Saint Patrick's Day: An Overview

The Greening of Monuments

The push for the greening (green lighting) of national icons for St. Patrick's Day has been a great success. Assisted in part by efforts from efforts begun in 2009 through Tourism Ireland, the Irish government has encouraged nations across the globe to join in the "greening" for March 17.

For more on the holiday and how it is celebrated both in terms of religion and around the world, please see my earlier blogpost on Saint Pa

In 10 years, the worldwide "greening" of monuments as gone from a mere handful to hundreds. As of 2018, Tourism Ireland and (cross-listed with Belfast Vibe) announced that 512 monuments, landmarks or buildings in 85 countries are participating in the Global Greening initiative.

What follows is a list of these monuments divided by region and country. The asterisks (*) represent the first time doing so in 2019).

The list is in order of number of monuments in the greening with those countries with over 10, then by region for the remainder. After Ireland itself, the United States leads the world with 64 greenlit buildings and monuments. The remaining top five are as follows:  Poland second with 53 greenlit sites;  France third with 46 greenlit; Germany, fourth with 29; and tied for fifth place, the United Kingdom and Canada both with 27.  Additionally, separately listed here are the nations with 10 or more:   Italy, Australia, Spain, China, Belgium, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates.

United States (64, with 12 new)

     
Arkansas
•    Junction Bridge pedestrian walkway, Little Rock
•    Main Street bridge, Little Rock     
California
•    City Hall, San Francisco
•    San Francisco International Airport (international terminal) *

San Francisco City Hall lit green 

Colorado
•    City Hall, Denver
•    Reunion Tower, Denver
Georgia
•    Atlanta City Hall *
Illinois     
•    Chicago Board of Trade Building, Chicago
•    Civic Opera House, Chicago 
•    Irish American Heritage Center, Chicago 
•    John Hancock Center, Chicago
•    Novak Construction, Chicago
•    Odyssey Chicago River (cruise boat) *
•    One Prudential Plaza, Chicago
•    Soldier Field, Chicago
•    United Center, Chicago
•    Wrigley Building, Chicago
Florida
•    Hillsborough River, Tampa *
Maryland
•    Guinness Open Gate Brewery and Barrel House, Baltimore *
Massachusetts 
•    Boston City Hall
•    Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, Boston *
•    Fenway Park, Boston *
•    TD Garden, Boston *
•    Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge, Worcester *
Missouri
•    Kansas City Power and Light Building
•    Tower Park, Kansas City
•    Union Station, Kansas City *

Greenlit Empire State Building, New York

New Mexico
•    University of New Mexico, Albuquerque *
•    Wells Fargo building, Albuquerque 
New York

•    Empire State Building, New York
•    Ground Zero (7 World Trade Center), New York
•    Aisling Irish Community Center, Yonkers
Nevada
•    ‘Welcome’ sign, Las Vegas
•    High Roller at The LINQ, Las Vegas
•    La Concha Visitors Center, Las Vegas
•    Plaza Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas 
•    The Neon Museum, Las Vegas *
•    The Palazzo, Las Vegas 
•    The Venetian, Las Vegas
Pennsylvania
•    BNY Mellon Center, Philadelphia
•    Cira Center, Philadelphia
•    City Hall, Philadelphia
•    Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia
•    One & Two Liberty Center, Philadelphia
•    Strawberry Mansion Bridge, Philadelphia
South Carolina
•    Ashley River Memorial Bridge, Charleston *
Tennessee
•    AT&T Building (known as the ‘Batman Building’), Nashville 
•    Bridgestone Arena, Nashville 
•    Grand Ole Opry, Nashville 
•    John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, Nashville
•    Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge, Nashville *
•    Metro Historic Courthouse, Nashville *
•    Nissan Stadium, Nashville *
•    The Parthenon, Nashville     
•    Tennessee Supreme Court Building, Nashville 
Texas
•    Butterfly Bridge, Austin *
•    Harbor Bridge, Corpus Christi
•    Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas
•    Reunion Tower, Dallas
•    City Hall, Houston 
•    Alamo Quarry Market, San Antonio
•    Bank of America, San Antonio
•    Tower of the Americas, San Antonio
 Washington
•    Pacific Science Center, Seattle

Poland (53 with 15 new)

•    Hotel President, Bielsko-Biala 
•    University Bridge, Bydgoszcz
•    Kosciuszki Street Bridge, Gdańsk
•    Uczniowska Street Bridge, Gdańsk
•    Baszta Dorotka (Dorothy Tower), Kalisz *
•    Centre of Culture and Art, Kalisz *
•    City Hall, Kalisz
•    Spodek (arena), Katowice
•    City Hall, Kielce *
•    Galeria Echo (shopping centre), Kielce 
•    Regional Cultural Centre, Kielce *
•    Father Bernatek (Kladka Bernatka) footbridge, Kraków
•    Lipska Street flyover, Kraków
•    Tauron Arena, Kraków 
•    Manufaktura, Łódź *
•    OFF Piotrkowska (shopping mall), Łódź
•    TME Office Centre, Łódź *
•    Arena Lublin
•    Centre for the Meeting of Cultures, Lublin
•    Museum of Malbork
•    Amphitheatre, Olsztyn *
•    Astronomical Observatory Tower, Olsztyn *
•    City Hall Tower, Olsztyn *
•    National Centre of Polish Song, Opole *  
•    Adam Mickiewicz University (main auditorium), Poznań *
•    Archaeological Museum, Poznań
•    Bishop Jordan Bridge, Poznań
•    City Hall, Poznań
•    Grand Theatre, Poznań
•    Honorary Consulate of Ireland building, Poznań *
•    MTP Spire, Poznań 
•    Poznań Główny (railway station) *
•    Raczyński Library, Poznań
•    Brama Przemyska Bridge, Przemyśl 
•    City Hall, Rzeszów
•    City Hall, Toruń
•    Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
•    Browar Bojańczyków Cultural Centre, Wloclawek
•    Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły bridge, Wloclawek
•    Centennial Hall, Wrocław
•    Contemporary Museum, Wrocław *
•    Grunwaldzki Bridge, Wrocław
•    Krzesło Kantora (chair sculpture), Wrocław *
•    Lower Silesian Governor's Office, Wrocław *
•    National Museum, Wrocław 
•    Opera House, Wrocław  
•    Stadion Wrocław  
•    Town Hall, Wrocław *

