Love for travel and curiosity always work good together. Travelling to different places is a perfect way to satisfy a curious mind. Each place on the planet has its own culture and history to explore. Whether it’s work related or your passion, traveling is sure an exciting means to discover new things about a certain place at the same time unwind your mind.

In case you weren’t able to fully enjoy the vacation during the holiday season, taking a break in January is not really that bad. There are so many places that are celebrating festivals during this month. These celebrations are exciting and fun to check out. Curious? Here is a list of places to check out and get a glimpse of their festivals celebrated every first month of the year.

ROSE PARADE - LOS ANGELES, USA

Let’s not go too far. Every 1st day of January, streets in Pasadena (parade route) are filled with thousands of spectators to witness the Rose Parade. In this festival, viewers’ eyes are going to feast on the breathtaking and stunning floats ornamented with different varieties of flowers specifically rose. What makes the Tournament of Roses Parade world renowned festival? Obviously it’s the creativity and craftsmanship of the participants which are illustrated in the flower-covered floats.

Aside from the beautifully crafted floats, there are also marching bands and equestrians. The festival is America’s way of celebrating the New Year. In the event that the first day of the month falls on Sunday, the celebration is usually moved to Monday.

                                                 
   
                                                       Image courtesy of flickr.com - Creative Commons

KAAPSE KLOPSE (Cape Town Minstrel Carnival) - CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Do you want to witness the African custom during the mid-19th century? The Kaapse Klopse is a festival held at Cape Town in South Africa every 2nd day of January and lasts for  the whole month. In this celebration, minstrels gather up on the streets in their bright colored attire (usually neon colors) who are either carrying colorful umbrellas or playing different musical instruments.

Also known as Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, the participants of the festival are judge according to their costumes, dancing and singing. Wanna witness the event? Be sure to get a good place for a clear view of the parading troupes.

SINULOG FESTIVAL - CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES

Held every third Sunday of the month, Sinulog festival is a famous celebration in Cebu City as well as in the entire nation honoring the Santo Niño. In this festival, the Cebuano people commemorates their acceptance of the Roman Catholicism religion along with their origin. The street mardi gras or Sinulog Grand Parade is considered as the main feature of the festival wherein participants dance to the beat of drums and trumpets.

Many tourists flood into the streets to witness the colorful and unique costumes of the participants. The festival lasts for nine days culminating on the third Sunday of January. The day before the culmination, a fluvial parade is conducted starting from Mandaue City to Cebu City.

  
                                                   

                                                            Image courtesy of flickr.com Creative Commons

WINTER FESTIVAL - MOSCOW, RUSSIA

Another exciting festival to check out is the Moscow Russian Winter Festival. Actually, this event takes place on the last week of December up to the first week of January. There are so many outdoor activities people can experience such as riding troika, ice sculpting on Red Square and building of snowman. If you’re heading to the place, be sure to dress warmly and wear a good pair of boots.

DUBAI SHOPPING FESTIVAL - DUBAI, UAE

Looking for another exciting festival? At the present, Dubai is not just famous for its state of the art accommodations and structures. A yearly festival is being held in this popular city. Although there is no particular date of the month, Dubai Shopping Festival is a month long event that attracts tourists from different parts of the world. Hundreds of thousands of people flock to Dubai to take part of the said festival. It is meant to revitalize the retail trade in the region. Hence, it is labeled as the largest and longest shopper’s bonanza in the area. Are you shopaholic? This festival is perfect for you.

About the author. Ashley O’connor is a San Diego-based writer. She loves to write about travel and health. She blogs for many successful companies including Palms Casino Resort, a good place to stay away from home. She reads books and watches tv when she is not writing.