Ethnic Festivals

Extra-European Cultural Festivals in Europe

by Daisy Evans
Europe has a long history of exporting cultural phenomena over the centuries. Mardi Gras, the Shrove Tuesday ritual marking the start of Lent, is now celebrated with greater vigour in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and in New Orleans, USA than it is anywhere in Europe. The drinking of wine fermented from the fruit of the vine, first cultivated in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia but reaching its apotheosis in Western Europe is an example of a prime cultural product whose reach and popularity is now global.

Now Europe itself plays host to the defined cultural traditions from peoples and places far beyond its shores.All over Europe festivals and events of non Judaeo-Christian traditions are celebrated with panache and style. An effect of globalisation perhaps, and certainly of the commodification of culture, but offering something unique and different is just what is needed by the sophisticated, media-saturated, culture vultures of Europe.
Here is a selection of some of the non-traditionally European cultural festivals that take place every year.

UNITED KINGDOM:
Festival of Lights, London, October 2008
Diwali, Festival of Lights, London, October 2008, annual
Diwali has significance for Hindus, Sikhs and Jains and is celebrated by many of London's South Asian communities. It is traditionally a five-day festival. Look out for events all over London, especially in Ealing, Southall, Harrow, Neasden (home of Britain's largest Hindu Temple) and Wembley. The Major celebration takes place in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 28th October. Thousands of people congregate in Trafalgar Square, which will be fantastically decorated with thousands of candles and huge statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed God. Indian food, dance and music abounds as people celebrate the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
http://www.lnhc.org.uk

Coin Street Festival,
July 2008
Held over a series of weekends in July, the Coin Street Festival celebrates diverse world culture - food, dancing, performance, music, art and craft workshops. A Turkish Bazaar and a Dutch market are promised for 2008. It is a free festival, organised by the local community, on the South Bank of the River Thames between the National Theatre and Tate Modern
http://www.coinstreet.org/coinstreet_festival.aspx

Liverpool 2008
As European City of Culture, and with the oldest Chinese community in Europe, Liverpool is the place to be to celebrate Chinese New Year in 2008. The city is holding a specially commissioned Lantern Parade in February, which starts and finishes under the biggest Chinese Arch outside China.
http://www.liverpool08.com/

GERMANY:
The Africa Festival, Wurzburg, 22nd - 25th May 2008, annual
The African Festival in the Bavarian town of Wurzburg is celebrating its 18th continuous year and has become Europe's largest festival of African music and culture. In 2005, more the 120,000 people came to witness the cultural wealth of the African continent and to participate in this celebration of peaceful, lively togetherness. Top names and international stars of African music headline amongst dance workshops, food, products and other performance.
http://www.africafestival.org/index_e.html

FRANCE:
Musique Métisses, Angoulême, 15th - 18th May 2008, annual
Musique Métisses literally means mixed-race music, and this festival is a leading light in the exposition of world music traditions from Francophone and other international regions. Line up to be confirmed, with all the performances now taking place in an indoor arena
http://www.musiques-metisses.com

PAN-EUROPEAN:
Womad, Spain, Sicily, UK, Canary Islands, 2008, throughout the yearWomad, World of Music and Dance has been running since 1982 and brings together and celebrates music, arts and dance from countries and cultures from all over the planet. The weekend long festivals are characterised by family-friendly, participatory and diverse happenings, often featuring mash-ups of different groups of musicians on the same stage or mixing up the audience with the performers. Workshops and crafts as well as food and drink are in abundance as well as many events for children.
http://www.womad.org

© Daisy Evans. All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to the European Commission.