In late July or early August each year, the town of Coban in the highlands of Guatemala hosts a folklore festival called Rabin Ajau. There is music and dancing, traditional food, a parade, a beauty contest and other activities and events that celebrate the Mayan culture.
On the last Wednesday in August, Valencia, Spain, turns into a big food fight, well, a tomato fight, really. More than 30,000 people show up at the Plaza del Pueblo to hurl 140 tons of tomatoes! Shopkeepers hang plastic sheets on their store fronts to keep the mess to a minimum. When the tomato fight is over, the fire department comes in and sprays the mess away.
In America, August often means it’s time to go back to school. That might mean getting back into school-related routines like going to bed at a set time each night, brushing up on math skills and reading a little bit extra every day. Maybe it means a shopping trip for new school supplies and waiting to hear who your new teachers are. Back-to-school season is different for every family, but it is an important time to mentally and physically prepare for what the coming school year will hold.
