Puerto Rico: San Juan Day
On June 24, San Juan Day in Puerto Rico celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, an important figure in the Bible. But on this day in Puerto Rico, the kids dont go to church; they go to the beach.
At the beach they walk into the water and then back out of the water seven times. Then they throw themselves into the sand for good luck. Then they jump back into the water for a swim. After all the fun at the beach, families get together for a big meal and celebrate the good luck theyve had in the past year.
Belgium: Procession of the Golden Chariot
In the city of Mons in Belgium, June 2 is the procession of the Golden Chariot. Mons was developed around a castle and a monastery in the seventh century. A magnificent church houses the 18th century Golden Chariot. On June 2, the horse-drawn chariot carries the relics of Saint Waudru through the streets of the city. The procession ends with the pageant of the battle of the Lumeon, between Saint George and the Dragon. The legend of Saint George comes from a story in the fourth century. St. George rescues the kings daughter from a dragon by tying the princesss belt around its neck and returns to the city with the princess and the monster.
Japan: Day of the Rice God
In Chiyoda, Japan, June 4 is Mibu Flower Rice Planting, an annual rice-transplanting festival held on the first Sunday in June. This centuries-old rural folk ritual is celebrated with colorful costumes, parades, dancing, and prayers to the Shinto rice God Wbai-sama. On June 14, in Osaka, they hold the Rice-planting Festival at Sumiyoshi Shrine. Twelve beautiful women perform a ceremony and transplant rice seedlings in the shrines rice paddy. They also celebrate with music and rice-planting folk songs.
