Khamoro World Roma Festival

Festival Khamoro takes place last week in May in Prague since 1999 a since that time was under patronage of many significant persons such as former president Václav Havel, chairmen of the Senate Petr Pithart and Libuše Benešová, chief officer of European Commission representation in Czech republic Ramiro Cibrián, mayor of capital city of Prague Pavel Bém and others. Last year Khamoro 2007 was under patronage of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. Since the first year is the co-organizer of the festival Capital city of Prague. Czech government regularly supports festival Khamoro.

Festival presents the top artists from all over the world. Beside the most popular traditional Gypsy music is within the program presented also Gypsy jazz and modern forms of Gypsy music.

Part of cultural program are also other events such as exhibitions, film screenings or dance workshops

One of the most popular parts of the festival is traditional parade of artists in the Prague center. The aim is to present Roma culture to general public on public places.

Source: www.khamoro.cz/

Buddha's Birthday

Phong Sinh (Buddha's Birthday) Vietnam 17. May 2011 (annual)

Vietnam a country in South East Asia is full of traditions, customs and beliefs. Hence there is nothing unusual in the never ending list of Vietnamese festivals and events that takes place through out the year. These celebrations speak of Vietnam itself, about its lovely people, their lifestyle, their songs and dances, their laughter and tears and everything else. Most of these festivals are very colorful, full of pomp and show and enthusiastic people. Even tourists from far off lands yearn to be a part of the festival on their trip to Vietnam. Phong Sinh (Buddha's Birthday), Vietnam is one such festival, which people celebrate with immense joy.

Phong Sinh in Vietnam is celebrated as a tribute to Lord Buddha. On the day of the Phong Sinh (Buddha's Birthday), Vietnam people remember the hardships and the preaching of this great soul. Vietnamese observe the birth, enlightenment and also the death of Buddha on the same day. They try to follow the teachings and path shown by him in their celebrations as well. Hence caged birds and fishes are released by Buddhists as a mark of respect on Buddha’s Birthday in Vietnam. In Northern Vietnam, natives set free skilled doves and a competition is held between them. The performance of the doves not only symbolizes peace but also makes a fantastic sight.

Festivals like Phong Sinh (Buddha's Birthday) and other festivals strengthen the interpersonal bond among the Vietnamese as it provides a common platform for them to meet. Another major festival that takes place during this time is Ba Chua Xu Festival, Vietnam. Various rituals accompanied by colorful parades make this event very popular among the tourists.
Source: asiarooms.com

The Royal Birthday of King NORODOM SIHAMONI

13 - 15 May 2011 (annual)
Norodom Sihamoni is the King of Cambodia. He is the eldest son of Norodom Sihanoukandnbsp; and Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.Previously Cambodia's ambassador and to UNESCO, he was named by a nine-member throneandnbsp; council to become the next king after his father Norodom Sihanouk abdicated in 2004. Before ascending the throne, Sihamoni was best known for his work as a cultural ambassador in Europe and as a classical dance instructor.

Sihamoni was born in 1953. At the time of his birth and that of his younger brother, his mother, a Cambodian citizen of Italian and Khmer ancestry, had been one of King Norodom Sihanouk's constant companions since the day they met in 1951, when a young Monique Izzi won first prize in a beauty contest sponsored by UNESCO.

She soon become one of the most enduring and stable influences in Sihanouk's life, and is often referred to as a "tower of strength" by close members of the Cambodian Royal Family. She was granted the title of Neak Moneang at the time of her marriage to King Norodom Sihanouk in 1952.

(A step-granddaughter of the late Prince Norodom Duongchak of Cambodia, Queen Monineath is a daughter of Pomme Peang and her second husband, Jean-François Izzi, a French-Italian banker.) [3]andnbsp; The Royal Ark website entry about the genealogy of the Cambodian royal family states that Sihanouk and Monineath were married twice, once on 12 April 1952, when she was 15, and again ("more formally", according to the website) on 5 March 1955; she is described as Sihanouk's seventh wife.

King Norodom Sihamoni has 14 half-brothers and half-sisters by his father's various relationships; his only full sibling, a younger brother, HRH Samdech Norodom Narindrapong (born 1954) died in 2003.

He has spent most of his life outside Cambodia. As a child, Sihamoni was sent to Prague, Czechoslovakia, by his father in 1962, where he, while attending elementary school, high school and Academy of Music Arts, studied classical dance and music until 1975. 

He is fluent in French and Czech, as well as being a good speaker of English and Russian. During the 1970 coup d'état by Lon Nol, Sihamoni remained in Czechoslovakia. In 1975, he left Prague and began to study filmmaking in North Korea, and in 1977 returned to his native Cambodia. Immediately, the ruling Khmer Rouge government turned against the monarchy, and Sihamoni was put under house arrest by the Khmer Rouge with the rest of the royal family until the 1979 Vietnamese invasion.

andnbsp;In 1981, he moved to France to teach ballet and was later president of the Khmer Dance Association. He lived in France for nearly 20 years, but even then he regularly visited Prague, where he spent his childhood and youth. He is the only ruling monarch who speaks Czech.

In 1993, the prince was appointed Cambodia's delegate to UNESCO, the UN cultural body based in Paris, where he became known for his hard work and his devotion to Cambodian culture. He previously refused an appointment as Cambodia's ambassador to France.

On 14 October 2004, he was selected by a special nine-member council, part of a selection process that was quickly put in place after the surprise abdication of King Norodom Sihanouk a week before. Sihamoni's selection was endorsed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly Speaker Prince Norodom Ranariddh (the new king's brother), both members of the privy council. 

He was inaugurated and formally anointed as King on Friday, 29 October 2004. King Sihamoni and his parents, King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath specifically requested that the ceremonies be kept low-key because they did not wish for the impoverished country to spend too much money on the event.

The original gold and diamond encrusted crown, a sacred symbol of Mount Meru, used in official coronation ceremonies in Cambodia for centuries dating back to the ancient Angkorian Empire, disappeared along with many other items of Royal Regalia during the Lon Nol regime in the early 1970s. As stated by Julio A. Jeldres, King Father Norodom Sihanouk's official biographer, "The King did not want a crown remade because of Cambodia's poverty."

Source Reference : wikipedia.org

'Obby 'Oss Festival

'Obby 'Oss Festival
1. May 2011 (annual) in Cornwall / UK

Padstow, in Cornwall, UK is internationally famous for its traditional 'Obby 'Oss day (dialect for Hobby Horse).

The hobby horses have big red eyes, snapping teeth and black frame-hung cape.To be caught under their cloaks is thought to be good luck and even fertility-inducing! Such bizarre goings-on were first recorded in the 16th century and take place every May Day as a fertility ritual, held to mark the coming of summer.

Inhabitants of Padstow (those born in the town) traditionally dress in white, with family loyalties dictating whether they follow the 'Red'/original Oss, or the 'Blue'/peace Oss.
Both Oss' are similar in appearance and perform a dancing ritual accompanied by an hypnotic folk song and lead by a group of followers as they make their way through the narrow streets and around the harbour. 
The festival itself starts at midnight on May 1 with unaccompanied singing around the town starting at the Golden Lion Inn. By the morning, the town is dressed with greenery, flowers and flags, with the focus being the maypole. The 'Blue' Oss is making its first appearance from its stable at 10am, followed at 11am by the appearance of the 'Red' Oss from its home. Some time in the late afternoon the 'osses may meet at the maypole and dance together.

'Obby 'Oss traditions also exist in nearby Barnstaple and Combe Martin. More Information onhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/'Obby_'Oss_festival