India is a beautiful country, where history, color, variety in cuisine and nature display more variety than any other destination in the entire world. A nation of incredible paradoxes, where there is complete unity in diversity. India Travel Guide takes you to much more than all this.

Millions of tourists visit India for the incredible beauty it offers. India Travel Guide offers several places to explore in India. One of them is Kerala which is thought out to be the most famed tourist destination in India. Some of the well-known traveler destinations in Kerala are-

Idukki: – The tribal region enclosed by gorgeous mountains, fast flowing rivers, valleys and vast wild life parks. The most renowned hill station in Idukki is Munnar. The picturesque and the natural beauty Munnar offers cannot be put in words.

Kochi: – It is most sought after destination and also known as Queen of Arabian Sea. It is capital town of Kerala. It is thought to be one of the best traveler attractions of India. It is renowned for its harbors, ports and beautifully constructed churches. Travelers can take pleasure in the gorgeous beaches and keep them active and occupied with the adventurous water sports.

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Kottayam:- It is bordered by stunning Vembanad Lake and flourishing green fields. It is well-known as a profit-making heart of Kerala and creates greatest amount of rubber in India. A traveler can pay a visit to the forts and castles, mesmerizing beaches and beautiful gardens in Kotayam.

Alappuzha: It is also famous as a Venice of the east and very popular with the tourists for its serene and tranquil backwaters. Numerous tourists throng this place to get pleasure from boat races and its long extended beaches.

Kollam: It is to be found in the south part of the nation India and is also famous as the heart of Cashew trade and dealing out industry. Kollam is well-known for the shimmering Asthamudi Lake. Several travelers come to this beautiful destination for the wonderful boat trip between kollam and allappuzha to take pleasure in the backwaters of kerala. Kollam allures those people as well who have fervor for rock climbing and Trekking.

Anathapuri: A wonderful destination in Trivandrum and worth visiting place for every traveler. It has one of the most excellent beaches in India. An additional stunning destination to see is Anathapur temple that is a past temple and is really beautiful.

There are numerous other destinations that enhance the beautiful state of Kerala. This is a major cause why Kerala is thought to be a tourist hub. Despite all these attractions millions of people throng this destination for the most popular and favorite tours to Kerala that comprises of the Ayurveda and transformation tours. Kerala is globally acclaimed for its proficiency in the field of Ayurvedic cure and meditation and this when put together proves out to be a great vacation and a total package of fitness and enjoyment to the travelers. Come and explore Kerala on a travel guide to India.

The first thing that will strike you once you set foot on the warm white sands of Phuket beaches is the sea of humanity out to have a nice holiday tucked away from the rest of the world. Tourists in their hundreds throng this area of Thailand to savour the vibrant yet well preserved Thai culture – this indeed is the biggest draw for most tourists. This is one serene spot where you are certain to have a long, peaceful and memorable holiday to cool off your mind and body away from the noisy and polluted city life.

While considering where to spend your overdue vacation the first point is that the place should meet every need of your travel.

All tourists and travellers admit that this is hardest choice to make and which normally ends up in a gamble of sorts. If you find yourself in such a state, worry no more as the Phuket beach is an all inclusive beach that will satisfy your desires season in season out. If you are looking for a place to spend a nice quiet holiday with your dear ones Phuket beach will in no way disappoint. You can spend the afternoon and evenings chatting on the benches at the shore. Other than the scenic beauty that will in every way draw your attention to Mother Nature, there are several gaming options that will suit any type of tourist.

This location in the southern province of Thailand is a place rich with history and infectious culture. Phuket Beach will spurn those tired minds with its refreshing scenery and picturesque locales. Every kind of tourist is dazzled by the variety of ways to spend a holiday here. Those after a wild party atmosphere will be electrified by the beach party culture of Phuket. Their beach party themed music will most likely appeal to every tourist. Beyond the partying, Phuket beaches allow you to indulge in some adventures like skiing and shooting among other sports. Nature trails with the option of riding on an elephant’s back are also available.