Wroclaw Opera House in green

•    University Bridge, Wrocław  
•    University of Wrocław  
•    Wrocław Główny (railway station) *
•    Szyb Maciej, Zabrze
•    City Hall, Zamość 

France (46 with 13 new)

•    Hôtel de Ville, Athis Mons 
•    Mairie de Bayeux *
•    Arkéa Arena, Bordeaux
•    Château de la Ligne, Bordeaux *
•    Porte de Bourgogne, Bordeaux
•    Hôtel de Ville, Bressuire 
•    Centre d’art La Malmaison, Cannes
•    Hôtel de Ville, Cannes 
•    La Croisette, Cannes 
•    Musée de la Castre, Cannes 
•    Le Suquet, Cannes
•    Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, Cannes 
•    Pont Guilvinec-Treffiagat *
•    Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, Guingamp *
•    Château de Pierre II, Guingamp *
•    Badhus Kaysersberg *
•    Château de Kaysersberg *
•    Mairie de Kaysersberg *
•    Pont Fortifié, Kayserberg *
•    Château de Beaulieu, Saumur, Loire Valley *
•    Astroballe, Lyon
•    Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Lyon
•    Le Palais de Justice, Lyon
•    Musée des Confluences, Lyon
•    Le Palais de Justice, Lyon
•    Opéra de Marseille *
•    École primaire publique Pierre Jakez Hélias, Mellac *
•    Église Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens, Mellac
•    Hôtel de Ville, Mellac
•    Aéroport Montpellier Méditerrannée 
•    Fitzpatrick’s Irish Pub, Montpellier *
•    Opéra Comédie, Montpellier 
•    Beaugrenelle (shopping centre), Paris
•    Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris
•    Château de la Muette (headquarters of the OECD), Paris 

Sacré-Coeur greenlit in Paris

•    Drugstore Publicis, Paris
•    Galeries Lafayette, Paris 
•    Irish Embassy, Paris
•    Pari Roller (street skating event), Paris *
•    Roue de Paris (Ferris Wheel of Paris), Paris
•    Sacré-Coeur, Paris
•    Sleeping Beauty castle at Disneyland Paris 
•    La Vallée Village, near Paris 
•    Hôtel de Ville, Saint-Mandé 
•    Beatus Rhenanus bridge, Strasbourg (and on the German side of the bridge, in Kehl) *
•    La Mairie, Villeurbanne

Germany (29 with 14, new)

•    Funkturm Berlin
•    Reichsburg Cochem 
•    Excelsior Hotel Ernst, Cologne *
•    Lanxess Arena, Cologne *
•    Lighthouse, Düsseldorf
•    Kulturforum Logenhaus, Erlangen *
•    Altes Rathaus, Gescher
•    McKiernan's Irish Café, Gescher 
•    St Antonius Kapelle, Gescher *
•    Rathaus, Grafenwöhr *
•    Stadthalle, Grafing *
•    ‘Fridolin’ the carp statue, Höchstadt an der Aisch
•    Ingolstadt Village, Ingolstadt *
•    Irish pub, Limberg *
•    Alten Küsterhaus, Meerbusch-Bäderich *
•    Allianz Arena Munich 
•    Hard Rock Cafe, Munich *

•    Odeonplatz, Munich 

•    Olympic Tower, Munich
•    Offene Kirche St. Klara, Nürnberg 
•    Heidecksburg Castle, Rudolstadt 
•    Hotel Bell Rock (Europa Park), Rust
•    Königsbau, Stuttgart 
•    Maria-Ward-Schule, Würzburg *
•    Matthias-Grünewald-Gymnasium, Würzburg *
•    Neumünster church, Würzburg 
•    Rathaus, Würzburg
•    Riemenschneider-Gymnasium, Würzburg *
•    Wertheim Village, near Würzburg *

Canada (27 with 3 new)

Alberta

•    Calgary Tower, Calgary
      
British Columbia
•    The Cariboo Sentinel (newspaper) shop, Baskerville *
•    Sails of Light at Canada Place, Vancouver
•    Whistler Ski Resort, Whistler
     
Newfoundland and Labrador
  •    Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, St John’s 
     
Nova Scotia
•    The Big Fiddle of the Ceilidh (Fidheal Mhor A’ Ceilidh), Cape Breton Island
    
Ontario
•    PolarBear Habitat, Cochrane
•    World's Largest Chair, Muskoka, Gravenhurst *
•    Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa
•    Niagara Falls (on both the Canadian and US sides)
•    The Big Nickel, Sudbury
•    Breakfast Television Studio, Toronto
•    Casa Loma, Toronto
•    City Hall, Toronto
•    CN Tower, Toronto
•    Courtyard by Marriott, Toronto
•    The Distillery District, Toronto
•    Turbo the Goat, Toronto
•    The Wawa Goose, Wawa 
     
Québec
•    City Hall (Hôtel de Ville), Montréal
•    Complexe Desjardins, Montréal
•    McGill Tower (La Tour McGill), Montréal
•    McTavish Resevoir (Réservoir McTavish), Montréal
•    Olympic Stadium (Stade Olympique), Montréal
•    St. Patrick's Basilica (Basilique Saint-Patrick), Montréal
•    Verdun Borough Hall (Mairie d'arrondissement de Verdun), Montréal  
   
Saskatchewan
•    Mac the Moose, Moosejaw, Saskatchewan *

United Kingdom (27, with 14 new)

England
•    Selfridges, Birmingham
•    Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh *
•    Bournemouth Pier *
•    British Airways i360, Brighton *
•    Leeds Civic Hall *
•    Leeds Town Hall * 

