When the holiday season rolls around, it’s easy to daydream about images of snow-dusted streets in places like Switzerland or Germany. But let’s widen the lens.
The world beyond Europe brims with celebrations rooted in nature, dance, light, and renewal. From lanterns drifting over the Mekong in Southeast Asia to story circles under the stars on the savanna — traditions invite us in, whether we’re locals or travelers.
Let’s wander through five places through the lens of holiday traditions and soulful celebration.
Kenya: Fireside Stories, Community & Gratitude
In Kenya, celebrations are often woven deeply into communal life. Among the Maasai and other communities, gatherings around the fire are more than social — they’re sacred. While there may not be a Western-style “Christmas,” many ceremonies mark milestones: harvests, rites of passage, community feasts, storytelling nights, and youth song and dance.
On our Kenya Yoga Adventure, you’ll stay in luxury glamping camps, walk among wildlife, and practice yoga under open skies. Imagine ending a day with a dusk ceremony in a Maasai village: red shúkàs (blankets), rhythmic chants, drums echoing against the dark. The fire becomes a storyteller; elders share ancestral tales. You, the traveler, become part of the circle — listening, breathing in resolve, feeling rooted in presence.
Colombia: Candles, Bells & Radiant Streets
Colombians celebrate the holiday season with intensity, joy, and light. Día de las Velitas (“Day of Little Candles”) kicks things off each December: families fill windowsills, sidewalks, and streets with candles in honor of the Virgin Mary, signaling the opening of the Christmas season. Neighborhoods glow, people gather outside, and children squeal.
Our Colombia itinerary visits Medellín, Cartagena, and the Rosario Islands. Picture this: a candlelit plaza, the scent of arepas and buñuelos in the air, salsa music from a corner café, and you flowing through an evening yoga session under the stars.
In Colombia, celebration is an all-senses event, and your heart finds its own beat among the flicker and the melody.
Fiji: Ocean Breeze, Kava, and the Warmth of “Bula”
In Fiji, the spirit of celebration flows naturally — through laughter, feasting, song, and care for the land. In Fiji, community gatherings, shared food, and rituals of thanks are part of life, especially when families and villages come together. The ceremonial kava ritual is a common feature of major gatherings: a circle, the calm hush, the communal sipping, and the soft reverence that follows.
Fiji TTY style offers beachfront living, snorkeling adventures, mangrove restoration work, and a close connection with local culture.
Imagine a twilight dinner by the reef, followed by a kava cermomny under coconut palms, kava passed from hand to hand, lullabies blending into the sound of the Pacific. The island reminds you that celebration is woven into daily presence, a deep “Bula” in every greeting.
Sri Lanka: New Year Renewal & Spiritual Rhythms
Sri Lankan celebrations often emphasize cycles, rebirth, and ritual timing. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year (Aluth Avurudda) in April is one of the most widely celebrated: entire households prepare by cleaning, decorating, cooking traditional sweets like kokis and kiribath (milk rice), lighting oil lamps, exchanging blessings, and timing each action according to astrological charts.
On our Sri Lanka Yoga Adventure, you’ll explore Kandy, hike through tea country, visit temples, taste spice markets, and drift through jungle trails.
Now imagine arriving just before New Year: you” get your fill of sweet dumplings, watch the lighting of clay lamps, listen as drums call people toward the temple, then settle into evening yoga under a sky ablaze with possibility. In Sri Lanka, every action is a prayer to renewal.
Vietnam & Cambodia: Lanterns, Water, and Letting Go
Southeast Asia offers some of the most visually poetic traditions of renewal. In Vietnam, Tết (Lunar New Year) is the most important holiday — homes are cleansed, ancestors honored, fruits and offerings arranged, and new clothing is worn.
In Cambodia, Choul Chnam Thmey (Khmer New Year) involves water blessings, dancing, and temple visits. Then there’s Bon Om Touk, the Cambodian Water Festival: dragon boat races, illuminated boats, fireworks, and floating lotus lanterns drifting into rivers.
Exploring V&C with us, you’ll bike temple trails, float through bay waters, chant with monks, and cross rivers on wooden boats.
Envision a candlelit evening beside the Tonlé Sap, releasing floating lanterns inscribed with wishes. Or chant at dawn with monks at Angkor Wat before yoga in temple courtyards. The water reflects the sky, and your breath becomes part of the ritual of letting go and beginning anew.
The Heart of Celebration (No Matter Where You Are)
Across these miles and cultures, a few truths shine clear:
- Holiday magic isn’t about decorations or gifts — it’s about ritual, presence, and connection.
- The land (sea, river, forest, savanna) colors tradition: how light is used, how food is shared, and how communities gather.
- As travelers, we don’t “celebrate like locals” — we show up with humility, curiosity, and openness. We witness. We listen. We participate gently.
Tips for Travelers Who Want to Celebrate Along the Way
- Do your homework: know local holiday dates, customs, taboos (e.g. dress, gifts).
- Ask your guides or host if you can attend (or simply observe) local ceremonies — but always with respect.
- Dress modestly when visiting temples or sacred spaces.
- Be present more than you photograph and allow space for silence and reflection.
When you roll out your mat this holiday season, may you be carried by a spirit of wonder.