Bali Spirit Festival- Indonesia March 31 to April 5th 2015

A spiritually charged event that takes place on the tropical island of Bali, the annual BaliSpirit Festival inspires and unifies the global community through yoga, dance, healing and the beat of world music.

In a synergy of global cultural collaboration and non-denominational spiritual practice, the Festival welcomes a targeted, passionate and enthusiastic global audience from over 50 countries to Bali each year.

Hari Raya Nyepi Balinese New Year-Indonesia March 21st 2015

Perfume Pagoda Pilgrimage – Hanoi, Vietnam

Pilgrimage

Many Vietnamese people visit Chua Huong on religious pilgrimage. The standard greetings from one pilgrim to another are “A Di Da Phat”^[1] or “Namo Amitabha Buddha”.^[3] For the purpose of pilgrimage there are various routes that one might take, but the most popular is to take a boat from Yen wharf, stopping at Trinh shrine to ‘present’ themselves at the ‘registration shrine’. The pilgrims then make their way to Hoi bridge and visit Thanh Son temple inside a cave. The next stop is Tro wharf, from which pilgrims travel on foot to Thien Tru Pagoda. After Thien Tru comes Tien temple, followed by Giai Oan temple. It is believed that Buddha once stopped here to wash himself clean of the dust of humanity, and many pilgrims will wash their face and hands in Long Tuyen Well in hopes of washing away past karmas. While here, pilgrims may also visit Tuyet Kinh cave and Cua Vong shrine to worship the Goddess of the Mountains, or Phat Tich Shrine where there is a stone believed to be the preserved footprint of the Quan Am.^[1][2] From here pilgrims head toward the final destination: Huong Tich Cave. At Huong Tich there are statues of deities, but many pilgrims come to get blessings from the stalactites and stalagmites, many of which are named and have special purposes. Many childless pilgrims seek fertility from Nui Co (the girl) and Nui Cau (the boy), while others visit stalactites and stalagmites thought to give prosperity.^[2] Pilgrims often gather under one particular stalactite, which resembles a breast, to catch drops of water in hopes of being blessed with health from the ‘milk’ of the ‘breast’.^[5] Other names of stalactites and stalagmites include the Heap of Coins (Dun Tien), the Gold Tree, the Silver Tree, the Basket of Silkworms (Buong Tam), the Cocoon (Nong Ken) and the Rice Stack (Dun Gao).^[1][2]

Festival

The main pilgrimage season at Chua Huong is during the Huong Pagoda festival, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims make their way to Huong Tich cave and the other temples.^[3] The longest lasting festival in Vietnam, it officially begins on February 15 on the lunar calendar, but the peak in visitors lasts from the middle of January to the middle of March.^[2] The Festival is seen by some as a good opportunity for young people to find romance and begin courtships.^[1] Many restaurants in Huong Pagoda kill and butcher wildlife including civits, deer, porcupine, wild pig and serve it as special, rare or expensive meat which is particularly popular during the festival period.^[6

This year’s program will begin with registration and the opening party at The Chandara Resort & Spa at Ao Por, on Phuket’s east coast.

The first-night party will be held at The Paradise Koh Yao, then the regatta moves across the bay for the second-night stopover at a venue yet to be announced, followed by a race to Tonsai Bay on Phi Phi Island for the third-night party stopover at the Arayaburi Resort.

The final day sees the traditional race back across the bay to Phuket for the prize-giving ceremony and final-night party at the O2 Beach Club in Chalong.

Online entries opened on January 14, and the Notice of Race, including the conditions and rules for entry, and the handicap scoring system explained, is available online.

Skippers contemplating entering the regatta are urged to decide quickly.

“Due to the limited facilities at our party venues, maximum entries will be set at 50 yachts,” James said.

Discounts are offered for entries registered before Valentine’s Day, February 14. - See more at: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-sports/Phang-Nga-Bay-Regatta-calls-cruisers-take/45095#sthash.aqtO9gDA.dpuf

Singapore Jazz festival

March 5 thru 8th 2015 LINK http://sing-jazz.com/2015/