•    National Space Centre, Leicester *  

•    George's Dock Building, Liverpool *

•    St Luke's 'Bombed Out' Church, Liverpool *  

•    Blue Whale Skeleton of Natural History Museum, London*  

•    Cutty Sark, London*   

The London Eye greenlit

•    London Eye, London

•    Lord’s Pavilion, London *   

•    Tower 42, London 

•    Nelson’s Column, London   

•    Trafalgar Square fountains, London    

•    Selfridges, London   

•    Trafford Center, Manchester

•    Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne   

•    City Hall, Norwich *   

•    Emirates Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth 

•    Stoke Park Golf Club - Buckinghamshire, Stoke Poges

•    City Walls, York *

Cornwall

•    Eden Project, St. Blaizey *  

•    St Michael's Mount, Marazion *

Scotland
•    Riverside Museum, Glasgow *  
•    Titanic Museum, Glasgow   

Italy (19 with 8 new)

•    Teatro Alfonso Rendano, Cosenza
•    Cascata Isola del Liri *
•    Cisternino di città, Livorno *
•    Gazebo di Terrazza Mascagni, Livorno *
•    Piazza Mercurio, Massa
•    Il Palazzo ex Convento dell’Annunziata, Matera *
•    Fidenza Village, near Milan 
•    Il Palazzo del Modesta, Modesta *
•    Castel dell'Ovo, Naples *
•    Castel Nuovo, Naples *
•    Fortezza Albornoz, Orvieto *
•    Il Pozzo di San Patrizio (St Patrick’s Well), Orvieto
•    Palazzo Municipale Orvieto *
•    Leaning Tower of Pisa
•    Castello Aragonese, Reggio Calabria
•    Room of the Riace Bronzes in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Reggio Calabria *
•    Colosseum, Rome
•    Irish Embassy (Villa Spada), Rome
•    Mole Antonelliana, Torino

Colosseum greenlit in Rome

Australia (19with 3 new)

•    The Big Kangaroo (‘Rooey II’), Border Village 
•    Irish Embassy, Canberra
•    The National Carillon, Canberra  

National Carillon, Canberra, in green

•    Telstra Tower, Canberra *
•    The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour
•    The Big Merino Sheep, Goldburn
•    Star Observation Wheel, Melbourne*
•    Victoria State Library, Melbourne
•    Bell Tower, Perth
•    Council House, Perth
•    Crown Perth *
•    Elizabeth Quay, Perth
•    Matagarup Bridge, Perth *
•    Optus Stadium, Perth
•    Perth Airport
•    Yagan Square, Perth
•    Sydney Opera House
•    Town Hall, Sydney
•    State Library of New South Wales, Sydney

Spain (14, with 4 new)

Madrid's Cibeles Fountain shining green

•    La Roca Village, near Barcelona 
•    San Mamés stadium, Bilbao 
•    Tower of Hércules, A Coruña, Galicia 
•    Cibeles Fountain, Madrid 
•    Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid 
•    La Rozas Village, near Madrid 
•    Marbella arches
•    Fuente de los Tres Barcos, Marbella *
•    Puente Santo Cristo del Amor, Marbella *
•    Town Hall, Marbella *
•    Capilla de San Patricio, Pancar
•    Ayuntamiento, Santander *
•    Ayuntamiento, Tortosa 
•    Puente del Tortosa, Tortosa

China (11 with over half, 6, new)

Great Wall of China greenlit

•    Great Wall of China
•    Canton Tower, Guangzhou
•    The Clock Tower, Hong Kong *
•    ‘Niki’ Cathay Pacific DC-3 airplane, Hong Kong *
•    Ruins of St Paul’s, Macau
•    218 Building, Qujing, Yunnan 
•    Grand Kempinski Hotel, Shanghai 
•    Mercedes-Benz Arena, Shanghai *
•    Shanghai Village *
•    Suzhou Culture and Arts Center *
•    Suzhou Village *

Belgium (10 with 2 new)

•    Grand Place, Brussels
•    Anspach (shopping gallery), Brussels *
•    Royal Galleries of St Hubert, Brussels 
•    Manneken Pis statue, Brussels (“dressed” in Irish costume)
•    Burg, Bruges
•    Celtic Cross, Fontenoy 
•    Maasmechelen Village, Genk
•    Irish College, Leuven *
•    Belfry, Mons
•    Lille Gate, Ypres

Mexico (10)

•    Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Cholula
•    Los Arcos (Minerva Monument), Guadalajara 
•    Municipal Palace, Guadalajara 
•    Paseo de Chapultepec, Guadalajara 
•    Rotonda de los Jaliscienses Ilustres, Guadalajara 
•    Alvaro Obregón Monument, Mexico City
•    El Angel de la Indepencía, Mexico City

El Angel de la Indepencía

•    Monument of the Niños Héroes, Mexico City
•    Municipal Palace, Mexico City
•    Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City

United Arab Emirates (10 with 3 new)

•    InterContinental Abu Dhabi *
•    Nation Towers, Abu Dhabi *
•    Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi
•    Burj Al Arab, Dubai
•    Burj Khalifa, Dubai *
•    Cayan Tower, Dubai 
•    Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai 
•    Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai
•    Global Village, Dubai
•    Emirates Golf Club, Dubai 

Burj Khalifa, Duba -- The world's tallest building goes green

Other Europe (90 with 28 new)

Albania
•    Clock Tower of Tirana *
Austria

•    Burgtheater, Vienna
•    Bridges on the Danube Canal, Vienna
•    Wiener Riesenrad, Vienna
•    Bergiselschanze (ski jump), Innsbruck
•    SkiWelt Söll

Burgtheater, Vienna in green

Bulgaria
•    National Palace of Culture (NDK), Sofia
•    St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo *

Croatia

•    Sponza Palace, Dubrovnik *
•    Molo Longo, Rijeka *
•    Trsat Castle, Rijeka
•    Fountains in Republic Square, Split *
•    Church of St Donatus, Zadar *
•    Klovićevi Dvori Gallery, Zagreb *
•    Meštrović Pavilion, Zagreb *
•    Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
•    Zagreb fountains, Zagreb

Cyprus
•    Town Hall, Nicosia 
Czech Republic
•    Mahen Theater, Brno  
•    City Hall, Ostrava
•    Dancing House, Prague
•    Petrin Lookout Tower Prague
Denmark

Copenhagen's Little Mermaid
goes green for St. Patrick's Day

•    Bryggebroen bridge, Copenhagen 
•    Den Blå Planet (national aquarium), Copenhagen
•    GreenKayak clean-up, Copenhagen *
•    Industriens Hus (home of the Confederation of Danish Industry), Copenhagen *
•    Little Mermaid Harbor Statue, Copenhagen
•    Radisson Collection Royal Hotel, Copenhagen

