Holi is a Hindu spring festival that traditionally celebrates fertility and harvest.

Holi

Don't feel offended, it's Holi!

Recently, it has also gained religious elements, marking some of the ancient Hindu legends, such as the legend of Prahalad and Holika.

Although Holi has many origin stories, none of them are quite as fascinating as the celebration its self. On the streets, Holi takes the form of a carnival…

It’s often called the messiest festival for it’s use of powder paint. During the main day, the Holi, people throw powdered paint and water at each other, even at complete strangers! One of the most thrilling aspects of the celebration is the declining of social norms, status, and hierarchies. Once everyone is wet and covered in paint the traditional indicators of caste and class disappear. Even the usually expected gender roles diffuse and a lot of public flirting takes place.

During Holi, none of the strict social rules apply, and everyone celebrates with great enthusiasm and joy. Hence, the popular saying “Bura na mano, Holi hai! – Don’t feel offended, it’s Holi!”

Other celebrations in March:

International Women’s Day

Nowruz Day

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

World Poetry Day

 World Water Day 

World Meteorological Day

International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and Its Abolition

Right to Truth Day

World Tuberculosis Day

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 at 4:30 am and is filed under cultural diversity, days of significance, East Asia, social practices . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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