In any travel agency at the moment you can find a huge selection of tours that offer fun winter holidays. Fabulous Maldives, prim Great Britain, romantic France, mysterious Czech Republic - it is simply not possible to list all the proposals.
However, some experts suggest paying special attention to Riga, where a grand celebration of the birthday of the legendary detective of all times and peoples Sherlock Holmes will take place on January 4.
Many travelers may be surprised to hear about such an unusual tour, because the “birthplace of Sherlock Holmes” is in London, and there, and only there, his “birth” should be celebrated. Should, but not celebrating. The first, and so far the only city where the “inventor” of the deductive method is not forgotten, is Riga. Why? Everything is quite simple: it was in this city that the film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" directed by Maslennikov was filmed.
Since 2012, it has become customary to celebrate Sherlock Holmes's birthday in the capital of Latvia. True, the date was postponed almost every year. The fact is that the writer Arthur Conan Doyle in his works did not place much emphasis on the date of birth of the detective. In the story "His Farewell Bow" there is only a short mention of 1854. Enthusiasts at one time examined many documents from the archives, trying to establish an exact date, but all these attempts were never crowned with success.
In Riga, they decided not to pay much attention to such "little things" as the day and hour of Holmes' birth, and on January 28, 2012, they were the first in the world to celebrate the 158th anniversary of the detective. Apparently, the end of January was not a very convenient time for travel, and therefore this year it was decided to celebrate the holiday in the midst of winter holidays. By the way, already a year later, the festival gained immense popularity: in 2013 it was attended by over 10,000 tourists from Europe and Asia.
What awaits the traveler this year? On January 4, at exactly 13-00, the parade will begin, all participants of which will be dressed in costumes of characters from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. The procession will end in the Old City, where the participants who have made the best costumes for the parade will be awarded.
Immediately after that, all visitors will be able to see a dog show, which will feature exclusively English breeds of man's best friends. The servants will feed the guests, and the prim Barrymore and the good old Mrs. Hudson will lead them.
In parallel with the celebration in the building of the Great Guild, the real Sherlock Holmes Academy will begin its work. Children and adults will be able to personally familiarize themselves with the intricacies of the deductive method. The mentors will be police officers, teachers of chemistry, physics and music. Everyone will be offered to go through exciting quests, for which, of course, the best detectives will receive memorable prizes. The creators of the holiday decided to reveal one of the intrigues in advance: the most amazing surprises await guests on the famous Jauniela Street, where the legendary Maslennikov's film was filmed.
In addition, everyone, without exception, who comes to Riga for Sherlock Holmes's birthday, will be included in the Guinness Book of Records. The record is the largest number of Holmes per sq. meter. In 2015, another Sherlock Holmes will receive official recognition in the capital of Latvia. It will be the famous British actor Benedict Cumberbatch. When the holiday reaches its climax, the guests will put on detective masks: which of the actors will be chosen by the majority - another intrigue of the festival.
To take part in this amazing holiday, you just need to visit the nearest travel agency and choose an amazing tour, somewhat reminiscent of a trip to the past. It will not be difficult, because, as Holmes liked to say: "It's elementary, Watson ...".