Delicious Thai cuisines are available from the string of restaurants suitably located on the beach. Other than the restaurants there are hand-wheeled carts at the beach that ferry around delectable foods including sumptuous rolls, hot and spicy kebabs and the traditional Thai stick rice. Select hotels offer 5-star Thai cuisine arrangements courtesy of master and/or celebrity chefs. Quite truly the options on this beach are innumerable. There a variety of hotels available with those closest to the beach being quite affordable. Tourists are always grateful for the trademark Thai hospitality accorded to them during their stay at the Phuket hotels. More information on accommodation at the sensational Phuket beach can found at Karon-Phuket-Hotels.com.

SOTHERN AFRICA:
The world gets its tourism capital from Africa; yes “South Africa”, the crown country of Southern region in Africa is the international tourism capital of the world.
South Africa attractions need no introduction, the wild life in Kruger National park, cape wineries, castles and many other UNESCO world heritage sites make South Africa a “must-travel “country. It also has a vast history of hosting football and cricket world cups, concerts and world’s most eye-catching events. Besides, being the richest tourism destination, cheap flights to South Africa are easily available. The hub of most Airlines is Johannesburg but also cheap flights to Cape Town are offered by Qatar Airways every now and than. Other prominent countries in the Southern region include Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is also one of the most visited countries especially where flights from UK are concerned (capital: Harare). Victoria falls, the world’s one of the most famous tourist destination is located in Zimbabwe. There are many daily and weekly cheap flights to Zimbabwe with direct and indirect carriers that fly from anywhere in UK to Harare. One prominent and only direct flight to Zimbabwe, Harare is offered by Air Zimbabwe, the flagship carrier of the country.
Namibia however is less traveled county as far as flights form UK or US are concerned yet, still there is a large number of a Namibian national or settlers who make the Windhoek International Airport very busy near national holidays and Christmas. One big reason for being traveled than other Southern African countries is that there aren’t any direct flights to Namibia and the flagship carrier Air Namibia flies indirect in cooperation with British Airways. Cheap flights to Namibia are available with Ethiopian Airways, Kenyan Airways and KLM.

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EAST AFRICA
The nationals who live at the border of Indian Ocean and red sea form one of the most beautiful regions in African Continent. East Africa is wealthiest in having the rarest flora and fauna.  Popular countries in East Africa include Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Seychelles, Mauritius, Kenya and Ethiopia.
The Islands of Mauritius are a luxurious and elite Holiday destination round the world. The flights to Mauritius are largely operated by Air Mauritius and certain other airlines such as Air France also offer cheap flights to Mauritius.
Seychelles is an elite and foremost holiday destination that remained a comfy spot for the rich only for a long period of time. But now Air France, KLM and Qatar offer fares as low as 300+ and amazingly cheap flights to Seychelles.
Kenya & Ethiopia are not only traveled by the natives or beach lovers (Mombassa beach – Kenya) but also form a major connecting point for flights to almost all regions in African Continent. Cheap flights to Kenya (Capital Nairobi) are offered by Kenyan Airways which is the flagship carrier as well as the only direct flight to Nairobi. Ethiopia is served by the national carrier Ethiopian airways that not only provides cheap flights to Ethiopia but also to Accra, Lagos and neighbored countries.

WEST AFRICA
There are about 15 countries in Western Africa including Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. The major air traffic in western Africa is drawn towards Ghana.
Ghana is a progressing country in West African region along the tropical Atlantic coastal region and very cheap flights to Ghana (capital Accra) are available with the flagship carrier Ghana International or indirect flights with Afriqiyah Airways.
Nigeria What keeps Lagos, Nigeria a busy airport is the huge number of travelers from the United Kingdom who are mostly students and jobians. Nigeria does not have a national carrier yet; cheap flights to Nigeria operate every day with Air France, KLM and Iberia Airways.
Cameroon
Duala is the capital of Cameroon, a comparatively less popular destination in the Western Region of Africa. Cheap flights to Cameroon are available only on alternate days with Afriqiayah Airways.

