Manka Khala's annual celebrations

Did you know that wish lanterns are also called Thai Lanterns by people too? A brief genealogy of the phrase Thai Lantern is discussed here, and is essentially a Western interpretation that has become popular as more and more people have seen Wish Lanterns used in festivals throughout Thailand and in fact all over most of Asia.

The people who live in Northern Thailand also have a variation on wish lanterns; these are called or known as Khoom Loy or Khoom Fay in Thai. The habitants of Northern Thailand use Thai lanterns all year round for both celebrations and other special occasions and events. One festival in particular is called the Loy Kratong festival in which lovers and partners gather on the banks of rivers to float candles and flowers, launch fireworks and release their Thai lanterns together. It is considered good luck to release a Thai lantern, and many Thai’s believe these Thai Lanterns are symbolic of problems and worries floating away. This could explain why they are so popular with people who are grieving or have suffered a recent bereavement, release of these wish lanterns aims to help people symbolise worries. On a happy note our company owner got engaged during the Loi Kratong festival in Thailand and both he and his wife to be, let off a Thai lantern to celebrate her positive response to his hopeful request. So there are happy and sad ways to use a wish lantern, but both of which are a great way to remember something or someone special. These sky lanterns are becoming more and more popular in the United Kingdom as they are being imported from Thailand and parts of Asia, in fact at many of the firework parties during November in parts of London there were huge numbers of wish lanterns being released, which produced a fantastic effect over London’s skyline.

Looking for a destination where you can have lots of fun time, happiness at the same time make the most of you holiday vacation? Come to India the country situated in the south of Asia. The country is endowed with the scenic beauty of nature, rich culture, heritage attractions and off course pilgrimage destinations is one place where tourist would love to visit on their India tours. The country counts maximum number of tourists from all the nook and corner of the world and the number in increasing each and every year. Come to this beautiful country and enjoy your holiday vacation you have never experienced before in any other tourists places of the world.

In this country there are several places to visit India which are dominated by the beauty of nature, culture and heritage attractions. But the most prominent ones that one must not miss the chance to visit are

Rajasthan the royal state of India is globally famous for its rich culture and heritage attractions which were built by the erstwhile rulers during the period of glory, sorrow and joy. Visit to any cites of the state and you will find them dotted with royal palaces, colossal forts, grand havellis and several other royal attractions which depict the grandeur, glory and past of Rajasthan. Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan which is also famously known as the Pink City of India. It is gifted with some of the finest monuments which are worth of admiration. Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Shekhwati region, Chittourgarh, Ranakpur, Pushkar, etc are also the admired destinations that lures visitors with their royal charm, terrific temples, fairs and festivals and more of all the world class hospitality and facilities offered by the heritage hotels make the tours and travels in this state of Rajasthan more delightful and memorable.

Kerala the state situated on the southwestern part of India is globally famous for its scenic and natural beauty. The whole state is dominated by the beauty of nature, scenic backwaters, and lovely beaches fringed by palm trees and soothing climatic condition making the state favourable for holiday vacation. It is the favored destination of the honeymooners, nature lovers, wildlife lovers, vacationers and no doubt is the most beautiful state to enjoy holidays with your family members. Almost every year tourists from all over the world come to Kerala to enjoy their holiday vacation in a delightful and memorable. Due to its exceptional beauty of nature and tourism options Kerala have booked several national and international awards.

Himachal Pradesh the state situated in the north of India is also famous for its scenic beauty and adventure sports. The entire regions of Himachal Pradesh are decorated with captivating scenic beauty, green vegetation and snow capped mountain peaks making that never fails to lure the heart of tourists. Shimla the state’s capital is one of the most beautiful hill stations of India. Kullu, Manali, Dharamsala, etc are some other hill stations whose beauty of nature and adventure sports appeals tourists for tours and travel in Himachal Pradesh.

You can also visit to Goa- the beach capital of India, Kashmir- the Paradise on Earth, Uttarakhand and several other which also gather tourist attractions with their amazing natural beauty. Most of the tourists enjoy their holiday vacation in this country booking India tours package from the reputed tour operators. You to can be the part of India tours and travels and enjoy your holiday vacation in a delightful and memorable way exploring the scenic wonders of India.

The history of wrestling can easily be traced back to its roots in the Mediterranean. The Ancient Greeks and Romans are credited with developing a number of different styles of wrestling that are still in use today. The sport is easily one of the most primitive sports that can be easily dated back to some five thousands years ago. Ancient Greeks formed the sport out of necessity as it was a means of training and developing soldiers into warriors. They used it in hand to hand combat which also doubled as a means of cardiovascular exercise. Ancient drawings and hieroglyphs mark the walls of some of the great Greek Palaces and stadiums with pictures of ancient wrestlers.

Wrestling history became a means of culture and a right of passage for the early Greeks. Students used to study wrestling as a class during school. It was a respected form of physical activity that took the utmost strength and grace but when used with aggression is a deadly form of combat. In the earliest of Olympic Festivals wrestling took place around 704 B.C. It was common to travel to villages throughout the country and see carnivals and festivals featuring wrestling in some form as entertainment.

As the Roman Empire rose to power and defeated the Greeks the form of wrestling that the Greeks had created began to change. The Greeks felt that the Romans weren’t as adept at wrestling and took the grace and skillfulness out of the sport and the Greeks were worried about maintaining the true history of wrestling. The new conversion of the two empires hence formed Greco-Roman wrestling.

As time passed the sport made its way west and suddenly became popular in the US. It made the same circulation that it made throughout Europe as it traveled from festivals and circuses as a spectator sport. The sport in these days allowed competitors of any size or shape to match up against any opponent. As you can imagine there was some drastic mismatches and severe injuries. Not to mention that gambling on the matches brought out the worst in the athletes as a number of fixed contests were uncovered.

It wasn’t until the formation of the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles or FILA that the sport began to standardize and formulate rules and the sport was first featured in the 1904 Olympics in St. Louis in the form of freestyle.

Wrestling began to become mainstream throughout the states in the 1900’s and found its way onto school campuses. High school wrestling and collegiate programs began to spring up everywhere and are standard throughout the US today.

Professional wrestling can basically be categorized today into two main forms international or non folk style and folk style wrestling. International consists mainly of Greco-roman, freestyle and grappling while folk style literally means the wrestling recognized in the area of origin. Examples of folk style are jiu jitsui of Brazil and sumo of Japan not to mention dozens of other less notable styles.

Wrestling has come a long way from its early roots but has kept in tact a number of the same techniques and strategies that made it popular five thousand years ago. The sport has seen a recent explosion in the MMA or mixed martial arts field which features a combination of a number of wrestling fields. The sport is growing rapidly and is sure to be a favorite of many more generations. So goes the history of wrestling.