Estonia
•    Vabaduse Väljak (Freedom Square), Tallinn 
•    TV Tower, Tallinn *
Finland
•    Radio Towers, Lahti *
•    Polar Bear Pitching, Oulu *
•    Näsinneula (observation tower), Tampere
•    Sauna Kuuma, Tampere *

Georgia
•    TV Tower, Tbilisi

Greece
•    Stathatos Mansion of the Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens *
Hungary
•    Chain Bridge, Budapest 
•    Müpa Budapest
•    Jedlik Ányos Bridge, Györ *
•    Felszabadulási emlékmű (Liberty monument), Szombathely *
Iceland
•    Perlan, Reykjavík 

Luxembourg
•    Hôtel de Ville, Luxembourg City
Malta
•    Forti Sant’Anġlu, Birgu
•    Porte des Bombes, Floriana
•    Love Monument, St. Julian's
Monaco
•    Prince’s Palace of Monaco
The Netherlands
•    Museumplein I "heart" Amsterdam Sign, Amsterdam
•    Splendor Amsterdam
•    St Patrick’s Bike Parade, Amsterdam *
•    Uilenburgersjoel, Amsterdam
•    De Grote Kerk (and Statue of Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam), The Hague *
•    SkyView Scheveningen Pier, The Hague
•    Windmill, Weert

Norway
•    Mt. Ulriken TV Mast, Bergen
Portugal
•    Cristo Rei statue, Lisbon
•    Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, Cascais
•    Castelo de Torres Vedras *

Russia
•    Central Telegraph building, Moscow
•    Izvestia Hall, Moscow

•    Rossiya Theatre, Moscow *

Serbia

•    Ada Bridge (Most na Adi), Belgrade 
•    Palace Albanija, Belgrade 
•    Hotel Moskva, Belgrade
•    Canadian Embassy, Belgrade
•    Glavna Pošta (main post office), Belgrade
•    House of the National Assembly of Serbia Narodna Skupstina, Belgrade 
•    Narodni Muzej (National Museum), Belgrade *

Slovak Republic

•    Divadlo Aréna, Bratislava *
•    New building of the Slovak National Theatre, Bratislava
•    Radisson Blu Carlton Hotel, Bratislava
•    Andrej Bagar Theatre, Nitra *
•    Chrenovský most (bridge), Nitra *
•    City Hall, Trnava *
•    Trnava University (pedagogy faculty), Trnava *

Slovenia
•    Ljubljana Castle, Ljubljana

Sweden
•    Absolut Home, Åhus *
•    Vasa warship, Stockholm 
Switzerland
•    The Rhine Falls, near Zurich                     
•    Smilestones (indoor miniature world at The Rhine Falls), near Zurich *

Other Asia/Pacific (19 with 3 new)

Japan
•    Shizuoka Stadium ECOPA, Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture *
•    Ise Ohtorii, Ise City  
•    Karakora Art Studio, Matsue
•    Matsue Castle, Matsue
•    Yokohama Marine Tower, Naka Ward, Yokohama 

Matsue Castle greenlit

Malaysia
•    Straits Quay lighthouse, Penang

New Zealand

•    Sky Tower, Auckland 
•    Chief Post Office, Auckland
•    Eden Park, Auckland 
•    War Memorial, Auckland 
•    Christchurch Airport, Christchurch
•    New Brighton Pier, Christchurch
•    Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington

Singapore

•    Chijmes, Singapore *
South Korea
•    Busan Cinema Center, Busan 
•    Busan Tower, Busan *
•    City Hall, Seoul

Vietnam 
•    Pen Monument, Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi 
•    Meliá Hanoi hotel, Hanoi 

Other Middle East (7 with 1 new)

Egypt
•    The Pyramids, Giza
•    The Sphinx, Giza
Israel
•    Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa
•    Water Tower, Ramat Gan

•    City Hall, Tel Aviv

Lebanon
•    Nejmeh Square, Beirut
Turkey

•    Atakule Tower, Ankara *

Other Latin America (13 with 3 new)

Argentina
•    Kirchner Cultural Centre, Buenos Aires *
•    Lavalle Street, Buenos Aires
•    Obelisk of Buenos Aires
Brazil
•    Christ the Redeemer Statue, Rio de Janeiro
•    Cathedral of Brasília, Brasília
•    Teatro Amazonas, Manaus  

Christ the Redeemer Statue greenlit overlooking Rio

Chile
•    Statue of the Virgin Mary, Serro San Cristobal
Colombia
•    Santuario de Monserrate, Bogotá *
•    Torre Colpatria, Bogotá 
•    Cerro de las Tres Cruces, Cali *

Paraguay
•    López Presidential Palace (Palacio de los López), Asunción 
•    Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Asunción

Uruguay
•    Gate of the Citadel, Montevideo 

Africa (8 with 5 new)

Ahmed the Elephant, Nairobi

Ethiopia 
•    Lion of Judah Statue, Addis Ababa
•    Bete Giyorgis (Church of Saint George), Lalibela *
Kenya

•    Ahmed the Elephant Statue of the National Museum, Nairobi
•    Leopard statue called ‘Chiu’ (made from re-cycled scrap metal), Nairobi * 

Sierra Leone
•    The Cotton Tree, Freetown *
South Africa
•    Nelson Mandela Statue, Johannesburg
Uganda

•    Source of the Nile Bridge, Jinja *

Zambia
•    Victoria Falls * 

Closing Comments

As always, I am delighted to hear your thoughts on this. If you have any points I should add, please let me know for the future... or if you just want to say that you liked this (or not), I would love to hear from you. 

Also, if you would like to share a tradition in your family or just give mention to a St. Patrick's Day parade or festivity in your hometown, please feel free to add it in the comments section.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Want To Learn More?

