Two in One

What are the similarities and differences in a few celebrations from around the world?

Recently, on March 17^th, two amazing holidays occurred. Many locals know about one of those, obviously it is St. Patrick’s Day. The second holiday that occurred was Holi, the Indian festival of colors. Both of these celebrations are quite special and unique. They are very entertaining and everyone seems to have a lot of fun. People from all around the world look forward to both of these celebrations.

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated by the Irish. Like most celebrations, it has become a nationalized thing that everyone celebrates throughout the world. It started a s a religious feast day for Saint Patrick, who was believed to get rid of all the serpents and snakes in Ireland. March 17^th is believed to be the day of his death. Now, this international holiday, is celebrated with dancing, parades, food, and people wearing green. Those who do not wear green, are supposed to be pinched. People spend time with friends and family, eat, sometimes, if of age, drink, and just have a great time. It is quite a fun holiday.

Holi, is from a totally different part of the world, India. It is the festival of colors, and this statement may be biased, but it is one of the coolest celebrations in the world. The holiday is based on the lunar calendar, so it falls on a different day each year. It happened to fall on the same day as Saint Patrick’s Day, this year. It is a holiday to celebrate the arrival of spring, hence, it is also known as the Spring Festival. Loads of food is made for the events. Flowers fill the cities, adding color and fragrance to brighten the air, much like the oncoming spring and summer. Holi has a religious tie to it, as well, so people do go to temples to pray and celebrate. My favorite thing about the festival is the fact that it brings people in a whole country together to celebrate in one large party. Everyone is dancing, singing, and throw colored powders, water balloons, and just spray each other with color and water. People get drunk during the day, and sober up for the night. At night time, it is family time. Friends and family gather to celebrate and eat sweets. All in all, it is a fantastic time.

It is important to learn about the various festivals in the world. Though these holidays are different and come from totally different parts of the world, many people celebrate them throughout the world. They are similar in some sort of ways. Personally, I think someone should throw a party with a mix of Saint Patrick’s Day and Holi traditions, that would be one crazy party. Cultures across the worlds have such interesting traditions and holidays. It is interesting to see how they relate and how they differ.

For more Saint Patrick's Day info, click here, for more about Holi, click here.