What a beautiful time of the year! I was always a little bit in love with the fall… the leaves are changing, the weather is becoming colder and an atmosphere of new beggings is in the air. But another thing that I really adore about Autumn is the different traditions and celebrations that anyone can find around the world.

Now my lucky readers, I will move a bit northern, but in general close to our beautiful Italy. We are going to visit the known to all Germany and talk about the Oktoberfest celebration, which is really something worth writting for… So, inside the European borders, in Germany they host a big festival with the duration of 16-18 days and which starts at mid- late September until the first week of October. People from all around the world arriving in Munich to the biggest European Beer Festival. The event originated in 1810, when the citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. As anyone can understand in a weeding celebration there is a need for food, music, dancing and of course a lot of beer! This is the way that they keep celebrating the OktoberFest so many years after the actual marriage and it seems like it became a worldwide tradition that everyone has to try it at least one time in its life.

After Germany I will move around Europe again and we will visit England. I really enjoy the Victorian England and the stories around it, so I am pretty happy that we are going to talk a little bit about this island. Let’s say ”Remember, remember the 5th of November” because we are going to talk about the 5th of November in 1605. This was the day that a groups of catholics, Guy Fawkes and 12 other people, made a failed attempt to blow up King James I of England during the opening of Parliament in 1605, which came to be known as “The Gunpowder Plot.” But in early November Guy Fawkes got caught and the plan felt apart. On that night, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, every 5th of November the British people are celebrating with bonfires and fireworks. It’s also a nice opportunity to try some traditional bonfire foods like baked potatoes, toffee apples and marsmallows that they serve in this fest every year.

Now, let’s travel further away to the colorful and full of life India. Every autumn in India they celebrate the ”Festival of lights” or ”Diwali”, which is a celebration of abundance and light over darkness. They offer 5 days in October or November and they are lighting oil lamps and candles around their houses, setting off colorful fireworks, designing vibrant patterns of sand, and shoping for gifts. Another thing that they do is to pray for good luck to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

Are you ready for some dead people celebration? Yes, you may guess it right, we are in Mexico now and we are celebrating ”Dia de los Muertos” or ”The Day of the Deads”. The two first days of November in Mexico they believe that the dead are coming back to life just for a night and they are organising a big celebration about them. This festival might seem to you a little dark and macabre, but in reality is the opposite of it. It seems like a celebration of life. Mexicans are putting on colorful costumes, they are drinkins and dancing in parades and decorating their homes with painted skulls. Also regarding their dead friends and family members, they use to visiting their graves, leave them flowers and food and praying for them.

I hope that you will find the chance to visit all these beautiful and special in their own way festivals. Either of them you will choose, I am pretty sure that you will have the time of your life and the only things that you will need is all your positive energy and your biggest smile!