Humans like celebrating. For millennia, we've left our imprint on the planet via ancient rites, seasonal festivities, and beloved festivals. These enduring traditions have evolved to reflect the present period as they have been handed down through generations.

Unfortunately, the contemporary touch has inspired an infusion of trash, garbage, and waste into our traditional events. Toxic chemicals are used in pyrotechnics, non-biodegradable plastics are used in Lanterns, balloons, and confetti, and debris is dumped into rivers and landfills - and it's destroying our world.

The issue necessitates a rethinking of how we celebrate in order to strike a balance between tradition and environmental protection.

We've compiled a list of the eight most ecologically damaging holiday rituals, as well as eco-friendly alternatives.

1. Floats across rivers

The discharge of ornamental rafts and floats into rivers is an important Asian festival custom. Thailand just commemorated their annual Loy Krathong celebration, one of the most significant festivals on the Thai calendar, to honour the river spirits and Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water.

People assemble along the country's twisting rivers and canals to thank the river spirits by releasing lotus-shaped rafts (krathong) into the water. The krathong are decorated with flowers, money, candles, and incense before being set off with a good luck wish.

It's a lovely cultural occasion, highlighted with traditional dance and all-night festivities around the nation. It is also destroying the waterways. Thousands of people line the banks, dumping tonnes of trash into the sea in only a few hours.

Krathong are traditionally built of biodegradable materials like as banana leaf, but contemporary rafts are often made of plastics and styrofoam, producing significant pollution in the rivers.

Bangkok municipal authorities removed 811,945 krathong from the city's waterways in 2017. The remaining 51,964 krathong were fashioned from non-biodegradable polystyrene, despite the fact that 93.6 percent were created from natural materials.

There would have been many more krathong left to jam the waterways of Bangkok and other important towns such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Ayyuthaya in a metropolis of over 8 million people and a nation of over 69 million.

Alternatives to river floats that are less Harmful to the environment

As more people travel to the festival to engage in this cultural experience, there is a greater need for environmental awareness. If you want to take part in Loy Krathong or any of the other holidays that involve releasing floats into the sea, be sure your float is eco-friendly.

You may release a krathong made of bread that dissolves in water and is consumed by fish. You may also use petals or throw a float into a smaller body of water (like a pool) where it can be readily recovered.

2. Setting off balloons or sky lights

What originated as a communication between troops in third-century China is today a beloved celebratory practise all around the globe. Sky lanterns are often released to commemorate cultural events, marriages, and loved ones. The sight of floating lanterns lighting the night sky is both lovely and lethal.

The lanterns are composed of paper, string, bamboo, or wire frames and are propelled into the sky by a candle or fuel cell. They are a severe fire threat once discharged. They've caused devastation throughout the globe, including a 500-acre wildfire in Washington and a large conflagration at a recycling factory in the United Kingdom that took three days to put out.

A sky lantern in India caused four buildings to explode into flames, hurting 15 people, while a lantern in South Carolina sparked a fire that devastated 800 acres of land.

Sky lanterns are a popular ritual in Southeast Asia, yet governments are starting to ban their use owing to their destructive nature. Sky lanterns were outlawed by the Vietnamese government after they sparked 20 forest fires in only seven months, and Thailand has also taken efforts to prohibit the selling of lanterns during key festivals.

The lanterns are also very dangerous to cattle and wildlife. When they fall back to earth, they may maim animals by strangling birds who get caught in the wires and killing animals that consume the lanterns accidentally. Even 'biodegradable' lanterns are hazardous since the components take a long time to disintegrate.

Balloon releases are equally harmful, taking years to degrade and causing damage to animals. It's the same as dumping trash on the ground.

Alternatives to sky lanterns and balloon launches that are less harmful to the environment

You may blast bubbles or make a luminary to imitate the wonder of a sky lantern or balloon release. Bubbles are enjoyable to produce and make a gorgeous show as they float off into the sky, while candles in glass jars may create a spectacular light display. The jar may then be kept as a lovely souvenir.

3. Confetti or rice tossing

A confetti or glitter explosion is a delightful way to commemorate a festival, graduation, or wedding. However, after all of that plastic has fallen to the ground, it becomes a threat for animals, who may ingest it and die as a result.

Even if you toss the confetti inside, you'll have to sweep it into the rubbish, which will be disposed of in a landfill. Plastic confetti and glitter never degrade and cannot be recycled, making them harmful to the environment.

Tossing rice over newlyweds is a time-honored wedding ritual that represents good fortune and fertility. Uncooked rice, on the other hand, may kill birds and litter the ground.

Eco-friendly confetti substitutes

There are several green options that look great and are significantly better for the environment. You may use artificial snowflakes or biodegradable rice, which both dissolve when exposed to water. If you're throwing your party in a grassy location, you may scatter seeds that will eventually bloom into flowers, producing a memorable memory.

4. fireworks

The earliest fireworks were used in celebrations to ward off bad spirits and provide luck and happiness, dating back to ninth century mediaeval China. Fireworks are still a treasured tradition across the globe, used to celebrate anything from cultural events to backyard celebrations.

We all enjoy a spectacular fireworks show, but the reality is that they are harmful to the environment. They pollute the air, discharge chemical waste into our rivers, and pose a fire risk.

