Belgium
Cinema Novo Film Festival, March 10-20, Bruges; Fantastic Film Festival, March 11-26, Brussels. In mid-March, two film festivals will be held in parallel in Belgium, absolutely dissimilar in genre, objectives, and program. The Cinema Novo festival in Bruges is famous for presenting not the most popular cinematic art: new films shot in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which can only be appreciated by true film lovers. The majority of the festival will be dedicated to such emphatically non-Hollywood pictures. Every year, directors from all over the world come to personally present their films to the audience. //www.cinemanovo.be
Around the same time, one of Belgium's largest festivals in Brussels presents films in the science fiction genre, which is always popular with audiences. In parallel with the festival, there are exhibitions of body art, new animation, science fiction literature, and the fashion show fully matches the spirit of the festival: you will not see such fantastic outfits anywhere else. //www.bifff.org
Caribbean Festival, March 19, Antwerp. The hottest festival in Belgium takes place twice a year – in March and August. But if in August it is warm and pleasant in Antwerp, in March it is usually still cold, and one already longs for summer. Therefore, the Caribbean Festival takes place indoors – at the Sportpaleis, which holds a huge number of people. Belgians themselves call this celebration Antilliaanse Feesten. Dance enthusiasts especially strive to attend it – they are guaranteed live performances of traditional Caribbean music (salsa, merengue, bachata), and the giant dance floor can hold a crowd of people. //www.antilliaansefeesten.be
United Kingdom
Festival on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, March 13, London. The London celebrations for St. Patrick's Day open with a Sunday parade that will take place in the city center. Then the celebration is mainly centered on Trafalgar Square, where a festival of old and modern Irish music and dance will be held. Genuine Irish food can be tasted and purchased at a fair in the Covent Garden area. On this day, it is customary to drink only Guinness and dress in all green. //www.londonstpatricksday.org.uk
Irish Culture Festival, March 4-20, Manchester. For a full two weeks, the color green will reign in Manchester – the city will explore Irish culture and live by Irish traditions. Numerous music and dance evenings, performances of Irish comedy in city squares, special children's parties, and many other interesting events will take place as part of the festival.
Manchester already has quite solid experience in immersing itself in Irish culture: the festival will be held for the tenth time this year. The most massive and spectacular events will probably be the street parade on March 13, the procession and fair on March 17, and the final of the Irish rock festival, which will take place on March 18. //www.manchesteririshfestival.co.uk
Germany
MaerzMusik Experimental Music Festival, March 3-13, Berlin. MaerzMusik has already gained popularity in the field of contemporary avant-garde music. For years, this festival has been revealing new experimental synthetic directions in musical thought. Music that "breaks boundaries", the search for other forms of sound existence, and a focus on the future are embodied in sound and video installations, works of acoustic theater, and improvisations. //www.maerzmusik.de
Flamenco Festival, March 2-11; Lute Festival, March 17-20, Dresden. The Flamenco Festival in Dresden can safely be called experimental, because in addition to the traditional dance program, the organizers are trying to break down the rigid boundaries of musical genres and see the convergence and interpenetration of flamenco and other musical directions. "Flamenco Meets Jazz" is one of the festival's popular themes, so closer to the finale, performances are expected not only from flamenco dance schools and ensembles, but also jazz musicians and theater actors. //www.casita-flamenca.de
The aim of the lute festival, meanwhile, is to recreate the atmosphere of the "age of the lute", when playing it was an integral part of everyday and festive life. The dances, costumes, and music at the festival all claim historical accuracy, and the musicians and dancers themselves come to Dresden from all over the world during these days.
Greece
Pilgrimage to Tinos on the Annunciation, March 25, Tinos. The island of Tinos is famous for its amazing Cycladic architecture, dovecotes, crystal-clear water, and an Art Gallery – it is no wonder that this island is called the "island of artists". For Greeks, Tinos is sacred; they come here to make a pilgrimage and venerate the Mother of God of Tinos. The miracle on Tinos occurred on January 30, 1822: after a sign sent in a dream to a nun of the Kechrovouni Monastery, an ancient miraculous icon of the Mother of God was found here. The nun is venerated in Greece as Saint Pelagia of Tinos. The finding of the miraculous icon at the very moment the island was liberated from the Turks was perceived as a visible sign of the protection of the Queen of Heaven.
Ireland
St. Patrick's Festival, March 16-20, Dublin and other Irish cities. Dublin's St. Patrick's Festival will be special this year – after all, it will be held for the tenth time! Therefore, on March 16, on the eve of the main festival day, a symposium will be held dedicated to the cultural traditions and origins of the celebration. On March 17, a grand costume parade will take place, followed by theatrical performances, music and dance group shows, and a fair with booths and rides, where the largest Ferris wheel in Europe will be operating.
In the following days of the festival in Dublin there will be pyrotechnic music shows, an exciting game "Treasure Hunt", street theater performances. And on the closing day of the festival there will be a final concert featuring Blink, Hazel Kaneswaren, Juno Falls, George Murphy, Zoo. Festival participants should be prepared that green will be the main color on these festive days, so do not be surprised by green beer, green bagels, or mint milkshakes, also green. //www.stpatricksday.ie
Spain
Las Fallas festival, Valencia, March 15-19. The origin of the traditional Valencian festival Las Fallas is most likely connected with the celebration of the spring equinox, when wooden lamps were taken out of houses and burned – because bright spring evenings were coming. Gradually, the "burned pieces of wood" turned into dolls, the craft of making which improved over the centuries.
Now these dolls ("ninots") from two to twenty meters high are made in special workshops long before the holiday and depict politicians and other famous personalities. In the first days of the festival there is a kind of competition: the jury selects the best doll, which will remain untouched on the day of burning and then will go to the Valencia Museum of Ninots Indultats.
On the last day of the festival, March 19, the Valencians burn their creations: at 10 p.m. the children's "ninots" are destroyed, at midnight the big dolls perish in the fire – in general, the city turns into one big bonfire. It should be noted that recently the dolls are also filled with pyrotechnic devices, so the burning is accompanied by a terrible noise. The folk celebration with the election of the queen, musicians and the invariable "mascletà" (pyrotechnic show) also attracts a huge crowd of guests. //www.fallas.com
Holy Week, March 20-26, Malaga, Seville, Alicante, Valencia and other cities of Spain. From Palm Sunday to Easter in many Spanish cities you can meet processions and marches organized by religious communities. With the money of parishioners, "pasos" are made in advance – large platforms with sculptural groups based on biblical subjects. On the same platforms, especially revered – each city has its own – shrines (icons, statues, reliquaries with the relics of saints) also move around the city.
Often such platforms weighing up to half a ton are carried on their shoulders by members of the community: in this they see the fulfillment of a religious duty and an opportunity for atonement of sins. Participants of the processions in medieval attire accompany the shrines with candles in their hands. The chants during Holy Week are very beautiful. //www.costadelsol.sopde.es, www.turisvalencia.es, www.ayuncordoba.es
To be continued.