Winter Feasts And Festivals Around Europe

 More often than not, I won’t know things, even about Europe, the continent I live in, unless I research them. Plus, I have always loved learning new things, which is a needed trait for any content creator since no matter how much you know, you will never know everything. I had the idea of writing about feasts and festivals happening in winter around Europe, apart from the Befana in Italy, which takes place on the 7th of January.

Amsterdam Light Festival – Amsterdam, Netherlands

During the light festival, the city of Amsterdam lights up in the purest sense of the word. It runs from November 29 to January 20. The origins go back to 2009 when the ‘Christmas Canal Parade’ took place. This year’s theme is rituals. This theme was chosen because rituals are often linked to transformations from the past to the future.

Ice Music Festival – Norway

The ice music festival is the only one of its kind where artists perform on a stage made of ice, but this isn’t the only thing created from frozen water since most of the instruments they play come from the same ice. It’s not just about music but also the magic that master ice carvers can create. They source the ice from lakes and glaciers around Norway and go through the process of sawing, carving, and making guitars, horns, keyboards, and drums. So, if you bear the cold, this one is worth checking out. It happens between the 14^th and the 16^th of February.

 La Tamborrada – San Sebastian, Spain

The Tamborrada of Donostia is also related to Music in a way since the instrument of drums is used. At midnight of January 19^th, the exact place is in the Konstituzio Plaza in the “Alde Zaharra/Parte Vieja” (Old Town), where the town’s major raises the flag of San Sebastián to the sound of drums. People who take part in this feast dress up as cooks and soldiers as they march. This is a 24-hour event. It ends the same way it started, but this time with the lowering of the flag on the 20^th.

Alex