National civil holidays<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n
New Year’s Eve<\/b>, 1 January<\/p>\r\n
Armed Forces Day<\/b>, 28 January<\/p>\r\n
Labour Day<\/b>, 1 May<\/p>\r\n
Independence Day<\/b>, 1 August<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n
Christian religious festivities<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n
Christian Easter<\/b>, variable date (March\/April)<\/p>\r\n
All Saints’ Day<\/b>, 1 November<\/p>\r\n
Christian Christmas<\/b>, 25 December<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n
Muslim religious festivities<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n
Aid al-Fitr <\/b>(End of Ramadan or Little Festival), a date that varies according to the lunar calendar<\/p>\r\n
Aid el-Adha <\/b>(Feast of Sacrifice or Great Feast or Tabaski), date variable according to the lunar calendar<\/p>\r\n
Al Mouloud <\/b>(Birth of the Prophet), date variable according to the lunar calendar<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n
Voodoo religious festivals<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n
National Voodoo Day<\/b>, 10 January<\/p>\r\n
Generally considered a cultural and musical festival, it is actually a religious celebration with a fixed date and marks the recognition of voodoo as an official religion for the nation and internationally. Every 10 January, believers from all over the world gather on Ouidah beaches for a whole day of celebrations, rituals, sacrifices, dances and events linked to voodoo. The event has become <\/span>so popular that it attracts the curious from all parts of the world, yet it continues to be an event that has not lost its sacredness and is deeply felt by all the voodoo communities who flock there.<\/p>\r\n Traditional animist or voodoo festivals <\/b>of a local nature, linked for example to sowing, harvesting, transhumance or events in general of a community nature, such as circumcision or initiation, are certainly the most fascinating and unmissable, but equally unpredictable are their dates, which are set only a few weeks before the <\/span>event. This “inconvenience” makes them true and genuine events, not planned for the use and consumption of tourists who, if they are lucky enough to come across one of these events, will certainly have a <\/span>unique experience.<\/p>\r\n These include the Gueled\u00e9 initiations <\/b>in the Sav\u00e9 area, generally in the spring months. The yam <\/b>first harvest festivals<\/strong> in the Taneka, Betammarib\u00e9 and Dassa regions, are generally all in August, depending on the seasonality of the crops.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n Cultural festivals <\/b>include:<\/p>\r\n Quintessence<\/b>, 9-10-11 January<\/p>\r\n This is a film festival held in Ouidah, in conjunction with the Voodoo Festival, during which a jury awards the best film made by African directors, after three days of screenings.<\/p>\r\n Turtle Festival<\/b>, 8 January<\/p>\r\n Every year, hundreds of baby turtles are released into the ocean on the beach at Grand Popo. They were born under monitoring by an association that works to protect them.<\/span><\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":14554,"menu_order":0,"template":"","da_non_perdere":[],"la_terra_e_gli_uomini":[60],"buono_a_sapersi":[],"prima_di_partire":[],"class_list":["post-15734","info_viaggi","type-info_viaggi","status-publish","hentry","la_terra_e_gli_uomini-benin","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n