hee hee) one.

Okay, I'm Googling that.

EDIT: Okay guys, you don't want to Google that.

My favorite Japanese holiday was Setsubun. Someone wears an oni (sort of a demon) mask, and everyone else throws beans at him while yelling "oni wa soto!" (Oni, outside!). Then you have to face a certain direction while eating a sushi roll. Then somebody has to clean up the beans, which sucks because they get everywhere.

Hawaii has King Kamehameha Day, but that's just some parades. We also have Hawaii Statehood Day, which is celebrated by some by protesting for Hawaiian Sovereignty.

Nope, I'm from Southeast just like you. But this city I go to is really small (not where I live btw)

EDIT - And Pereira is just a fictional character, I don't think he really was anyone.

lol

loooooooooooooool

Ingmar, you are a bad person.

What does it say about me that this was the first thing that came to my mind when I read that?

Funk Carioca is awesome and you have no taste. So there.

We've also got Evacuation Day (when we ran the redcoats out of town) which just HAPPENS to fall on St. Patrick's Day so most people get it off.

Basically, Boston is the best.

I'll have to admit that Mr. Catra is a genius.


Though I guess this specific song is more Pagode than Funk.
Oh well.


... I understand that if you don't know Portuguese this song's meaning was completely lost to you.
I'm not sure if I should be really happy or really sad about this fact.


Hint: It's about sex.

Most Japanese people make that noise too, whenever it comes up for whatever reason.

It depends of what you mean by Funk Carioca.
The majority of the most recent ones are just beats with a lot of dirty talk and half-naked women dancing.
I don't think that's even music.
The earlier Funk was better.

*listens to music*
*hoping you're being sarcastic*
*or that this song is actually a good piece of comedy*

You say that like it's a bad thing.

And don't forget the hats. Oh my fucking god, the hats! Did you see who won the race? Race? No idea, but did you see what *insert random local soap opera star* was wearing? I know! wasn't it fucking gorgeous?

Lizzy - Everything you wanted to know, including the hats!

Ingmar, you are the worst best worst.

Thanks daemion! I could have just Googled it, but I'm so goddamn lazy.

Also, I asked my dad: "Hey, what's the deal with this Prince Carnaval", and he explained that it was mostly a parody on the mayor or any other governmental powers. He has some ceremonial duties but he's basically useless.

It is indeed Pancake Day today - also known as White Tuesday - and I have a rather large bowl of batter resting in the fridge.

Pancake day is just Mardi Gras for humorless noncatholic countries!

I kept thinking I don't have anything to share then I realized its February. STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL TIME!!
http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/

Yee haw..
Though the only thing I like about it is that we are inundated with strawberries in the local groceries, the festival is -shrug-. I don't like country , I find the thought of riding rickety carnival rides terrifying these days. Parking is horrid.
It's in Plant City (yee haw..ok fine I will stop), which btw has a great hospital.

Hmm.. Another regional is my actual town Sun -n- Fun.

http://www.sun-n-fun.org/
Neither of these are actual holidays but fit in the local festival/celebration. Sun n fun shuts down half our town due to the influx of folk. Most fly in so you can't get a rental. We are already a heavy snow bird area so don't bother to try and get a hotel room in central florida when either of these things is up.

Humourless my backside

Well, you can't have any then.

I am actually conflicted. I could make some pancakes, or I could go out and find a king cake.





Or

a little of option A, a little of option B