If you want to see how the eastern culture intermixes with the west, then plan a trip to Macau. This Asian city has very well imbibed the western spirit in its eastern culture. The festivals and cultural events organized in Macau present the perfect glimpse of mixed culture of Asia and Europe. Some of the events and festivals celebrated in Macau are as under.
Chinese New Year – Also known as Spring Festival, Chinese New Year is the most important ethnic festival in Macau. This 15-day long festival begins on the first day of the first month in the Chinese calendar. The last day of this festival is celebrated as Lantern Festival.
Feast of the God Toutei – Come March and local people of Macau observe another important festival – the Feast of the God Toutei at Pou Tai Un Temple.
Procession of the Passion of Lord – In order to celebrate the Procession of the Passion of Lord- the Good Jesus, people assemble at Macau cathedral. They also organize a big colorful street parade, attended by a large number of people.
Macau Arts Festival – Macau Arts Festival is organized to commemorate the cultural diversity of this city. This festival showcases the Chinese opera along with the best painting exhibitions, dance and theatre in Macau.
Qingming and A-Ma – April is the month for Qingming and A-Ma festivals in Macau. Qingming is marked by worshipping forefathers and burning joss sticks and paper objects while A- Ma Festival is a day to seek blessings from A-Ma, a Taoist goddess.
The month of May involves many festive activities in Macau. The most important is the Lord Buddha’s birthday, observed by a big section of Macau population. Tam Kong (fishermen’s celebration) and the Feast of the Drunken Dragon is also celebrated in this month only when groups of intoxicated men present dance performances at Kwan Tai Temple.
Other Macau festivals include Dragon Boat Festival on Nam Van Lakes, Feast of Kuan Tai, Feast of Na Cha and Mid-Autumn Festival. Events like International Fireworks Festival, Music Festival, Macau Grand Prix and Marathon further add to Macau tourists’ attractions.
Visiting Macau during festive season
As mentioned earlier, May is the month of many festivities in Macau; it is also the end of spring season. Therefore, a large number of tourists are expected to visit Macau during this time.