In all the many Chinese Festivals that fill up the calendar perhaps nothing tops the spook chart than the Hungry Ghosts Festival. The name itself is a crowd puller and whoever makes the audience is fascinated by the range of events lined up from the beginning to the end. The story behind the festival is just as interesting as the festival itself. The Chinese believe that every year at around the time of the festival, the gates of Hell are opened and the spirits from here are set free to roam the earth. As tribute to these souls of the dead, this festival is commemorated and several Chinese people gather on this day to remember and pray for the deceased members of their family. In …

Kataragama is a town located in the south of the island nation of Sri Lanka that is a noteworthy pilgrimage destination for Hindus, Buddhists and the indigenous Veddah people alike. Even devotees from southern India come to this venerated site to pay their respects at the sacred shrines gracing the locale. The site of veneration is the Kataragama temple, known in the Sinhalese language as the Kataragama devalaya; it stands in honour of God Skanda-Murugan or Kataragamadeviyo as the locals call the deity. Tamil followers of the Hindu faith, both in Sri Lanka and southern India, call the location Katirkamam. The deity is variously known as Skanda-Murugan, Katiradeva, Subramanya, Kandasamy, Tarakajith and other names by the Hindu community. The god is depicted as having twelve …

All those who witness Wonder Full, the amazing light, water and sound show lighting up the skies and water around the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort in Singapore is not going to forget it ever. For 13 spellbinding minutes occurring twice daily and three times a day on Fridays and Saturdays, viewers are getting wowed by this show that has no equal. Not only is this visually beautiful, but this is the first time that lasers, video projectors and other paraphernalia has been used to tell a story so compellingly. Lighting up the 20 ha area around Marina Bay Sands with a sound, light and water show titled “Beacon across the Bay” it is a novel way of encouraging more people to visit the integrated …

The Korean cartoon and animation film industry is currently enjoying an upswing with about 120 animation studios collaborating with US and Japanese animation companies to provide input to TV shows and movies. A spate of recent animated feature films made in Korea proved to be huge family hits such as the 2011 movies “Leafie” and “A Hen into the Wild” and the more recent “The King of Pigs,” “Penguin Pororo” and “Mashimaro” helped boost Korea’s animation industry to third place in the world. The country’s first full length animated movie “Hong Gil-dong”, released in 1967, set the stage for animated movies. With the popularity at home of Korean cartoon and animated movies and with Korean animators and artists being increasingly involved in international hits, the …

Kiwi art is quite unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, and every year, local artists come together to showcase their brightest and boldest creations, hopefully for a profit or just for appreciation by peers and art admirers. Visitors to New Zealand should consider contemporary accommodation at a Luxury hotel Queenstown can offer the discerning art appreciator. One quality Queenstown hotel designed to provide modern comfort with elegant interiors is the Millennium Hotel Queenstown. The New Zealand Art Show 2013 will be celebrating ten years of spotlight kiwi art during July 26-28 so free up your calendar for a truly unique experience. The art show is the perfect venue to find original creative works by local artists who have used a wide variety of media and …

Every year, Jakarta puts on its party hat to celebrate the best elements of local culture represented from all over the country. Visitors during this exciting event should consider investing in the best holiday accommodation Jakarta has to offer, from which one can truly enjoy the festivities. The Country Woods Jakarta is an excellent choice as it features the premium long stay accommodation Jakarta boasts of to all visitors, and the property’s stylish interiors and stellar modern amenities make this the perfect home-away-from-home for all visitors. The Jakarta Fair 2013 promises to be just as faithful to its predecessors as it always is. The fair was first started in 1967 by the city’s governor at the time, who wanted to combine the capital’s night markets into one market, as …