NORTH AFRICA
The countries that rim the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea form the Northern African region. Egypt, Morocco, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia are the major countries of North Africa.
Egypt needs no introduction. The pyramids speak for themselves to tell the number of tourist buzzing around this wonder of the world. Unlike the expensive tourism in Egypt, the national airline, Egypt airways offers very cheap flights to Egypt (capital: Cairo) on daily basis. Egypt Airways also offers very cheap and reasonable fares for Accra, Lagos and other African Countries.
Morocco, another North African country may not be recognized by the country name but Casablanca, the historic capital city can refresh our memories. The Moroccan airlines however, Air Morocco is one fine and cheap flights to Morocco as well as a cheap connecting flight for neighboring courtiers.
Libya is in general a less visited country in Africa yet, the national airline Afriqiyah Airways serves as a major cheap flights to Libya, Ghana, Lagos, Cameroon and neighbored countries.

SAHARAN AFRICA
The mostly desert and often landlocked countries, Chad, Mali, Sudan, Niger and Mauritania span the Sahara Desert and form the much barren Saharan Africa.

For more details on cheap flights to Africa, visit: [cheapflightsafrica.co.uk]

Avatar- Released in December 18, 2009, this movie got rave reviews cutting across countries across the world. The story line, the star cast, everything was just perfect. It attracted the admiration of both adults and children alike, which would enjoy the movie in 3D glasses for an exhilarating 3D experience.

Kung Fu Panda 2- This is the most recent 3D movie that has American computer-animated action comedy film. It is a sequel to the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda. This movie too received positive reviews from film critics and audience alike for the fantastic animation, voice acting, and flawless character development. It was a box office hit and the 3 D effect was just marvelous.

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Toy Story- It is an American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. This 3 D movie first released in 1995 deals with the story of toys which pretend to be lifeless when human being. The popular characters include Woody, a pull string cowboy doll (Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (Allen). Two sequels namely Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3 came thereafter in 1999 and 2010 respectively. The series were especially popular with children who thronged the movie theaters and enjoyed the movie wearing their 3D glasses.

Coming back to glasses that offer 3D effect, it is to be mentioned here that they have indeed changed the way we enjoy a movie with 3D effect. More movies are on the pipeline.

Pitfalls of 3-Dimesional Glasses
However, these glasses are not without their share of disadvantages. It has been found that people using the same glasses especially in movie theatres have suffered from various eye related problems like conjunctivitis etc. Hence, movie theatres should take care to sanitize the glasses and clean them at regular intervals before reuse. Apart from sterilizing the spectacles, another solution can also be to discard them after single use. In fact, all precautions should be taken to maintain hygiene. However, we have other solutions. Why not get a pair of 3D glasses on your own? You can get them from an online source who maintains high quality in their products for definitive viewing and a great 3D experience. Just make sure that your source is genuine and has sufficient years of experience.

Brighton Beach is bounded by Coney Island at Ocean Parkway to the west, affluent Manhattan Beach at Corbin Place to the east, Gravesend at Neptune Avenue to the north (at the Belt Parkway), and the Atlantic Ocean to the south (at the Riegelmann Boardwalk/beachfront). It is patrolled by the NYPD’s 60th Precinct.

Education

Brighton Beach, like all of New York City, is served by the New York City Department of Education. Manhattan Beach is zoned to PS 225 The Eileen E. Zaglin School for grades K-8, as well as PS 100 The Coney Island School located on Brighton Beach and West 3rd for grades K-5 and P.S. 253 The Magnet School of Multicultural Humanities.

Nearby high schools include:

Rachel Carson High School of Coastal Studies

John Dewey High School

The Leon M.

Goldstein High School for the Sciences

William E. Grady Vocational High School

Abraham Lincoln High School

History

Brighton Beach was developed by William A. Engeman as a beach resort in 1868, and was named in 1878 by Henry C. Murphy and a group of businessmen in an 1878 contest; the winning name evoked the resort of Brighton, England. The centerpiece of the resort was the large Hotel Brighton (or Brighton Beach Hotel), placed on the beach at what is now the foot of Coney Island Avenue and accessed by the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Coney Island Railway, later known as the BMT Brighton Line, which opened on July 2, 1878. Adjacent to the hotel, Engeman built the Brighton Beach Race Course for Thoroughbred horse racing. The village was annexed into the 31st Ward of the City of Brooklyn in 1894.