From New Year's Eve through the Fourth of July, the devastation remains long after the dazzling sparks have gone out. Fireworks emit PM2.5, which are small, harmful particles that contaminate the air. Inhaling these particles causes serious respiratory issues, cardiovascular disorders, and even birth abnormalities in newborns.

The safe level of PM2.5 is 0-12, whereas the dangerous range is 250.5 to 500.4. (it is recommended for children and the elderly to stay indoors at this level). The widespread usage of pyrotechnics during the 2016 Diwali festivities in India resulted in PM2.5 readings reaching 883 in Delhi.

Hazardous metal particle pollution from Girona's 2008 Sant Joan fireworks celebration lingered in the air for days in Spain, while Guy Fawkes Day is often the most polluted day of the year in the UK, owing to large bonfires and fireworks.

Meanwhile, unburned propellants and colourants from pyrotechnics that fall to the ground wash into lakes and rivers. All of these pollutants, together with the particle pollution that finally falls to the ground, constitute a major health risk to our water supplies.

Eco-friendly substitutes for fireworks

We may avoid the dangers of fireworks by using hand-held sparklers, glow-in-the-dark bubbles, or light show projectors. Outdoor laser displays are a popular community alternative since they provide a magnificent display of colour lights without polluting the environment. They also reduce the loud noises that may be quite upsetting to our dogs and other animals.

If you can't give up the real thing, always go to a community performance instead of putting on your own show. You'll reduce pollution while while enjoying a safer performance.

5. Christmas trees

The happy fir Tree is a traditional Christmas motif. Every December, people all around the globe celebrate the holiday season by decorating their trees and putting wrapped presents under the branches to be unwrapped on Christmas Day.

With an influx of trussed-up trees springing up in homes and communities throughout the globe, it's critical to understand the environmental effect of this popular activity.

Whether you select an artificial or real tree, both have drawbacks. A fake tree may be reused year after year, but these plastic replicas will ultimately find up in a landfill where they will never decompose. Furthermore, fake trees are often composed of petroleum-based polymers, which emit dangerous pollutants into the environment during manufacture.

Real trees, on the other hand, absorb dangerous greenhouse gases while growing and are completely biodegradable. Unfortunately, most tree producers employ pesticides and chemical fertilisers, and many farms raze enormous sections of land to cultivate fir tree crops just for the Christmas season.

Alternatives to Christmas trees that are better for the environment

When confronted with the perennial dilemma of artificial vs. real, the most environmentally responsible solution is to go with a genuine tree. Make sure you obtain your Christmas tree from a local, organic farm and to discard it after the holidays (many local councils pick up trees and can turn them into mulch).

Even better, get a tree with complete roots so you may plant it outside after the holidays and utilise it the following year. Another excellent alternative is to purchase a seed and cultivate your own tree. It may take some time to develop, but you'll be giving the earth its own small Christmas present.

If you prefer a fake spruce or want to start a new eco-friendly Christmas tradition, you might create your own tree out of recyclable materials or decorate your houseplants.

6. Joss stick burning

The burning of joss sticks (a kind of incense) is an old Chinese/Taoist practise for purifying the house and communicating with ghosts. The practise is practised in homes and temples across Asia and is an integral component of many people's everyday lives.

Burning joss sticks is most widespread on the first and fifteenth of every Chinese lunar month, and the practise increases during various cultural events such as Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Unfortunately, all of that burning emits a dangerous quantity of toxins into the atmosphere. According to a 2008 research conducted by the Chulalongkorn Clinical Research Center, one joss stick has the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals as one cigarette.

The researchers discovered a staggering quantity of carcinogens in joss stick smoke, including PM2.5, metals, furans, dioxins, and hydrocarbons, all of which cause leukaemia, blood, lung, and bladder cancers.

Alternatives to burning joss sticks that are less harmful to the environment

Although it is difficult to police such a hallowed institution, exposure to incense may be limited. Many religious organisations have asked for less burning, claiming that burning a huge number of joss sticks does not result in a greater number of blessings. One joss stick burned in a well-ventilated space and extinguished after a minute is sufficient for appropriate worship.

7. Pumpkin carving

Halloween is a popular holiday for all things frightening. Carving pumpkins to make 'jack-o'-lanterns' is one of the oldest customs, dating back centuries in Ireland. On 'All Hallow's Eve,' ancient Celtic civilizations cut turnips and placed a blazing ember within them to fend off bad spirits.

This evolved into pumpkin 'jack-o-lanterns,' called after an Irish folktale about a guy named Stingy Jack. Pumpkin carving is becoming an essential feature of Halloween festivities all around the globe.

It is also a very wasteful custom. According to the US Energy Department, most of the 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins produced in the United States end up in landfills owing to Halloween. Every Halloween, 18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkin are discarded in the United Kingdom. All of that squash decomposes into methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas.

Alternatives to pumpkin carving that are less harmful to the environment

The US Energy Department has also said that it is attempting to create technologies that will allow all of that garbage to be used to generate bioenergy. This will assist the nation in using less carbon-based fuels and reducing landfill trash. In the meanwhile, you may assist to decrease Halloween garbage.

Instead of discarding the edible pumpkin after scooping out the insides, keep it to create excellent soups, cakes, and pies. When your carved pumpkin starts to droop, compost it or give it to your local farmer's market for composting.

The moral tales transport people all over the globe to various cultural events. If you want to attend a festival while being environmentally conscious, please contact our courteous team of Luxury Travel Specialists with your queries regarding responsible travel.