Notes:
Kambala is a traditional folk sport predominantly observed in the coastal districts of Karnataka, particularly in areas where Tulu speakers constitute the majority.
Kambala races were hosted recently by Bengaluru and lakhs of people visited the venue to watch the event. Kambala has in the past been banned by the Supreme Court, but the Karnataka government amended legislation to allow the races to go on.

Notes:
The 28th European Union Film Festival (EUFF) of India is set to unfold in New Delhi from December 1 to 10. Celebrating cultural ties between India and the European Union, the festival will screen 28 films in 25 languages from 28 European countries.
18 of the films in this year’s selection are by women directors. The festival aims to highlight and celebrate women in cinema and ‘the art of storytelling from the woman’s perspective’. After its Delhi chapter, the festival will travel to Chennai.

Notes:
Boita Bandana is a boat festival to commemorate the maritime glory of Odisha. It is observed every year on the full moon day in the month of Kartik.
The festival commemorates the ancient maritime activities and trade relations of Odisha with Southeast Asian countries. This historical event is commemorated by the symbolic act of floating miniature boats made of banana stems, paper, and coloured cloth in water bodies like rivers, ponds, and the sea. The ritual pays homage to the brave sailors who ventured into the sea for trade.

Notes:
A diplomatic row sparked between Greece and the UK after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures housed at the British Museum.
Over the years, Greece has repeatedly asked for the sculptures’ permanent return to Athens, but Britain refused to do so. The Parthenon Sculptures are more than 30 ancient stone sculptures from Greece that are more than 2,000 years old. Most of them adorned the walls and grounds of the Parthenon temple on the rocky Acropolis hill in Athens. Completed in 432 BC, the temple is dedicated to the goddess Athena.

Notes:
Gujarat’s traditional dance form ‘Garba’ was included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
The popular dance form is the 15th cultural item from India to make it to UNESCO list two years after Kolkata’s Durga Puja was last added to the prestigious list.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first Indian Art, Architecture & Design Biennale (IAADB) 2023 at Red Fort.
During the programme, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design’ at Red Fort and the student Biennale- Samunnati. He also launched a Commemorative Stamp.

Notes:
Hanukkah is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
The holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

Notes:
Assam cabinet has given in-principle approval to the issue of detailed procedure for permitting traditional buffalo and bull fights to be organised.
The Moh-juj festival is an integral part of the centuries-old Assamese cultural tradition. The Supreme Court in 2014 passed an order prohibiting all animal races and fights, thereby directing the Animal Welfare Board of India and the government to prevent infliction of unnecessary pain and suffering to animals.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi, billed as the world’s largest meditation centre. The grand seven-storey superstructure can accommodate 20,000 people for meditation at a time. Its interiors depict verses from Swarveda carved on walls, columns and ceilings. PM Modi highlighted how the mammoth meditation centre will help revive interest in India’s spiritual traditions that faced deliberate destruction during foreign rule. The Swarved Mahamandir reflects Modi’s emphasis on restoring India’s heritage across various spheres.

Notes:
On 21 December 2023, the Sahitya Akademi has announced to give the Sahitya Akademi Award for the year 2023 to Maithili language writer Basukinath Jha for his Maithili essay collection “Bodh-Sanketan”.
Maithili litterateur Basukinath Jha is a resident of Samastipur district of Bihar. Maithili litterateur Basukinath Jha, in Maithili language, wrote Vidyapati Kavya Lochan (Classical Criticism), Anushilan-Avabodh (Critical Research and Essay Collection), Parivaha (Modern Critical Essay Collection), Bodh Sanketan (Collection of Introductions to Books written by Various Authors), Vastuvaachi Sanketan. Has written many books including (Literary Trend based Essay Collection), Vyaktiwaachi Sankhanan (Personality based essay collection), Maithili literary outline (Part one and two), Novel and Social consciousness.