Brighton Beach was re-developed as a fairly dense residential community with the final rebuilding of the Brighton Beach railway into a modern rapid transit line of the New York City Subway system c. 1920.

The 1950s brought with it a neighborhood consisting mostly of second generation Jewish-Americans and a number of concentration camp survivors. Establishments included Diamond’s, a small clothing store owned by the parents of Neil Diamond. Other notable restaurants were Irving’s Deli and the New Deal Chinese restaurant. The summer would bring crowds of subway riders enroute to the Coney Island beaches.

Today, the area has a large community of Jewish immigrants, who left the Former Soviet Union between 1970 and the present day, along with some non-Jewish immigrants, such as Armenians and Georgians, also settled in Brighton Beach and the surrounding neighborhoods, taking advantage of the already established Russian-speaking community.

Among the charitable organizations serving the Russian-speaking community is the Russian Community Life Center, which provides a variety of classes and programs.

Culture

Crowded Brighton Beach on a summer afternoon

Water sports on Brighton Beach

Brighton Beach was dubbed “Little Odessa” by the local populace long ago, due to many of its residents having come from Odessa, a city of Ukraine. In 2006, Alec Brook-Krasny was elected for the 46th District of the New York State Assembly, the first elected Soviet-born Jewish politician from Brighton Beach.

Brighton Beach is home to many other ethnic groups. On Brighton 7th Street and Neptune Avenue, there is a mosque where Muslims (mostly from Pakistan and Bangladesh) pray, and another between Brighton 8th Street and Banner Avenue known as Al-Arqam. Nearby areas are sometimes called “Pakistani Brighton”. There are numerous Polish, Russian, Armenian, Turkish and Georgian residents, but relatively few Italian-Americans or African-Americans remaining.[citation needed] There are also some Korean markets, but for the most part their owners do not reside in the neighborhood. Notable past residents include talk-show host Larry King and current General Bancorp President Adnan Mohammad.

Brighton Beach is replete with restaurants, food stores, cafes, boutiques, banks, etc., located primarily along Brighton Beach Avenue and its cross streets. The neighborhood has a distinctively ethnic feel, akin to Manhattan’s Chinatown. The proximity of Brighton Beach to the city’s beaches (Brighton Beach Avenue runs parallel to the Coney Island beach area and the Boardwalk) and the fact that the neighborhood is directly served by the Brighton Beach Avenue subway station, makes it a popular summer weekend destination for thousands of New York City residents.

In popular culture

The Neil Simon play, Brighton Beach Memoirs, which won two Tony awards in 1983, is set against the backdrop of Brighton Beach in 1937.

The 1994 film Little Odessa is set in Brighton Beach.

In Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 film, Requiem for a Dream, the character Sara Goldfarb (played by Ellen Burstyn) lives in an apartment on Brighton 6th Street.

In the film Lord of War, the main character, Yuri Orlov, played by Nicolas Cage, lives in Brighton Beach.

In the 2007 crime drama, We Own the Night, the character Bobby Green, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is the manager of a nightclub in Brighton Beach.

In the 2009 film Two Lovers, featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, the action takes place in Brighton Beach.

Brighton Beach is also featured in the 1990s Russian spy-comedy Weather Is Good on Deribasovskaya, It Rains Again on Brighton Beach.

In the Russian crime film Brother 2, Danila, the protagonist, comes to Brighton Beach from Russia.

In the 1998 novel In Every Laugh a Tear by Lesla Newman, developments take place partly in Brighton Beach.

Brighton Beach is where Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character Neil McCormick was taken to be beaten and raped in the 2004 film, Mysterious Skin.

In the 2000 novel Vector by Robin Cook, disillusioned former Russian biochemical worker Yuri Davydov develops weapons-grade Anthrax in the basement of his Brighton Beach home.

In the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV, Brighton Beach is represented by the neighborhood of “Hove Beach”. This is in reference to Brighton, England’s proximity to, and relationship with, neighboring Hove. The two, having city status, are officially known as Brighton and Hove.

