A Fun Way to Remember: Day of the Dead Festival

Originally called "Dia de los Muertos", Day of the Dead Festival is celebrated at the last day of October and first two days of November. This year, the festival will be held during 31 October-1-2 November and it will be celebrated through the world, especially by Mexicans. Friends and family gather to celebrate loved ones who have passed on, through elaborate traditions of food, art, colors, and culture.
It’s a two-day festival celebrating the reunion of relatives with their lovely departed. You can see colourful costumes, loads of food and drink, skeletons on suites, parties in cemeteries, skull-shaped candies and mariachi bands performing next to graves. This beautiful, moving spectacle will decrease your fear of crossing over, because – unlike Halloween’s witches and all-round terror – the Day of the Dead smashes the taboos surrounding death, celebrating the continuation of life and the value of interdimensional communion.

Celebrations are held by cultural Mexicans throughout the world, but a few of the bigger celebrations take place in Mexico City and Los Angeles. Dia de los Muertos, or “The Day of the Dead,” celebrates All Saint’s Day, which remembers all those who have passed before us. A colorful display of costume and culture, Dia de los Muertos is a day you don’t want to miss.

Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. The day is also celebrated in United States, Brazil, European (ex: Spain), Asian and African cultures. 

Never lose your chance and don't hessitate to attend this different and traditional festival to witness one of the worlds most weird events. Easily book your rooms on Galahotels.com/Mexico if you want to visit the fest in it's country of origin. Just pick a city and enjoy the 3 day long festival with our best rate guarantee and 3D Secure Payment with 3% Member Rewards. For Mexico City, just visit Galahotels.com/MexicoCity

Fantasy Fest - Florida, Key West

Fantasy Fest is a street party held annually in the last week of October in Key West, Florida. The 2014 Key West Fantasy Fest Schedule of Events in Key West FL is guaranteed to thrill, titillate, tantalize and tempt you like never before! As it is understood from its name, the events is a festival to use your imagination or charm to choose a costume and show what you got! Book your rooms in a few minutes from Galahotels.com

The theme for 2014 will be “Animated Dreams and Adventures” and it’s scheduled for October 17 - 26. Contests, parades, dances, balls, dungeons and parties are so crazy in this festival of fantasy. You can wear whatevet you want, be a carnival dancer, be a cartoon hero, a superhero, or anything else. But get ready to see half-naked crazy people!

So this year, let your imaginations runs wild! Be creative, let your costumes tell the story of who you are, at this year’s sexiest Fantasy Fest ever! Nobody has no shame, they wear whatever they want, there are no limits.. 

But hurry! You don’t want to be caught without a sufficient wardrobe! Now’s the time to start planning your Fantasy Festival costume. You’re going to want to wear something that will make you stand out from the crowd when you attend all or even part of the 10 day sextravaganza. Also it has a children day so everybody can have non-stop fun!

Remember, sexy only has to be as sexy as you’re comfortable with, but this hot Key West event is a chance for you to get a little risque without going overboard if you don’t want to. 

You can check the lists of events here.

If you want to be a part of the fest and show off your stuff or just watch them all and have an all-day-long fun, visit our website Galahotels.com/KeyWest to enjoy our Best Rate Guarantee and 3D Secure Payment with a member reward of 3%. 

Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Between 23-27 October this year, in India, Diwali -festival of lights- is celebrated annually as a Hindu tradition. It is also known as Deepawali and is the most famous festival of the year. The streets, trees, sky, buildings, from floor to the ceiling are covered and decorated with candles and lights. Millions of candles are lighted, many wishes are made, thousands of fireworks are used, many houses are decorated throughout the festival in Autumn. If you don't want to miss this important traditional festival of lights, book your rooms online now at Galahotels.com/India and enjoy Diwali festival!

The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. In a 5 day period, the the festival of lights is completed. During five days festivity, various rituals are followed and with Goddess Lakshmi several other Gods and Goddesses are worshipped. The day which intersects with the full moon is the most significant day of Diwali which is the 2nd or 3rd day. 

Day 1: On the first day of Diwali, housewives consider it auspicious to spring clean the home and shop for gold or kitchen utensils.

Day 2: On the second day, people decorate their homes with clay lamps or diyas and create design patterns called rangoli on the floor using colored powders or sand.

Day 3: This is the main day of the festival when families gather together for Lakshmi puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi followed by mouth-watering feasts and firework festivities.

Day 4: This is the first day of the new year when friends and relatives visit with gifts and best wishes for the season.

Day 5: On the last day of Diwali, brothers visit their married sisters who welcome them with love and a lavish meal.

Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, Hindu people dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up lamps and candles inside and outside their homes, participate in family to Lakshmi - the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After that, fireworks follow, then a family feast including sweets, and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends.

If you want to witness this beauty made by lights and candles, arrange your tour, think of a city to visit and book your rooms now on Galahotels.com/India with 3D Secure Payment and 3% Member Reward on every booking. Enjoy our Best Rate Guarantee!

Takayama Autumn Festival

The Takayama Festival is a very popular event, visited by several hundred thousand 

people across Japan and the world. The date of first Takayama Festival goes back to 

16th century. The festival is held twice a year, one in Spring and one in Autumn. The 

next one will be on 9-10 October in old town of Takayama-Japan. Takayama Festival 

is also called Hachiman Festival and it has unique attractions and schedules. 

Main attractions of the Takayama Festival: 

Display of festival floats (9 a.m-4 p.m): In both festival days, between these hours

 the festival floats (yatai) are displayed in the streets of Takayama. 

Karakuri Performance (11 a.m-3 p.m): Several of the festival floats are decorated with 

“Karakuri Ningyo”, sophisticated mechanical dolls that can move and dance. Karakuri 

doll performances are held on both days of the festival.

Mikoshi Procession (6 p.m-9 p.m): A portable shrine (Mikoshi) is carried around the 

town in a parade during the two days of the festival, starting and ending at the 

respective festival’s shrine. The mikoshi contains the shrine’s kami (Shinto Deity). The 

festival is the only time of the year when the deity leaves the shrine to be carried around 

town.

Evening Festival (6 p.m-9 p.m): In the evening of the first day, the festival floats are

 pulled through the streets of Takayama's old town for about two to three hours. The 

evening festival (yomatsuri) is considered the festival's highlight by many visitors.  

Also, through the year, floats used in the festival are exhibited in Takayama Festival 

Floats Exhibition Hall. 

Since the city gets really crowded during and even before the festival, it might not be 

easy to find an available hotel room to stay. So hurry up and book your rooms online 

on Galahotels.com/Takayama