Borgna Brunner, "St. Patrick's Day: Until Recently, More Dallas Than Dublin -- A Short History of the Holiday": http://www.infoplease.com/spot/stpatsintro1.html

Joseph Caputo, "Unusual Saint Patrick's Day Celebrations," http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Unusual-St-Patricks-Day-Celebrations.html?c=y&page=2

Catholic Saints.net, "Saint Patrick": http://www.stpatrick.name/

Mary Anne Cusack, Saint Patrick (from An Illustrated History of Ireland), Library Ireland: http://www.libraryireland.com/HistoryIreland/St-Patrick.php

"Patrician Power," Ireland of the Welcomes, Jan/Feb 2012, pp. 14-19.

"Saint Patrick," Catholic Online: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89

Saint Patricks Day.com: http://stpatricksday.com/

"Saint Patrick in America/St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin," Ireland of the Welcomes, March/April 2012, pp. 14-19.

Saint Patrick's Day Parade.com: http://www.saintpatricksdayparade.com/\\

Tourism Ireland, "Green Lights Go Global for St. Patrick's Day Celebrations!" (March 15, 2019), https://www.tourismireland.com/Press-Releases/2019/March/Green-lights-go-global-for-St-Patrick%E2%80%99s-celebratio

Clip Art Sources

Greenlit Empire State Building, New York: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/st-patricks-day-2019-world-landmarks-green-sydney-opera-house-empire-state-building-london-eye-a8826091.html

San Francisco City Hall lit green:  https://www.kqed.org/news/11428075/whos-behind-the-colorful-lights-at-san-francisco-city-hall

Wroclaw Opera House in green: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/st-patricks-day-2019-world-landmarks-green-sydney-opera-house-empire-state-building-london-eye-a8826091.html
Sacré-Coeur greenlit in Paris: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/christian-heritage/articles/global-greenings/

The London Eye greenlit: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/christian-heritage/articles/global-greenings/

Colosseum greenlit in Rome: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/christian-heritage/articles/global-greenings/

National Carillon, Canberra, in green: https://www.irishmirror.ie/lifestyle/travel/gallery/buildings-going-green-st-patricks-10039563

Madrid's Cibeles Fountain shining green: https://www.thejournal.ie/st-patricks-day-greening-2-3910255-Mar2018/

Great Wall of China greenlit: https://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/christian-heritage/articles/global-greenings/

El Angel de la Indepencía: https://www.horacero.com.mx/vida-y-cultura/monumentos-en-mexico-que-se-iluminan-de-verde-por-dia-de-san-patricio/

Burj Khalifa, Duba -- The world's tallest building goes green: https://www.thenational.ae/uae/uae-goes-green-for-st-patrick-s-day-1.163920

Burgtheater, Vienna in green: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/st-patricks-day-2019-world-landmarks-green-sydney-opera-house-empire-state-building-london-eye-a8826091.html

Copenhagen's Little Mermaid goes green for St. Patrick's Day: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/world-goes-green-for-st-patricks-day-588243.html

Christ the Redeemer Statue greenlit overlooking Rio: https://www.rte.ie/news/galleries/2017/0317/860536-global-greening/

Matsue Castle greenlit: https://www.rte.ie/news/galleries/2017/0317/860536-global-greening/

Ahmed the Elephant, Nairobi: https://www.belfastvibe.com/big-stories/global-landmarks-go-green-for-st-patricks-day/#jp-carousel-23045

Parting "Happy St. Patrick's Day": http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2009/03/happy-st-patricks-day.html

Purim 2022

As part of my ongoing discussions on upcoming religious observances, I would like to share with you that (for 2022), this evening Wednesday March 15 marks the beginning of the Jewish festival of Purim.  As with all Jewish holidays, Purim runs from sunset to sunset, so in this case, the holiday ends on Thursday March 16 at sunset.

Purim celebrates the story of the Biblical Book of Esther.

The Story of the Book of Esther

The Book of Esther recounts the saving of the Jews of ancient Persia from the plot of the vizier Haman to kill all Jews in the land. Haman had planned to kill all the Jews in Persia. He was angered because a Jew named Mordechai had refused to bow down before him.


Marc Chagall's Esther (1960)
Musée national Message Biblique, Nice

Mordechai’s niece was Esther (her Persian name; her Hebrew name was Hadassah). Esther became the queen of the Persian King Ahashueras (alternatively spelled Ahasueras).

Mordechai had thwarted a plot on the king's life soon after Esther's rise to the throne, but the king was unaware of this and Haman disregards this obsessing instead on the fact that Mordechai refuses to bow down to Haman (because this is prohibited in his faith).  Outraged, Haman lays out plans for the slaughter of all Jews in Persia (at the time, home to most Jews in the world). Only Esther had the ability to thwart the plan; however, to do so, she would have to approach the king uninvited, an act that -- if it displeased the king -- carried the death penalty. Despite this, Esther risked her life to reveal that she was a Jew herself and that Haman’s plan to kill the Jews would mean her death as well. Purim is the holiday commemorating this.

Xerxes I,
Biblical Ahashueras

The Historical Setting

While some debate exists over who Ahashueras really was, he is generally ascribed as being Xerxes I who ruled Persia from 486-465 BCE.

At the time, the Persian empire was the largest empire in the world, stretching from present-day Iran in the east to Egypt in the west and covering the entire fertile crescent (modern Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel), Babylonia (present-day Iraq), all of Asia Minor (including what is now Turkey and Armenia), Bactria (including all of present-day Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as much of what is now Pakistan and Uzbekistan) and Thrace (including Macedonia and much of Greece and what is now Bulgaria).

The Persian Empire at the time of Xerxes I

The Question of Assimilation and Communal Loyalty



Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai (1685)
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

The Book of Esther for Jews is a controversial book to the extent that it centers on a highly assimilated Jew. Esther's name itself is one that reflects assimilation to the surrounding Persian culture, deriving as it does from the Persian goddess Ishtar (her Hebrew name is Hadassah).

The Book of Esther is also the only book in the Jewish Bible that never once mentions God directly, a point that underscores the issue of assimilation.  Indeed, the central act of bravery in the book is that Esther might have saved herself by keeping her Jewish identity a secret while letting the Jewish people fall victim to Haman's plot. She is convinced to act only when her uncle Mordechai argues the point with her:

“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther, 4:13-14

Esther, in turn, asks Mordechai to call a fast for all Jews for three days  comes before the king, risking her life.