In the songs “Hey Pete”, “Kill You Tonight”, and “Xero Tolerance” by Type O Negative, Brighton Beach is mentioned as the place where Pete is going to kill his cheating girlfriend. The D-train is his means of transportation in these songs.

In the video game, XIII, Brighton Beach is one of the first settings of the game’s complex plotline.

The French electronic music group Telepopmusik has a song on their album Angel Milk entitled “Brighton Beach”.

In the space flight simulator Orbiter, there is a fictional base on the moon named Brighton Beach.

On the TV series The West Wing, Toby Zeigler (Richard Schiff) hails from Brighton Beach.

On the TV series Bored to Death, unlicensed private detective Jonathan Ames investigates a case based at a Russian nightclub in Brighton Beach.

A reality TV show documenting the lives of young Russian American immigrants sharing a house, called Brighton Beach, is in works for summer of 2010.

Brighton Beach is mentioned:

in a Rilo Kiley song “Close Call”, in which the lyrics “She was born on a Brighton pier to a gypsy mother and a bucket of tears…” are sung.

in a Little Brazil song “Brighton Beach”, in which the lyrics, “I first met her Brighton Beach back in 1973…” are sung.

in two songs on gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello’s album Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony: “Smarkatch” and “Let’s Get Radical”.

in the 2002 film 25th Hour during Edward Norton’s rant about New York City.

in the drug ballad ‘I need drugs’ by rapper ‘Necro’; “You could find me at Brighton Beach or Coney Island, Or Rikers Island My crack pipe’s my violin, I play along to the police siren”

Transportation

Car

Major roadways in Brighton Beach are the Belt Parkway, Coney Island Avenue and Ocean Parkway.

Subway

The Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway stations of the New York City Subway serve the neighborhood. Both stations are located on an elevated structure over Brighton Beach Avenue. Trains are the Q for local service and the B for weekday express service. If the first phase of the Second Avenue subway is completed, the Q train service will be extended up the east side of Manhattan.

Bus

MTA New York City Transit provides the community with express and local bus stops. Brighton is serviced by buses 1, 4, 36, 49, and 68.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Brighton Beach include:

Howard Greenfield (1936-1986), songwriter.

Neil Sedaka (born 1939), songwriter.

Lea Bayers Rapp (born 1946), author, journalist, playwright.

The Tokens, vocal group formed in 1955 at Abraham Lincoln High School.

Lynn Ross (stage name), dancer in original 1957 Broadway production of West Side Story.

See also

Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad

References

^ http://homes.point2.com/Neighborhood/US/New-York/New-York-City/Brooklyn/Brighton-Beach-Demographics.aspx

^ a b Jackson, Kenneth T.: The Encyclopedia of New York City: The New York Historical Society; Yale University Press; 1995. pp. 139-140.

^ 60th Precinct, NYPD

^ Johnstone, Sarah: Ukraine, Lonely Planet, 2005. P.119.

^ Berger, Joseph. “Vintage Pop Star With the Soul of a Bar Mitzvah Boy”, The New York Times, May 24, 2004. Accessed September 23, 2009. “Several years before enrolling in Juilliard, he had been introduced to a neighbor with a touch of the poet, Howard Greenfield, and they became a songwriting team for the next 20 years.”

^ Dettelbach, Cynthia. “From angst-ridden teenager to world-class music star”, Cleveland Jewish News, July 30, 2004. Accessed September 23, 2009. “That includes instant face and name recognition, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and even a street named after him in his native Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.”

