February Festivals part 2
It’s time to continue our look into the various February festivals that can be found around the globe, last time we went to Canada and Venice, let’s see where today takes us.
Battaglia delle Arance or Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea, Italy
This festival or event is not for the faint of heart or body, it takes place in the town’s main square and it implies…well throwing oranges at one another.
This celebration might sounds familiar to some extent because it has a sister version in Valencia, the famed La Tomatina. But while La Tomatina involves throwing ripe or overly-ripe tomatoes at one another – which granted, are not the lightest of objects to be hit with – la Battaglia delle Arance involves throwing oranges, which even in their ripest of forms will always be much heavier than tomatoes.
During three consecutive days, nine teams of individuals will pound each other with somewhere around four hundred thousand kilograms of oranges.
The origins of the festival stem from the 12th century, and for most of its history has had quite a brutal reputation, initially rival gangs would stage annual riots during the town’s carnival, however after Napoleon occupied the area in the early 1800s, he ordered the participants to wear red revolutionary bonnets and the re-enactment to be carried out with oranges instead of the traditional stones or fists.
New Orleans Mardi Gras
One of the most world-renown parties, the Mardi Gras is a celebration of life, music and all manner of excess. The history of this celebration is shrouded not so much in mystery as it is in the culture and traditions of the first Creoles, the Spanish and all the other nationalities that have traditionally congregated in that region of the now United States – after all Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday.
Nowadays it’s a procession of colorful floats, dancing and debauchery, it’s impossible to not have a fun time during this festival and a must-see if you’re either into partying or just in the region. Don’t forget our United States car rental services while you’re there.
