The Month of Love and Celebration: Places to Visit in February

With the many festivals that are occurring world wide in the season of love, there is no better place to go to then places where each country proudly represents love and individuality through music, dance culture and costumes.

Here are the top places of festivities this February:

Chun Jie - The Spring Festival and Chinese Celebration for the New Year
Location: Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong
Dates: Lunar New Year which is roughly between January 19 and February 20.

Chun jie Festival in Singapore

The Chinese New Year is pretty much celebrated around the world, especially where there is a Chinatown, however there is something special about being in one of these places during this high point in the Chinese Calendar. It is a definitely something you shouldn't miss out on.

Tet Nguyen Dan - The Festival of the First Day
Location - Vietnam
Dates: Lunar New Year which is roughly between January 19 and February 20.

It is in Vietnam that Tet ushers in the New Year and is by far the biggest celebration on Vietnam's national calendar. Tet rites begin a week before the Lunar New Year and the first three days of the Tet Nguyen Dan are considered as their National Holidays.

International Ice and Snow Festival - Snow and Ice World Festival in Harbin China
Location: Zhaolin Park and Sun Island Park, Harbin China
Dates: 5th of January to 29th of Feb

The Northern province of China known as the Heilongjiang province may be riddled with the coldest climate in the whole of Asia, but it is undoubtedly the best place for an Ice Wonderland Celebration right at the heart in Harbin.

Thaipusam
Location: Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - (this is also celebrated in Singapore)

Date: Full Moon Day in the 10th Tamil month of Thai which is somewhere between mid month of January to mid February.

This is the most amazing Hindu festival in Malaysia. It is celebrated in a wild ecstatic celebration of seemingly outrageous body piercings, marking the day when Lord Shiva's son, Murugan, was given a lance to vanquish three demons.

Carnaval de Quebec - Winter Carnival
Location: Old Town, Quebec City, Canada
Dates: Late January to mid-February

The Carnaval de Quebec has made a reputation of being the world's largest winter carnival. The 17 day Carnaval de Quebec was first done in the early 1894 as a means to get over the winter chills, but only became a full blown festival it is now by the 1950s.

Carnevale Venezia - Venice Carnival
Location: Venice, Italy, Piazza San Marcos is the festival's main focus
Dates: Starts around two Fridays before Ash Wed and completes around Fat/Shrove Tuesday.

The most anticipated social event of Venice, Carnevale Venezia is a masked extravaganza reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera. It is also known as the best baroque dance party and is rivaling even that of  Rio De Janeiro's Carnival in terms of spirit and gusto.

Pasola
Location: Sumba, Indonesia
Dates: During February and March. This is determined by the arrival of a type of sea worm known as nyale

This is celebrated with a tournament of two rivaling teams wielding spears, known as ikat horsemen. The Pasola is most likely Asia's bloodiest and extravagant harvest festival.

St Valentine's Day
Location: Terni, Italy - The feast takes place outside of the Basilica di San Valentino
Dates: This is celebrated all throughout February with February 14 as its highlight

I would most likely believe that this is by far the most romantic place to celebrate the Month of Love with your special one. With Terni's ambiance to match, you shouldn't be surprised to see many getting down on their knees and proposing right there on the streets of the Saint's Umbrian hometown.

Saidai-Ji Eyo - Naked Festival
Location: Kannon-in Temple, Saidi-ji, Japan
Date: Third Saturday of February

Naked Festivals(they actually are not naked because they use loincloths) are quite common throughout Japan in the early start of the Lunar New Year but the most extraordinary is done in the Kannon-in Temple right outside of Okayama

Carnaval De Binche
Location: Binche, Belgium and starts at the town hall
Date: Fat/Shrove Tuesday

Come prepared for a bit of bruising at Belgium's most eccentric carnival celebration. It has been listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the Binche carnival sees local men called Gilles, stomp around while wearing an odd green eyed mask and shaking sticks to ward of evil spirits.

Battaglie delle Arance - Battle of the Oranges
Location: Ivrea, Italy which start right at the town center
Dates: It concludes on Fat/Shrove Tuesday

A part of Ivrea's carnival celebration, Battaglie delle Arance is their version of another town known as Valencia's famous La Tomatina. It is here that for three days nine teams of revolutionaries totaling to about 3000 people or more pound each other with over 400,000kg of oranges. I would recommend to carry an umbrella as a shield if you are caught in the crossfire.

Art Deco Weekend
Location: Several Venues in Napier and Hastings, New Zealand
Dates: Third weekend of February

When the Hawkes Bay town of Napier was decimated by a massive earthquake in the 1930s, Art Deco moved in. It rebuilt the town in Art Deco Style with a bit of Spanish Mission thrown in also influencing the near by town of Hastings. This place has now become the World's Best showcase of Art Deco Designs.

Oruro Carnival
Location: Oruro, Bolivia
Dates: 10 days around Ash Wed

The Oruro Carnival has been listed by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It is also Bolivia's largest annual celebration that draws a crowd of close to half a million people. The central focus of the event is in La Diabla-da, which translate to Dance of the Devils, is an extraordinary showcase of demonic dancers in the most extravagant costumes.

Jenadriyah National Festival
Location: Al Jenadriyah, Saudi Arabia
Dates: Late Feb to early March

The Jenadriyah National Festival is held at a very special site situated about 45km northeast of central Riyadh. It promotes the country's traditional cultures and crafts. The festival opens with an epic camel race that has about 2000 participants racing across a 19km track.

Rio De Janiero Carnival
Location: Sambodromo, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Dates: It culminates on Shrove/Fat Tuesday but begins on a previous Saturday

In Rio De Janeiro, Indian Costumes and African Beats were incorporated in the celebration in a show of rebellious indigenous identity. Today the anticipation of Carnaval fills the air months before the actual event. The main feature of the celebration are the Brazilian Bandas - street parties guided by drummers and singers through the streets of Rio and tailed by those willing to dance behind them.

I may not have been able to personally get to visit these places but based on the stories from friends that have, it is definitely worth to have these events included in a bucket list of things to experience before we age to a point where we can no longer travel. Writing about them has only but created a taste for adventure.

I am sure that there are many more places to go to for the month of February, I would most definitely love to hear from others of special places to visit that you have discovered. If possible can you post those places you know are worthy of going to in the Season of Love here in the comment section below. I would personally be grateful, as I am constantly on the lookout for more things to add on my bucket list.

Till Next Time...

-Metz-

PS. If you are Filipino and are curious about these places mentioned and want to know if it is a place you can visit without the need for a visa, check out the list of countries where we can go with a Philippine Passport here: Travel w/o a Visa for Filipinos