^ Kensington Books

^ Vocal Group Hall of Fame

^ Broadway World

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brighton Beach

Brighton Beach Neighborhood Association

Russian Community Life Center

Coordinates: 403439 735742 / 40.577598N 73.961565W / 40.577598; -73.961565

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Neighborhoods in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn

Admiral’s Row  ATURA  Barren Island  Bath Beach  Bay Ridge  Bedford  Bedford-Stuyvesant  Bensonhurst  Bergen Beach  BoCoCa  Boerum Hill  Borough Park  Brighton Beach  Brooklyn Heights  Brownsville  Bushwick  Cadman Plaza  Canarsie  Carroll Gardens  City Line  Clinton Hill  Cobble Hill  Coney Island  Crown Heights  Cypress Hills  Ditmas Park  Downtown  DUMBO  Dyker Heights  East Flatbush  East New York  East Williamsburg  Farragut  Fiske Terrace  Flatbush  Flatlands  Fort Greene  Fort Hamilton  Fulton Ferry  Georgetown  Gerritsen Beach  Gowanus  Gravesend  Greenpoint  Greenwood Heights  Highland Park  Homecrest  Kensington  Little Poland  Madison  Manhattan Beach  Marine Park  Midwood  Mill Basin  Navy Yard  New Lots  New Utrecht  Ocean Hill  Ocean Parkway  Park Slope  Pigtown  Plum Beach  Prospect Heights  Prospect-Lefferts Gardens  Prospect Park South  RAMBO  Red Hook  Sea Gate  Sheepshead Bay  South Brooklyn  South Park Slope  Starrett City  Stuyvesant Heights  Sunset Park  Vinegar Hill  Weeksville  White Sands  Williamsburg  Windsor Terrace  Wingate

Community Boards: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18

Categories: Neighborhoods in Brooklyn | People from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn | Russian communities in the United StatesHidden categories: Articles needing cleanup from December 2009 | All pages needing cleanup | Wikipedia introduction cleanup from December 2009 | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008

CitiesRUs, launched in the middle part of 2010, aims to simplify your tourism experience by offering the best tourist information, travel guides, city maps, tourist attractions and things to do in cities across the globe.

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Providing tourists with the most current hotel listings, information on car rentals, cheap flights, city tours, attractions, restaurant guides, nightlife details, videos, photos and visitor guides, CitiesRUs.Com ensures that visitors make the best out of their trip!

CitiesRUs boasts of a clean, stream-lined and user-friendly website that is your gateway to more than thirty city sites. Just click on a city you wish to visit and get all the helpful tips, information, guides, maps, weather forecasts and even virtual tours right on.

It’s also a one-stop shop for your travel needs. Book yourself in one of the list of luxurious hotels with just a click of your mouse. Avoid long queues and even confusing pricing information when getting cheap flights to your favorite destination. Decide on which restaurant to dine and wine even before you get there. The list of offerings is just endless! CitiesRUs keeps you well-informed and prepared ahead of time so that all that’s left for you to do is enjoy every moment of your well-deserved break!

Visit CitiesRUs now and start planning for you next escapade!

bank holidays in india highlights on various religious festivals, public events and national holidays. 2012 bank holidays are very essential today, because this year is continuing, so you should have awareness about bank holidays in 2011. These bank holidays will be a presentation of multicultural and multi-religious festivities, which bring you into festive mood to celebrate religious festivals of India. 2011 bank holidays always announce by the Reserve Bank of India and often these holidays can be declared by bank holidays calendar. The dates of closing bank vary from state to sate as festivals come in queue and so remember banking system is applied on the base of region of the state.

Indian Banking system offer some wonderful moments for you and you can take leaves from banks. You can go for family tour to spend few moment of their life on a beautiful and wonderful place. It can be possible when you are on leave. bank holidays in usa are special holidays for different festivals, government holidays, national holidays and public events and during these holidays banks will be remained closed because this information is relevant and required for every customer. Banks will be closed and your transactions will be stopped. Therefore, every client should be aware about the expected dates, when all the transactions will remain closed and they can do their important work before holidays.

The primary focus of banks is to perform the best efforts to provide all types of facilities for customers. The critical problems between investors and borrowers can be solved easily and immediately with the help of modernized banking system. You should have ideas to various functions of banks so that you can utilize these facilities successfully. Therefore, all the functions of banking system are announced clearly so that public can use latest technology and system properly.

Surely, you will be surprised by getting special bank holidays and these holidays may be as personal holidays from bank. You can celebrate bank vacations with your family and friends and kids love it very much having nice accompany with parents. They can take pleasure a lot and enjoy every moment of your life preciously. Recently, banking system provide you updated information on various banking facilities so that you can use all the facilities of bank properly.

