1 . Born in 1873 in an old town, the Carival of Viareggio now is one of the most popular events held in Vareggio, Italy. Some of the biggest carnival floats (彩车) in Viareggio are known to the whole world, turning into a kind of symbol (象征) showing peace, unity and love.

The Location And Transportation

The huge street parades (游行) take place on the seaside walkway of Vareggio. To get to Viareggio before the parades, visitors can easily arrive here by direct trains from Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Cinque Terre. The train station is only 10-15 minutes walk from the seaside walkway.

The 2024 Time Plan Of The Carnival

2023 was special because it was the 150th birthday of the Carnival of Viareggio. All stories and cultures of the carnival come from different corners of the world. This is why people call it “a common carnival”. Only a few days after the end of the 2023 carnival, its organization already worked out the dates of the 2024 carnival’s parades, The following is the schedule of the 2024 carnival’s parades.

The winners will be showed and there will be fireworks at the end of the parades.

2 . The year 2023 witnessed the occurrence of significant cultural events, with culture and tourism becoming even more closely connected. Let’s review the major cultural events of 2023 as we bid farewell to the year and embrace the new year of 2024!

Museum visits rise in popularity in summer

Tourists were seen queuing for long hours in front of museums and obtaining entrance tickets became more challenging. In response to the growing demand, 46 museums in Beijing canceled their customary Monday closures and remained open daily until August 31. The rise in “museum fever” can be credited to various factors, including the public’s increasing enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture, the booming market for youth educational tours and summer camps, as well as the continuous innovation of museums.

Old tea forests in Pu’er win World Heritage Site title

The newly named heritage site, located in Lancang Lahu autonomous county in Pu’er, Yunnan province, consists of five large-scale, well-preserved old tea forests, which stand 1,250 to 1,500 meters above the sea level, three protective barrier forests, and nine ancient villages in the old tea forests, which are mainly inhabited by Blang and Dai ethnic groups. The cultural landscape was jointly created by the ancestors of the Blang people—who immigrated to the Jingmai Mountain in the 10th century AD and later discovered and domesticated wild tea trees—and the native Dai people.

Protection plan released for Beijing’s Central Axis

The plan is said to be one of the necessary steps toward bidding for UNESCO World Heritage status. Alongside regulations on the protection of the Central Axis carried out earlier, the plan is in line with the requirements of World Heritage conservation. The 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee will decide on whether Beijing’s Central Axis can be added to the World Heritage List at the committee’s 46th annual conference in 2024. If the application succeeds, it will reinforce Beijing’s top position among cities worldwide by number of World Heritage Sites.

The Double Ninth Festival is a special day for older people in China. It started long ago. The festival is on lunar September 9th. On this day, people show love and respect to their grandparents.

There are many ways in which Chinese people express their respect. When an older person enters a room, everyone stands. People are introduced from the oldest to the youngest. When we present a book to an older person, two hands are used. Young people always offer their seats to older people on a crowded subway or bus.

Respecting older people is a tradition in China. That’s because the Chinese know that older people have knowledge and experience that young people can learn. Chinese people are proud of being old.

In Western countries, however, older people seldom think they are old. They are called “seniors” instead of “old people”. They’d rather do everything themselves. Even after retirement (退休) they take up hobbies, part-time jobs and new activities to keep their bodies working well.

Westerners respect their older people, too. Usually, seniors don’t have to buy tickets for trains and buses. They are given discounts (打折) in stores and restaurants.

But Western seniors don’t often live with their children—they live alone. For holidays, the family usually gather at the grandparents’ home, and a great smile and a warm hug for their parents are enough for grown children to show their respect.

6 . Unique Birthday Traditions

The editors of our international editions share traditions reserved for counting yourself one year older.

Lithuania

“In my native country, it is customary for the birthday person to sit in a decorated chair and to be lifted up by the party guests,” says editor Eva Mackevic. “How many times the chair is raised will correspond with his or her age.”

Japan

In Japan, when a child turns one, a ceremony called erabitori is held, where the birthday child chooses from a selection of items spread out around that represent the potential future. When a person turns 20, a coming-of-age celebration will be held on the second Monday January.

The Netherlands

When someone turns 50, a large doll will be placed in the birthday person’s garden or by heir front door; men have an “Abraham” doll, women a “Sarah”, based on a Bible passage.

Australia

A child’s first birthday is often celebrated with balloons and specially made “fairy bread”. Some families in Australia also mark the age of 21 with a souvenir “key to the door”, representing the young adult’s privilege to come and go from the family home as they please.

Germany

“In Germany, when unmarried men turn thirty, they are supposed to sweep the stairs of the local church or town hall,” editor Michael Kallinger says, “while women have to deal with the door handle.” This public act is meant to embarrass the person and motivate them to marry.

La Tomatina is an annual tomato fight festival celebrated in the small town of Bunol in eastern Spain,     1     it has been a tradition since the 1940s. In the morning, thousands of merry tourists start to line the narrow streets. There is a sense of excitement in     2     air. Once the fight begins, the crowd rush to the tomato trucks to pick up tomatoes and throw them at each other. People     3     (catch) up in the fight for about an hour, and by the time it finishes, around 150,000 kilograms of tomatoes cover Bunol.

10 . If Indian food is your cup of tea, please come to some food festivals in India.

National Street Food Festival

This is the most popular food festival in India, and with good one of the street food capitals of the world, where a walk around the city can be as attractive as dining in a five-star restaurant. All of the mouthwatering goodness comes together for this festival every January, where visitors can make a pig of themselves on much-loved street delicacies （佳肴）from all over the country.

Goa Food and Cultural Festival

The southern state of Goa is famous for its spicy fish, curries, cashew nuts and cold Kingfisher beer. It's easy to add a Goan beach vacation on a winter foodie tour. The annual food festival, which happens in January, has more than 70 stalls （货摊）set up in an open air market in the capital city, just a half-hour drive from the sunshine state's beautiful coast.

The Great Indian Food Festival

With more than 75 food stalls from 12 different states, this is perhaps the mother of all food festivals in India in terms of national variety. It takes place in Old Delhi, in early November, and features not only food from all over India, but various activities such as eating contests, cooking shows and cultural performances.

International Mango Festival

Who doesn't love mangos? In India, more than 500 varieties of its national fruit exist. Mango harvest is celebrated at the annual International Mango Festival which takes place every summer in Old Delhi. Visitors can expect activities such as mango-eating contests, mango carving and taking a bite of everything with mangos from stalls.