Great performing arts centers are not always formal opera halls, theaters with crystal chandeliers, or even Roman forums with magnificent acoustics. In Asia, many of the most colorful festivals occur high on barren mountain plateaus, in tiny medieval-looking villages, or even next to verdant green rice paddies. 

A wonderful way to see how people with cultures vastly different from our own celebrate their religion, glorify their daily rituals, dress in their finery, and cook and dine on local specialties, festivals bring the traveler inside of a country in a way that traditional sightseeing can never do. The traveler becomes part of the extravaganza, and is welcomed with open arms by locals who are all there to celebrate an event that enriches their everyday life. This summer and early fall, Asia hosts a kaleidoscope of wonderfully exuberant festivals that are out of the ordinary and well worth a jaunt to the opposite side of the world. 

1. The high Tibetan plateau is the arena for three wonderful summer festivals  — 

a) The Litang Horse Festival at about 12,500’ – 13780’, Litang is one of the highest settlements in East Tibet. Near the source of the Lachu River, the town is located in the Puborganc Range, which forms the watershed between the Yangtse in the west and the Yalung Basin (Nyachu). Dotting the vast stretches of grassland are many different nomad camps, and in the summer, you may see caravans heading west along the trails. 

Each year, between August 1-7, families, men, and women gather to compete in horsemanship, trade, and simply enjoy themselves at the Litang Horse Festival. Close to 2,000 horsemen race against each other, doing acrobatics as they ride. You can even join the local lamas on horseback to pray at a local mountain temple. Then, each night under the stars, there is singing. Trading continues throughout the week (Would you like to take home a yak?!). There is dancing, with wonderful opportunities to see a spectacular display of Khampa costumes. All this is a “heck of a lot of fun”!  

b) The Nagchu Horse Festival Nagchu at 14,850 feet, is one of the highest, coldest and most windswept towns in the Tibetan Autonomous Republic. In this breathtaking spot on the road between Qinghai and Tibet, from August 10-13, more than 10,000 nomads, with their tents, children and animals come to participate and enjoy the colorful Nagchu Horse Festival.  A gathering of traders, pilgrims, dancers, gamblers, drinkers, and picnickers, Nagchu is a cultural fair representing a wide range of ethnic and tribal groups. There will be horse racing and acrobatics, dancing and singing at night, and the chang, or Tibetan beer will flow freely. 

c) The Shaman Festival from July 12-15, three Qinghai towns host a gathering of shamans from all over the Tibetan countryside. The Shamans’ Festival is actually a Bon religious festival with different rituals and activities that vary widely from town to town. 

All activities are presided over by one or more Lhawas or shamans, who will go into trances. Many different dances are performed, all with their own meanings and intents. There is also drum beating, and the ritual piercing of cheeks, tongues and backs, as a sacrifice to the God and as a show of strength by the young men of the villages. One important aspect of the festival is the offering of group prayers through the dances for peace, good harvests, and plentiful water. Another aspect is the commemoration of past battles and the resolution of the war between the Tang Dynasty and the Tibetan warlords. 

These festivals are also occasions for the village shaman to demonstrate a show of his power, and remind the villagers of their duty to their temple and their community, as well as to scold those who have strayed from the religious path. The festivities begin at Mayba, where the dress is very different from Kham and Central Tibet. Here the local people follow the Nyingma-pa order and the new Bon religion. Next, at Sakkyi, you see the most famous shaman performances and trances of the festival. The shamans here have practiced and perfected their art and religion with more than 15 years of practice and devotion. Next, in the village of Lhanggya, the festival will run the entire day.  

2. The Monasteries of Ladakh are the stages for a series of summer religious festivals —

a) July 6-7 are the dates of the famous Hemis Festival this year, held in the courtyard of Ladakh's wealthiest monastery, belonging to the Kagyupa sect of Buddhism, the sect dominant in Bhutan. The Rimpoche, or spiritual overlord of the monastery, is considered to be a reincarnation of the monastery's founder, and is heir to the young Tibetan child, who was undergoing training in Tibet when the Chinese invaded, and has not been heard from since. 