Most important of all the festivals is the Lunar New Year. This is known in Vietnamese as Tet Nguyen Dan, usually abbreviated to Tet. This is on the same day the Chinese New Year, around late January or early February. People spend a lot of time preparing for Tet, by thoroughly cleaning their homes and by cooking special foods. It is also considered prudent to settle all your debts in order to start the New Year with a clean slate.

At midnight, the start of the year people light firecrackers and bang drums and gongs to frighten away the devil and his wife. Houses are traditionally decorated with peach blossom and it is absolutely forbidden to sweep up during the first three days of the holiday as this may sweep away your good luck. Special foods to eat during Tet include ‘banh chung’, sticky rice with meat, wrapped in banana leaves; pickles; and a special dish of pork stewed in coconut juice. Duck and shrimp are not eaten at this time as they are considered unlucky.

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Other important public holidays include the 30th of April, known variously as Victory, Reunification or Liberation Day, held to commemorate the fall of Saigon in 1975 and the reunification of the two Vietnams. International Workers’ Day is celebrated on the 1st of May. September 2nd is Vietnam’s Independence Day, held to remember the declaration of independence form France and Japan in 1945.

Other holidays or festivals which Vietnam recognises but are not public holidays include International Women’s Day on the 8th of March and Teacher’s Day on November 20th. January 1st is also a public holiday.Several festivals which Vietnam has in common with China and which follow the traditional lunar calendar include Thanh Minh, the equivalent of China’s Qing Ming or Tomb Sweeping Festival. This is a time for the people to remember their ancestors and most people will visit the graves and make offering by burning paper money etc.

The Ghost Festival in August or September is similar in many aspects to the western Halloween. Again, people will pray for their ancestors and offer paper money sacrifices, particularly to appease the ghosts of ancestors who may not have been given a fitting send off or who have been neglected in people’s memories. One holiday which is not celebrated in mainland China is Buddha’s Birthday which falls in May. This can be a good day to visit one of Vietnam’s Buddhist temples, but remember to expect them to be crowded.

Mid-Autumn Festival, usually in September or October, is the equivalent of the Harvest Festival in Christian cultures. It is also known as the Moon Festival as it is held under what is believed to be the brightest full moon of the year.There are numerous festivals held by Vietnam’s ethnic minorities including the Khmer people’s New Year which takes place in April. This is celebrated by visiting pagodas and by taking part in and watching dance and song performances and plays. Kite flying is also a feature of the festival.

In early spring, the Bahnar ethnic group thank the Gods for good harvests by slaughtering buffaloes as offerings. The festival also involves dancing, javelin throwing, and feasts of roasted buffalo meat with rice wine drunk through bamboo tubes from a jar.These are but two of the many minority festivals, details of which are best obtained locally. You can visit http://www.indochinaodysseytours.com to get more information about this.

There are not only local and national public holidays; there are also regional holidays which are intensely celebrated. Hence, a tourist will probably find himself in the midst of some festival while touring Spain. Spaniards love a good party anytime but they are also very gracious hosts, welcoming any visitor into their festivity.  All you need to do to blend with the locals is just grab a pint and mingle with the crowd.

January 1st – NEW YEAR’S DAY

Right at the start of the New Year, the Spanish people welcome the first day of the year with gusto with many activities usually happening at the town square. The usual accompaniment of fireworks and music add pomp and fun to the celebration. A traditional activity during this day is the eating of twelve grapes, with each grape representing one month in the old year, before the town bell finishes belching out twelve rings nearer to the stroke of midnight to mark the New Year.

Good luck is assumed when one is successful in his quest to finish the twelve grapes before the twelfth ring. This is not an easy feat as the grapes are usually lodged in a tight glass flute which proves to be a challenge for many.

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January 6th – THREE KINGS CELEBRATION

This is actually the post Christmas celebration in Spain where the advent of Three Kings coming after the 12 days of Christmas happens. Children in Spain put up their socks for presents from the 3 Kings for behaving well throughout the year. Naughty children get a piece of black coal instead of gifts. It is a Spanish tradition to have 3 local men dressed up as the 3 Kings to parade the town throwing sweets to the eager children in a beautiful procession.

