Asian Geographic Passport Collectors’ Edition 2017/2018 No. 128

Asia’s festivals can really be summed up in one word: diverse. From east to west, the region boasts a smorgasbord of the weird, the wonderful, and the downright bizarre. But whatever their flavour, festivals offer a fantastic means of immersing oneself in a foreign community’s culture. In keeping with Passport’s mission to equip the modern traveller with a comprehensive guide to Asia, we’ve covered as many bases as possible, with a calendar and listings of some of the festival highlights in the region – and you’re invited.

Journey to Mongolia for the riotous Naadam festival, which gives the Olympics a run for its money in terms of its fierce competitive edge, with three Genghis Khan-approved traditional sports. Visit the Surin Elephant Roundup, which has its origins in Thailand’s royal hunts in the Ayutthaya period. In the Philippines, Easter takes a turn for the queasy as Catholic devotees re-enact the crucifixion in all its gory glory. Take a turn to India for the Pushkar Camel Fair, the largest of its kind in the world, and in Central Asia, get into the spirit of the widespread Nowruz celebrations.