Esther Before the King

Esther's decision is no small choice. Ahashueras had already dispatched of the previous queen for what was essentially a very small offense. Indeed, Esther is so afraid that she faints in his presence. This is the theme of Tintoretto's famous painting of Esther.



Tintoretto, Esther Before Ahasueras (1547-48)
Royal Art Collection, Windsor

King Ahashueras, in response, asks why she has come and assures her that he will not be angry. By contrast asking her:

"What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” Esther, 5:3

Esther before Ahashueras
Illumination in Biblia Pauperum,
Hesdin of Amien, ca. 1450

Instead of telling the king outright, she asks him to prepare a feast for Haman and which she and the king alone would attend. While there at the feast, she assures him, she will then give the king her request.

When Haman was invited, he was overjoyed that he was being honored to dine with the king and queen alone. At the same time, his joy was dampened when he saw Mordechai sitting in the gate. At wife's suggestion, Haman orders a gallows to be built so that Haman can be hanged on the very day that he is going to meet with the king and queen.

Ironically, the king during a bout of insomnia had been going over palace record and, just the night before, had read about how Mordechai had earlier thwarted a plot against his life and that nothing had been done to honor him. As a result, just as Haman approached the king to tell him about the gallows he had constructed, the king asked Haman for advice on how to honor a special man.


Esther and Ahashueras (ca. 1240)
Ste. Chapelle Cathedral, Paris

Thinking the man to be honored would be himself, Haman suggests that the man be led through the streets on the king's horse dressed in the king's clothes and so on. The king then surprised Haman by saying that Haman should do all that he had described for Mordechai, the man he wants to honor.


Rembrandt's Ahasueras and Haman
at the Feast of Esther (1660)
Pushkin Museum, Moscow

Still fuming with anger over this affront in honoring the hated Jew, Haman then goes off that evening to the feast set for him by the king and queen. At the feast, the king turns to Esther and asks her finally to tell him what she requests and he will give it to her even up to half of his kingdom.

Esther asks only for her life, saying that she along with all the Jews are to be killed by official order. In tears she explains that she would not have asked him had the order been only for enslavement.

Enraged, the Ahashueras asks her who is
responsible for this and Esther tells him that it is Haman. The king then orders Haman and his family hanged on the gallows that Haman himself had had built for Mordechai.. He then gave Mordechai Haman's position, and the Jews were saved and the kingdom well ruiled after that.

Differing Views of Esther's Heroism

For centuries, Esther has been revered as a heroine in both Jewish and Christian ideals. In Jewish ideal, she could have chosen to hide the fact that she was a Jew to save herself. That she did not but risked everything to save her people is the source of her heroism.

While Esther is similarly admired in Christian theology for this act of heroism, in Christian interpretation, she foreshadows the Virgin Mary who would plead for souls on the Day of Judgment.

Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras, (1640)
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia

Artemesia Gentileschi's
Esther before Ahashueras (after1628)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

In current times, however, Esther's status as an ideal heroine has come under debate in some circles among both Jews and Christians. Considcontroversy exists over the nature of how Esther came to the throne. Esther had won the king's favor after winning an empire-wide beauty contest to replace the previous queen, Vashti, who had fallen out of favor with Ahashueras.


In Sir John Everett Millais's Esther (1885),
the artist famously used the Emperor of China's robe
given to General George Gordon as a gift

It should be emphasized that both because of both the fact that Esther was the epitome of feminine beauty (she won the Empire-wide beauty contest, after all) as well as the drama of her story and its religious ideal, Esther has been a very popular subject among the greatest masters of Western art.

Some of the artists who have depicted Esther include Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Filippo Lippi, Artemesia Gentileschi, Nicolas Poussin,  Rembrandt, Jan Lievens, Peter Paul Rubens, Gustave Dore, Sir John Everett Millas, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Lillian Broca and many others.

In art historical as well as social terms, it is interesting to view how artists have depicted Esther over time to represent the ideal of beauty of their day.

Purim Observances and Customs

 General Observances



Megillah scroll

On Purim, Jews around the world read the Book of Esther from a special scroll called a Megillah. Because Hebrew does not transliterate directly to English, the scroll is alternatively spelled with one "l" or two, with or without the final "h" and beginning "Ma" or"Me"). Whatever the spelling, it is the same thing: the Book of Esther.  Unlike the Torah scroll, the Megilah is a special second-handled scroll.

Blotting Out The Name of Haman

While the Megillah is read at synagogues or temples to celebrate the holiday,  whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the readings, the listneners are supposed to drown out the evil man's name. As a result, the holiday is very noisy and festive.

A grogger

The Americas and Israel

In much of the world, including the Jews of the United States, Canada, Latin America and Israel, celebrants use a special noisemaker called a grogger (or alternatively called a gragger or gregger) to blot out the name of Haman.  The grogger is a ratchet on the end of a stick, usually made of wood or sheet metal (put in recent times from plastic as well). Each time Haman's name is spoken, the ratchet is spun in a circle making a loud, clacking sound.

France

Among many French Jews, the noise to drown out Haman's name comes in the form of clacking stones together. On the face of the stone is written or etched the name of Haman. In this way, each time the stones are struck together, Haman's name is effaced. By the end of the Megillah reading, the name has been blotted out audibly by the sound but also visually erased on the stone.

Germany

Before the Holocaust, it was the custom of German Jews to light to candles in the synagogue. A picture of Haman was drawn on one with his name written out and of Haman's wife Zeresh and her name on the other. The candles would be lit at the start of the holiday and the images of Haman and his wife would be effaced as they melted away.  

In a sad side note, the Nazi regime had a particular hatred for the holiday of Purim. Hitler believed that Haman was a great hero for having attempted the first genocide of the Jews, and he proudly saw himself as the successor. The Nazis made a point of using Purim as an occasion for the public killing of Jews. The anti-Semitic Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher proclaimed Kristallnacht as a payback for the death of those who plotted against the Jews in ancient Persia. Streicher, when he was sentenced to death for his crimes against humanity in the Nuremburg Trials, shouted out "Purim Fest 1946!"

Morocco

 In Morocco, Jews bake a special bread called Haman's Eyes (and known alternatively as Einei Haman, Ojos de Haman or Khubz di Purim). 

