At the Tana Toraja Funeral Festival (Throughout July – mid Sep, Indonesia), fascinating and elaborate funeral rites are conducted to send the spirit of the dead to the afterworld and prevent misfortune for the deceased's family. Expect plenty of chanting and dancing which is performed to honour the deceased and bid farewell.
Boun Hor Khao Salak (7 Sep, Laos) is a full moon festival involving the presentation of offerings to local monks. Offerings include daily necessities such as books, pens, sugar, coffee and cigarettes.
On Pchum Ben, known as Ancestor's Day (10-12 Sep, Cambodia), many Khmer families will head back to their home provinces and spend time with their families. Food offerings are presented at pagodas to give thanks to their ancestors.
The Mid-Autumn Festival (25 Sep, Vietnam) is a harvest festival held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Vietnamese calendar. Known locally as Tết Trung Thu, it is marked with fanciful lanterns to help a legendary moon-bound figure back to Earth. Lion dances are commonly performed by traveling troupers who go from house to house to perform for a fee.
The Mid-Autumn Festival (25 Sep, Singapore & Hong Kong & Malaysia) is about celebrating with family, lantern processions, and deliciously sweet mooncakes. Moon cakes are filled with sweet-tasting bean paste or with lotus seeds or another filling.
The Monkey God Festival (26 Sep, Hong Kong) takes place at the Monkey God Temple at Po Tat Estate in Sau Mau Ping, Kowloon. Hundreds of people turn up to present offerings to the Monkey God, a popular character in East Asian stories.
Penang Cocktail Week (Date TBA, Malaysia) is Malaysia's biggest cocktail and bartending festival, held annually in George Town, Penang, to celebrate the growing cocktail bar industry in Penang and connecting the city with global bartending communities across the world.
The Grand Sumo Tournament (13-27 Sep, Japan) in Kokugikan provides the chance to catch the heavyweights in action at one of Japan's most prestigious sumo events.
The Vietnam Mountain Marathon (Date TBA, Vietnam) is held in the mountain range of Hoang Lien National Park and its remote valleys near Sapa. This two-day event includes multiple distances and courses that span often closed territory as they include local villages, rice terraces, bamboo bridges, and even local water buffalo.
