Flower Festivals All Around the World    [14-03-2009] All people on Earth love beautiful flowers. There are so many kinds of pretty flowers in the world. Flowers play very important roles in our lives. We give flowers to our loved ones on special days such as birthdays and Valentine’s Day. Beautiful flowers make our lives happier. This week, let’s learn about other countries’ flower festivals. National Cherry Blossom Festival - Country: U.S.A. - Month: April There are 3,000 cherry trees along the Potomac River in Washington D.C. The trees bloom beautifully every spring! In April, American people enjoy picnics under the cherry blossoms. Flower Parade - Country: Netherlands - Month: April The tulip is the national flower of the Netherlands. In April, tulips are everywhere in the country! People celebrate the beautiful spring days by holding tulip-decorated car parades. Flower Festival - Country: Italy - Month: May or June The city of Lazio in central Italy, hosts a flower festival every year in May or June. Boys and girls gather flowers in the town suburbs. Then, they make a flower carpet as long as 310 meters! The design of the carpet is different every year. Rose Festival - Country: Bulgaria - Month: June There are many rose farms in Bulgaria. In the town of Kazanluk, women start to pick the rose for the Rose Festival at the beginning of June. Wearing the flower crown on their heads and holding the basket filled with roses, the women sing and dance for a good harvest. Erika Flower Festival - Country: Germany - Month: August The Erika grows in a lower swampy area in Germany. The violet flower begins to bloom in August. People celebrate the bloom of Erika by choosing an Erika queen. Saffron Festival - Country: Spain - Month: October The city of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain is famous for Saffron. People hold a festival to celebrate a good harvest of Saffron on the last Saturday and Sunday in October. During the festival, people dance and hold a Saffron-picking contest.     출처: 어린이 영자신문 키즈타임즈 (www.kidstimes.net)