Moroccan Haman's Eyes
Purim Bread
with Full Face of Haman

The bread is decorated with almonds and contains two hard-boiled eggs as eyes. The eggs are held in place with a strip of dough. It is customary to cut the bread to divide the "eyes" so everyone gets a piece of egg with their bread. 

In some cases, the bread is made into an entire head of Haman, replete with a full face and poppyseed beard (as in the version shown at left)


Moroccan Haman's Eyes
Purim Bread

In others, the face is more something to imagine, with the eggs simply symbolizing the eyes of Haman (as shown at right).  

In either tradition, the eating of the bread is a means of effacing Haman's memory.

It is often customary to provide pieces of the bread to the poor. A recipe for the full-face version of Moroccan Haman's Eyes bread can be found

http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/

Algeria, Libya and Tunisia

Algerian, Libyan and Tunisian Jews had their own Purim traditions, largely lost today.Before the expulsion of the Jews from Libya and Algeria following the independence of Israel in 1948, these countries had very large Jewish communities. In 1948 there were 140,00 Jews in Algeria  and 38,000 in Libya. Today there are less than 100 Jews in Algeria and none at all in Libya. In Tunisia, where the Jews were not formally expelled but suffered considerable prejudice following the founding of Israel, the Jewish population shrank from 105,00 in 1948 to roughly 1,500 today.

In all three of these countries Jews would make an effigy of Haman out of rags and stuffed with straw. They would then light a bonfire and throw the effigy into the fire, beating it with special sticks brought for the occasion. After the fire burned down, they would throw salt and sulphur onto it and shout "Cursed be Hamand and Zeresh! Blessed be Mordechai and Esther!"

In Algeria, the custom of lighting candles on Purim was also practiced, a tradition carried on today by some Jews of Algerian origin in France and Israel.

Shared Traditions

Hamentaschen



Hamantaschen

Throughout the world in a wide variety of countries (including most of the English-speaking world), Jews eat a special pastries called hamantaschen.  In Yiddish, the name means "Haman's pockets," but are supposed to be shaped like Haman’s triangular hat or Haman's ears. Inside the triangle 

are fillings such as apricots, poppy seeds, prunes or cherries among others.  An easy recipe for hamantaschen can be found on Purim on the Net website of Holidays.net at

http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html

The Whole Megillah

The requirement is to read the entire Megillah twice -- once on the eve of the holiday and once on the morning of the holiday. It is from this repeated reading coupled with the numerous interruptions of the noisemaking involved in drowning out Haman's name that the US English expression "the whole megillah" entered the language to mean a overly elaborate or extended account of a story. 

Drinking Alcohol

In many Jewish traditions at Purim, drinking alcohol is – rather uniquely for Judaism – encouraged during the festival.  This tradition developed so that the holiday specifically would not promote intolerance or celebrate the hating of the persecutor; as a result, the tradition is to celebrate to the point that one loses track of the “cursed Haman and the blessed Mordechai.”  The wearing of masks or costumes (akin to the US secular Halloween) also derived from this tradition of not being able to tell apart Haman from Mordechai.

Costumes, Carnivals and Parades

Jewish children
dressed as Esther for Purim

In many Jewish traditions, congregants – especially children – dress up in costume, most commonly those of the key figures in the story. Dressing young girls as Esther is particularly popular, although all figures in the story are common.  In some congegations, there is a Purim play (the Purim Spiel) acting out the story as well.

To add to the festivities, many congregations hold a Purim carnival with games and other activities on the Saturday evening or Sunday following Purim.

Purim Parade
in Ashkelon, Israel

In Israel, Purim is a time of costume parties and public celebrations, somewhat akin to the celebrations held for Carnival or Mardi Gras in Christian countries before Lent. Major parades are held in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ashkelon and many other Israeli cities on Purim. 

Matanot Le'Evyonim

Jews are required to give “matanot le’evyonim” or gifts to the poor on Purim.  Many Jews extend this to mean specifically the giving of meals or food to the poor.

Additionally, in Jewish communities in many countries where Christmas is not widely practiced (e.g., Israel, Morocco, Yemen, Turkey, India), the Jewish community exchanges gifts on Purim rather than on Chanukah.

Conclusion

As with all of my posts on this site regarding religious holidays, this overview is in no way intended to suggest what is or is not proper observance. The sole purpose here is to inform. If you would like to share your own views of the holiday, please do leave a comment. I would welcome hearing from you.

Happy Purim!

Want to Read More?  

About.com "Purim": http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/Purim.htm

Chabad.org "Purim": http://www.chabad.org/holidays/purim/default_cdo/jewish/Purim.htm

Holidays.net "Purim on the Net": http://www.holidays.net/purim/

Jewish Agency for Israel: "Purim Customs Around the World": http://www.jewishagency.org/JewishAgency/English/Jewish+Education/Compelling+Content/Jewish+Time/Festivals+and+Memorial+Days/Purim/Purim+Customs+around+the+World.htm

Judaism 101 "Purim" http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm

Religion Facts "Purim" http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/holidays/purim.htm

Alfassa, Shelomo, "Origins of Noise Making to Wipe Out the Evil Name on Purim," Judaic Studies Academic Paper Series, March 2008,  http://www.alfassa.com/paper_purim.pdf

Clip art sources:

Happy Purim opening image: http://jewishroots.net/holidays/purim/purim-holiday-page.htm

Chagall's Esther: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960

Xerxes I: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/images/xerxes.jpg    

Map of ancient Persia: http://70facets.org/messages/2007/PERSIANEMPIRE.png

Aert de Gelder's Esther and Mordechai: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm
Tintoretto's Esther Before Ahasueras: http://www.lib-art.com/artgallery/17354-esther-before-ahasuerus-tintoretto.html

Esther before Ahashueras llumination in Biblia Pauperum: http://www.bible-art.info/Esther.htm

Esther and Ahashueras window, Ste. Chapelle: http://www.wga.hu/support/viewer/z.html

Rembrandt's Ahasueras and Haman at the Feast of Esther: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Harmenszoon_van_Rijn-_Assuerus,_Haman_and_Esther.JPG 

Nicholas Poussin's Esther Before Ahashueras: http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/marc-chagall/esther-1960

