Europe’s largest public celebrations – the legendary running of the bulls in Pamplona, Valencia’s Falles, Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day – have become mass events. Though most developed over centuries to commemorate pious individuals, saints, local patrons, or important dates in the liturgical calendar, their Christian origins are barely perceptible today. Globalization, changing lifestyles, and rampant commercialization have fundamentally transformed how people perceive them.
The journalist and writer Günter Schenk has travelled through Europe capturing its celebratory culture in photographs from over 70 public festivals.