January for many people around the world is a time where people are winding down from their many December celebrations. For some countries however, January is a month for more celebrations to be had. We took a look at just of the many celebrations taking place in late January all around the world:
Australia Day – Australia:
On January 26th Australia day is celebrated. This is a celebration that recognises the country’s history and culture. It is a celebration to reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation. More than half of the population go to celebratory events planned by the state. Some include big barbeques that a lot of people can all attend. It is a day for getting together with loved ones and the community for fun. This day also marks the anniversary of the first fleet of British at Port Jackson in New South Wales in the year of 1788. The raising of the British flag at Sydney Cove was by Governor Arthur Phillip.
The Saint-Vincent Tournante - France:
The celebration of Saint Vincent is a way to remember the special Saint for his wine harvest. Every year in Burgundy the community come together to celebrate as thanks for Saint Vincent’s amazing wine harvest and ask him for protection over their new harvest. This French celebration for Saint Vincent is recognised on the 25th – 26th of January. The celebration consists of 100 people from other cities gathering in Vézelay and performing in a massive parade. People pay homage to him and the wines that he harvested. This is a great chance for the people in France to promote their wines. This is also a chance for people to enjoy wine tasting!
Las Luminarias – Spain:
For this celebration on the 17th January, Spain celebrate Saint Anthony who was believed to preach to animals. In this celebratory event Spain have bonfires all through the streets. They usually have a man riding a horse jumping through the bonfires. Women braid the horses hair and young boys climb to feed the bonfires and keep them going. Las Luminarias is an event in Spain that celebrates the saint of animals. The fire and smoke is to keep the horses safe when they are travelling through the city. the smoke is also believed to purify the horses and keep them from disease in the following year.
Chinese New Year - China:
Chinese New Year takes place 25th January 2020. The day is for praying to the gods and for fighting monsters, which is where the dragon comes from. The Chinese new year also follows an animal in the zodiac order. Each animal represents a different month so each zodiacal year represents a different animal. The animals included in this zodiac cycle are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. For the year of 2020 the animal will be the Rat.
There are many more celebrations globally at this time of year. Are you celebrating anything at the end of January? Head over to our Facebook page to share your end of January celebrations!