Tibetan lore holds that on the 10th and 11th day of the fifth Tibetan month, according to the prophesy of Guru Padmasambhava, faithful followers will be rewarded and blessed by a live vision of this great Buddhist sage, who introduced Buddhism to Tibet. Men, women and children come in their Hemis best dress. Lamas, who have been practicing their dances for weeks, don ancient costumes and masks to portray the struggle between good and evil. Their dances and vignettes illustrate the triumph of Guru Padmasambhava through great love and compassion, conversion of the masses, or, at last resort, through destruction.  

b) Aug. 3-4 is the Dak Thok Festival. Dak Thok means “Black Rock” in Ladakhi, and refers to a cave chapel that is part of this unusual gompa. The Rimpoche of Dak Thok hails from Tibet, and oversees about 55 Nyingma-Pa lamas. The members of this Buddhist sect are followers of Padma Sambhava (Guru Rimpoche); and the Tsechu Festival you will witness is dedicated to Padma Sambhava’s exploits. 

The Tsechu festivals (for there are many throughout the Buddhist world) are religious, dedicated to Guru Rimpoche and highlighting his life and deeds. Usually they occur on the 10th day of the month in the Buddhist calendar (hence the meaning of the word Tsechu). The dances of the Tsechu, known as cham, are done by both monks and lay people, who portray different aspects of the wrathful and compassionate deities and a variety of animals. 

Watching the dances and attending the festival bestows merit on the onlookers, instructs them in the teachings, protects them from misfortune, and exorcises the evil demons around the village. At the same time, Tsechu is a social gathering and an opportunity to dress up in one's best clothes and jewelry. You can spend as much time as you like watching the different dances. 

3. The Pushkar Camel Festival — Legend has it that Pushkar Lake magically appeared where lotus petals dropped from the hand of Lord Brahma, the creator. Here, in this tiny Indian town, for twelve days in the month of Kartik (Oct. 31-Nov. 5 - Official festival dates - Nov. 2-5), thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy waters of Pushkar Lake. 

At the same time, this quiet religious town in India's Rajasthani desert becomes a dazzling fair town. Vendors hawk all sorts of things in roadside stalls. Camel races, parades and animal sales are a constant occurrence. The visitor can at least buy a saddle or halter, even if he or she does not want to take a camel home as a pet. At night, the lake glistens with the flickering lights of thousands of small oil lamps on green leaves, floated by worshippers, and singers and dancers entertain the guests and locals alike. 

4.  Festivals and Textiles of the Miao and Dong — The rice fields and village centers of Guizhou, China's least traveled province, are the arenas for two extraordinarily colorful and dramatic ethnic festivals.

a) April 13 is the day of the Sister’s Meal Festival or “Valentine’s Day” for the Miao. For young boys and girls, this is the time to court and find a mate, as well as to show off the family wealth. Mothers will decorate their daughters from head to foot with stunning silver ornaments weighing up to 22 pounds. Somehow, despite the weight of the jewelry, the boys and girls will all go together to the river bank and dance. Later, as they picnic, the boys will approach the girl who is of interest, and request some colored sticky rice. Inside the rice, the girl, if she is interested, will have placed a special symbol of her feelings. The festival is extremely colorful and a photographer’s dream. 

b) In the fall, on November 18 the Miao celebrate the Lusheng Festival after the harvest and at a time when the Miao can relax and have fun after working hard all year. As with the Sister’s Meal Festival, courtship is one of the major goals of the fall Lusheng Festival. The name comes from the bamboo pipes, or Lusheng, that are most commonly played at these festivals. While the music is being played, the Mio girls are dancing to the tunes and showing off for the boys in the area. The festival provides the Miao with an opportunity to travel, socialize, meet friends, and enjoy singing and dancing. There are water buffalo fights, cock fighting and other amusements.  

So, if you are in search of the ultimate festival travel experience, one that takes you outside the limits of the traditional, travel to the plateaus of Tibet, the mountains and monasteries of Ladakh, the deserts of India or the rice fields of Guizhou in China. You may not find the standard crystal chandeliers or plush seating of an opera house, but you will find a riotous concoction of colorful people, extravagant ethnic dress and jewelry, riveting music and dance, intriguing religious traditions, and an unusual assortment of local animals that will widen your vistas and send you home with memories and photographs that none of your friends will ever have!