March / April – Holy Week of SEMANA SANTA

The Spaniards are very religious in this festival, carrying icons of Jesus as well as Mary in solemn processions that mark Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. The event is very emotional and colorful as it reflects the penitent hearts of the participants. Fireworks and drinking are played down in this religious celebration.

March 1st – LABOUR DAY

A simple rest day throughout Spain.

April month OF FERIAS

Festivals that last as long as 2 weeks are held with colorful processions, traditional costumes, firework displays, bullfights, flamenco dances and all the best of Spain’s celebrations are enjoyed during this time.

June 24th – SAN JUAN celebration

Bonfires light up the beaches with people rushing into the sea at the stroke of midnight to wash their sins away like the baptism by Saint John. Many are allowed to camp on the beaches making merry with music and fireworks.

May/June – SAN ISIDRO celebration

Again, this festival takes the whole works of a Spanish celebration with colorful processions and merry making with each city having its own style.

June – CORPUS CHRISTI

This is a very solemn and religious procession honoring Jesus in holy water paraded in the streets.

August 15th – ASUNCION

Catholics celebrate the taking of Mary’s body into Heaven after she died.

November 1st – ALL SAINTS DAY

Families of lost loved ones visit their graves in commemoration.

December 6th – CONSTITUTION DAY

This is a national holiday in Spain to commemorate the beginning of a democratic Spain since December 6, 1978.

December 8th – IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

An important date observed by the Catholics to commemorate Mary’s virgin conception of Jesus.

December 25th – CHRISTMAS DAY

This is not as widely celebrated as in other parts of the world although children may receive some gifts on its eve. The main celebration is on Epiphany.

Well tour to Singapore is made more delightful and memorable by the tailor made Singapore holiday packages made available by the several leading outbound tour operators. Choose one of the packages that suit your choice and explore some of the most exciting attractions of the country in a delightful way. More of all below mentioned details and destinations are to give you the brief idea about the most and must visit destinations on your Singapore visit.

Jurong Bird Park Jurong Bird Park is Asia’s largest park which is home to around 8000 birds of 600 species of different countries. It has the largest collection of South Asian Hornbills and the world second largest Penguin. The Park is opened from 9 am in the morning to 6 Pm in the evening from Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday it is closed due to public holiday.

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Singapore Zoological Gardens Renowned as the”Open” Zoo, Singapore Zoological Gardens is heaven for not only visitors by the animals to enjoy the heavenly ambiance of the zoo. More than 2000 varied species of creatures are housed in the landscaped enclosures with walls replacing the cages. Here visitors can see the varied species of creature and interact with them which gives wonderful experience to treasure and relish forever. The zoo is open from Monday to Friday from 8:30 in the morning and closes at 6:00 Pm in the evening.

Sentosa Island Sentosa Island is both famous among local as well as International tourists for its mega theme park on the Island. Once Sentosa was domain of tropical and rocky coasts but now with redevelopment as a Mega Theme Park, this beautiful Island destination is counted among the top attraction of tourists in Singapore. Here one can delight in water fun activities like swimming, boating, ferry ride, camping and soak in a beach holiday mood. Surely Sentosa amazing beauty and charismatic charm will grab your heart and leave you spell bound. Here also visit to Sentosa’s Underwater World which offers you the amazing collections of marine creatures of about 250 different species. The most amazing is the tunnel walk that makes you fell like as if walking under water.

Beside all these Singapore Tourism has lot more in its surprised bag for visitors and vacationers coming to this beautiful country for holidays. You can have lots of shopping, experience the pulsating nightlife, multi cuisine delicacies and on top luxurious accommodation facilities with world’s finest hospitality. Singapore is the perfect place to escape for a family vacation, honeymoon vacation and leisure holidays.

Prashant is an online Marketer. He loves to write about Singapore Trip and Singapore Holiday Packages etc. For more information visit to http://www.singaporetourpackage.com Singapore Tourism