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Festivals

NAWAM PERAHERA FESTIVAL

"NAWAM PERAHERA FESTIVAL" — 13 days, 12 nights in SRI LANKA, Feb. 18-March 2, 2019. Group limit, 10. Highlights: In Colombo, Sea Street, Kelaniya Temple, Nawam Perahera pageant/Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawala/Dambulla cave temple/Sigiriya/Kandy artisans/Aukana/gardens at Peradeniya/Nuwara Eliya/safari in Yala (or Ruhunu) Nat'l Park, home to leopards, elephants/Dutch city of Galle. From $2,695 ppdo. Single supp., $755. Ceylon Express International (Huntington Beach, CA; 800/423-9566, www.ceylonexpress.com).

Walking festival, Wales

Offering up to 90 guided walks to choose from, the 9-day Crickhowell Walking Festival is held each year at the end of February in the town of Crickhowell, Wales (Crug Hywel in Welsh). The festival (in 2018, Feb. 24-March 4) is the largest in the UK.

Dong Da festival, Vietnam

The Dong Da festival, commemorating Emperor Quang Trung’s defeat of Qing (Chinese) troops in 1789 on Dong Da Hill, located in modern Hanoi, is held annually on the fifth day of the first lunar month of the Vietnamese calendar (Feb. 20 in 2018). 

Festivities begin at Khuong Thuong temple in Hanoi, then a procession heads up Dong Da Hill with the Thang Long Fire Dragon, a symbol of victory made of straw and paper. A small reenactment of the battle is performed by martial artists, and the story is retold. Performers wear traditional costume.

“PEONY FESTIVAL GARDEN TOUR”

14 days, 13 nights in CHINA, April 12-25, 2018. Group minimum, 10. Highlights: In Beijing, Forbidden City and the Qianlong and Beijing Botanical gardens/Summer Palace imperial garden/Ming Tombs/in Xi’an, Terracotta Army/high-speed train to Luoyang for Longmen Grottoes, 35th Luoyang Peony Festival/in Suzhou, Tiger Hill garden, silk factory. $4,566 ppdo. Single supp., $1,800. Gardening Tours (Miami, FL; donna@icangarden.com, www.gardeningtours.com).

Azalea festival, Tokyo

In Tokyo’s Bunkyo¯ Ward, more than 3,000 azaleas of at least 100 species can be found on the grounds of the Nezu Shrine (1-28-9 Nezu, Bunkyo¯, Tokyo 113-0031, Japan; www.nedu jinja.or.jp [in Japanese only]). 

Each April and May, the Tsutsuji Matsuri, or Bunkyo¯  Azalea Festival, celebrates the blooming trees. In 2018, the festival will be held April 7-May 4, with performances at the shrine daily.

New Zealand mud festival

New Zealand’s first-ever Mudtopia festival will take place Dec. 1-3, 2017, in Rotorua on the North Island. Rotorua is home to many geothermal features, including the volcanic mud pools at Hell’s Gate, Wai-O-Tapu and Te Puia.

Mudtopia is being held at the Te Arawa Raceway in Arawa Park, on Fenton Street. Attractions and activities include live music, mud spas, an arena for “mud games” and a mud run. Outdoor showers and changing rooms are on site, with a free storage area where guests can each keep a clean change of clothes. 

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