Tapati Rapa Nui Festival

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Easter Island's Tapati Festival is a mix of carnival type activities, sports, theatrical presentations and homage to the island, also known as Rapa Nui.

Celebrated annually during summer, the festival covers several weeks at the end of January and into February. At this time, the island receives thousands of visitors who flood the hotels and other lodging places. Some islanders rent out their homes for the duration.

The island sporting competitions are based on ancient sports, such as sliding down a cliff on a banana tree in haka pei competition. The person who stays on the log longest wins. Another popular event includes swimming, oaring across the lake at Rano Raraku in a reed tortora raft and then racing around the lake balancing banana bunches over the shoulders.

Dance competitions for all ages, parades with floats and costumed figures, and the crowning of the queen of the festival are highlights of the celebrations.

The festival began to celebrate the 1963 passing of Ley Pascua, allowing the residents of Isla de Pascua, or Easter Island, to vote in the Chilean presidential elections.

The festival activities expanded to include the celebration of Rapa Nui heritage with feasts, music, dance and fireworks.

If you want to attend the Tapati festival, make your reseervations far in advance.

150th Anniversary of Anton Chekhov's Birthday

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Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (Russian: Антон Павлович Чехов, pronounced [ɐnˈton ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ ˈtɕɛxəf]; 29 January [O.S. 17 January] 1860 – 15 July [O.S. 2 July] 1904) was a Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in the history of world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. Chekhov practised as a doctor throughout most of his literary career: "Medicine is my lawful wife", he once said, "and literature is my mistress." [Read more on Wikipedia]

Australia Day

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Republic Day of India

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The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950. The date 26 January was chosen to honour the memory of the declaration of independence of 1930. It is one of the three national holidays in India, and while the main parade, Republic Day Parade takes place at the Rajpath, in the national capital New Delhi, where the President views the parade, state capitals also have their state celebrations. [Read more on Wikipedia]

Happy Australia Day!

Watching fireworks burst over the Harbour Bridge in Sydney? Having a barbecue with your friends and family in Perth? Today people are gathering all over Australia to celebrate Australia Day, one of the country's largest national celebrations.

Not to be left out of the fun, the orkut team created a special doodle to commemorate the occasion:

Orkut's 6th birthday!

It may not have popped up in your birthdays list, but today is orkut's big day: the site is now 6 years old! To celebrate the day, you might have noticed that they created a special doodle:

100th Anniversary of Django Reinhard's Birthday

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Jean "Django" Reinhardt (French pronunciation: [dʒɑ̃ɡo ʁenɑʁt]; 23 January 1910 - 16 May 1953) was a Gypsy jazz guitarist.

One of the first prominent European jazz musicians, Reinhardt remains one of the most renowned jazz guitarists. With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, he cofounded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, described by critic Thom Jurek as "one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz." Reinhardt's most popular compositions have become jazz standards, including "Minor Swing", "Daphne", "Belleville", "Djangology", "Swing '42" and "Nuages" (French for "Clouds"). [Read more on Wikipedia]