COME winter and celebrations begin across the world. Sadly, in our part of the world, snowfall and winter in all its glory is only witnessed in the northern areas, and where families from other areas of Pakistan travel to enjoy the chills and thrills.

However, in parts of the world where it snows a lot in winter, people enjoy and celebrate the season in their own unique styles, ranging from vegetable and fruit wars to lighting up the great Niagara Falls or the fire festivals. And if you are a lucky fellow travelling abroad this season, you will notice winter festivals of various kinds taking place. So today we have compiled a few interesting festivities that take place around the globe in winter, and they are not only interesting but very impressive too.

Snow and ice sculpture festival

When: November till January

Where: Bruges, Belgium

This annual event is held on the Station Square in Bruges, and runs from late November until early January. Every year, sculptors from around the world carve a literal winter wonderland out of several tonnes of snow and ice, usually many weeks before the festival opens. Many of these sculptors are world-class artists and compete in international carving events professionally.

Fur Rendezvous

When: February 24 to March 4

Where: Anchorage, Alaska

Fur Rendezvou, or Fur Rondy as it’s called by locals, has been occurring in Anchorage since 1935. Back then it was a local festival to bring the town together, and now it has evolved into an internationally known 10-day festival of weird and wild proportions. People dress in fur coats and snowball fights are organised into officially sanctioned Yukigassen tournaments.

In downtown Anchorage, the streets that have been cleared all winter are filled with snow for the Open World Championship Sled dog races, running of the reindeer and much more.

Sapporo Snow Festival

When February 5 to February 11

Where: Japan

It is one of Japan’s largest winter events, which attracts a growing number of visitors from Japan and abroad every year, about two million people come to Sapporo to see a large number of splendid snow and ice sculptures lining Odori Park, the grounds at Community Dome Tsudome, and along the main street in Susukino.

For seven days in February, Sapporo is turned into a winter dreamland of crystal-like ice and white snow.

The event started in 1950, when local high schools each created a snow sculpture, and it has exploded in popularity since, with tonnes of snow and ice trucked in from surrounding areas.

The Entroido Festival

When: Mid-February

Where: Laza, Spain

This is a five-day ‘weird’ celebration. The people in Laza, Spain celebrate the end of winter by dressing up in elaborate costumes, running through the streets carrying flaming torches while other people throw dirt at them. The masked participants, known as Peliqueiros, walk the streets whipping people as they pass by. People gather in the town square to hurl mud balls filled with fire ants at each other right before the festivities end.

Night of the radishes

When: December 23

Where: Oaxaca, Mexico

Celebrated every year, it began in 1897 in Zocalo (main plaza) of Oaxaca City. The annual ‘night of the radishes’ festival celebrates the vegetable with farmers carving them into animals, saints, people, cathedrals and dancers. There’s also a prize for the most beautiful piece displayed. The carver’s work begins about three days in advance. The celebrations don’t end that day. They continue till Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with other joyful ‘fiestas’, parades of floats, fireworks music and dancing.

The radish was brought to the Americas in the 16th century, and back then the vendors used to carve them in order to attract customers.

Burns Night

When: January 25

Where: Scotland

This night celebrates the life and works of the national Bard — Robert Burns, his birthday and his contribution to the Scottish culture. Travellers lucky enough to be in Scotland during the holidays can choose from Burns-inspired celebrations, such as the World’s Biggest Burns Supper and the Highland Haggis Games.

Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance. Across the pond in cities including New York, Chicago and Boston, Scottish restaurants get into the action, too, often with a Burns Night Supper, readings of Burns’ poetry, singing and dining.

The monkey buffet festival

When: November 25

Where: Lopburi, Thailand

Every year the city of Lopburi in Thailand goes absolutely bananas. To celebrate the large population of its long-tailed monkeys, often seen guarding the city’s ancient temples, the city holds an annual buffet with more than 4,000 pounds of food which includes bananas, of course, and also many other fruits as well as vegetables, sodas and cakes.

Belalp Hexe

When: January 7 to 14

Where: (Belalp, Valais, Switzerland)

As the legend goes, an old witch who lived in Belalp murdered her husband and was burned at the stake. Every January, hundreds of skiers come to town in his honour — or is it hers ?

They are adorned with pointy hats, crooked noses and wispy broomsticks for Belalp Hexe (Belalp Witch) week and the downhill Witches’ Descent race, one of the top races on Switzerland’s amateur downhill circuit.

When: January 27

Where: Lerwick, Scotland

The Up Helly Aa festival has been hailed as Europe’s largest fire festival. Since the 1800s, thousands of people dress up as Vikings to celebrate the end of the yule (Christmas in Scotland) season.

When night falls, participants take their giant torches and burn hand-built replicas of Viking ships as they march through the streets, where thousands of spectators from around the world witness their procession.

Battle of the oranges

When: February 15

Where: Ivrea, Italy

In this event, the towns people of Ivrea are divided into nine teams dressed in their battle attire, equipped with a stockpile of oranges, and they make their way to certain streets of Ivrea that are designated for ‘war’. Over the course of the next three days leading up to the holiday, men, women and children hurl oranges at each other, attempting to ‘kill’ the other teams.

The annual ‘Battle of the oranges’ festival celebrates a local legend of commoners rising up against an evil tyrant. Awards are given by judges to the top-performing teams. It is estimated that over 500,000 pounds of oranges are destroyed during the battles.

Quebec Winter Carnival

When: January 27 to February 12

Where: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Quebec’s Winter Carnival is the largest winter carnival in the world, so there’s plenty to see, do and eat while you explore the weirder side of winter.

It’s best known for its life-sized ice palace, its snow sculptures, and its snowman mascot, but this Winter Carnival has a wild streak, too. In the extreme canoe race, paddlers navigate the frozen St Lawrence River’s snow and ice obstacles. For sports fans, there’s a horse derby on snow and a hysterical human-sized foosball game where players are attached to long metal rods in rows of three.

Hwacheon Sancheoneo ice festival

When: January 7 to 29

Where: South Korea

“I caught it”, are the shouts randomly heard on South Korea’s Hwacheon River, where the ice reaches a solid 16 inches thick by January — ideal conditions for trout grabbing, the festival’s most popular pastime.

A festival-goer reaches into one of the 11,000 ice fishing holes and pulls out a fish bare-handed from the clear, cold waters. Each day of the festival, 32 tonnes of mountain trout are released beneath the ice for the grab. Still, catching one takes a bit of luck and nimble skill in numbing conditions.

Winter Festival of Lights, Niagara Falls

When: Winter holiday season

Niagara Falls’ Winter Festival of Lights, founded in 1983 by the city and several tourism and business groups, typically is held from early November to late January at several locations throughout the Ontario community. The festival includes over 120 animated lighting displays and three million tree and ground lights which can be seen from many parts of the city. Nearly one million visitors view the display each year. Best of all, the admission is free.