Artemesia Gentileschi's Esther before Ahashueras (after1628) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gentileschi,_Artemisia_-_Esther_before_Ahasuerus_-_c._1628–1635.jpg 

 

Millais' Esther: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Esthermillais.jpg

Megillah scroll: http://0.tqn.com/d/collectibles/1/0/K/z/3/101megillah.jpg

Purim grogger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Purim_gragger.jpg

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread with Full Face of Haman:
 http://www.ou.org/shabbat_shalom/column/ojos_de_haman_the_eyes_of_haman/

Moroccan Haman's Eyes Bread Without Full Face: http://www.secretofchallah.com/site/detail/detail/detailDetail.asp?detail_id=787059


Jewish children dressed as Esther for Purim: http://www.holidays.net/purim/costumes2.htm

Ashkelon Purim Parade: http://www.ynetnews.com/PicServer2/20022007/1037759/ashkelon1_wa.jpg

Hamantaschen: http://www.holidays.net/purim/goodies.html

Holi

Introduction

March 18, 2022, begins the Hindu holiday of Holi or the “Festival of Colors.”  Holi is celebrated as a Spring Festival. Indeed, in Bengali tradition, part of the holiday is actually called Basant-Utsav which in Bengali means Spring Festival. In many traditions, Holi actually begins with the lighting of bonfires on Holi Eve (for 2022, the evening of March 17). Employees, staff and students should be accommodated for religious observance.

Colored powders used
for Holi

Holi customarily lasts three days in most Hindu traditions, although in some traditions may last up to 16 days. Holi is generally a time of boisterous celebration marked by such lack of inhibitions that people are allowed to do all sorts of things they would not normally be allowed to do. These include saying outrageous things (notably the allowable use of vulgar jokes), laughing at others, playing in puddles. Most famously, Holi is a time for celebrating with bright colors. The main means for this is with colored powder that friends and family apply to one another. It is also common to throw colored powder or squirt water colored with powder at friends, relatives and even passers-by. An expression common to Holi is the Hindi phrase  Bura na mano, Holi hai. (Don’t mind this, it’s Holi).

Holi received considerable attention in Europe and the Americas when the holiday featured prominently in the popular romantic comedy Outsourced. The film was released in 2006 and had the two leads Todd Anderson (played by Josh Hamilton) and Puro (played by Asif Basra) participating in Holi activities unwillingly at first and then with great enthusiasm.

Religious Significance of Holi

Religiously, Holi is tied to the victory of Prahlad over the demon Holika, which in itself is a representation of the victory of good over evil. Holi takes its name from Holika.

Prahlad and Holika in the fire

The story goes that the wicked king Hiranyakashipu ordered everyone to worship him. His son Prahlad, though, as a devoted follower of the Lord Vishnu, refused to do so. Hiranyakashipu then ordered his demon-sister Holika to kill Prahlad. Holika had the power to be unharmed by fire and so tried to kill Prahlad by picking him up and walking through fire with him. Prahlad, though, chanted the names of God and was as a result unharmed by the fire. Holika, however, did not know that her power to walk through fire unharmed was only intact if she walked through the fire alone. She therefore perished in the flames.  Bonfires have ever since been part of the traditional celebration of Holi.

While virtually all traditions of Hinduism recognize the ties of Holi to Prahlad and Holika, other traditions also tie Holi to other Hindu stories. Some worshipers associate with Holi the Kamadeva legend in which Lord Shiva opened his third eye burning up the love deity Kamadeva. For those following the Kamadeva tradition, worshipers make offerings of mango flowers and sandalwood.

The practice of throwing colored water or powder has its origins in another Hindu legend, that of the love between Lord Krishna and Radha. Lord Krishna as part of the story applied colored powder to Radha’s face. Also, since Lord Krishna played many pranks on people (including throwing colored powder on them) when he was young, the playing of pranks on Holi also is tied to this.

Some Holi Traditions 

Holi is known by many names by different traditions and in different languages where Hinduism is practiced. While all of these names refer to the same holiday, but each name also reflects regional differences in the way in which Holi is practiced.

Uttar Pradesh

The people of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh bill themselves as the "hub of Holi." This is because Uttar Pradesh is home to the birthplace of both Lord Krishna at Nandgaon and of his beloved Radha at Barsana. Since the entire tradition of throwing colored water and powders derives from the love story of Lord Krishna and Radha, it makes sense that at Holi their birthplaces would be major centers of pilgrimage as people travel there to venerate them


Radha and her friends striking 
Lord Krishna with lathis

The Holi season begins just before Holi with the celebration of Lathmaar Holi. In Lathmaar Holi, women re-enact Radha and her female friends using lathi sticks to chase away Lord Krishna after his practical jokes and teasing became too much for her.

Women from Radha's village of Barsana dress in traditional outfits for the holiday and carry lathis. These are long cane sticks of the same sort used in the martial arts of the same name.


Lathmaar Holi in Barsana, Mathura

Men from Lord Krishna's town of Nandgaon then come the roughly 20 kilometers to Barsana carrying shields. When they reach Barsana's Radha Rani Temple, the men sing teasing songs at the women who then chase after them. The women then hit at the Nandgaon men who defend themselves with shields. The men are not allowed to strike back so that the women always win, re-enacting the success of Radha is shooing off the teasing Lord Krishna. Most of the men escape but every year a few are not so fortunate and are captured by their female pursuers who then make their captives wear women's clothing and dance in public. 

Thandai

The atmosphere of Lathmaar Holi is one of wild abandon.  The air near the temple is made thick with incense and flower petals. Throughout the battle between the men and women, both sexes drink a special cold thandai unique for that day. Thandai is a cold drink usually made of milk, water, rose petals, watermelon seeds, anise, poppy seeds, cardamom, peppercorns, saffron and almonds that is served throughout much of northern India. What makes the Lathmaar Holi thandai so special is that it is laced with marijuana for the day. A recipe for thandai (without the cannabis) can be found at:

 http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-specials-holi-recipes-thandai-dahi-vada-and-more/20110317.htm


Gujarat

In the state of Gujarat people have a special tradition around buttermilk based on Lord Krishna's fondness for stealing unguarded buttermilk and butter from homes. A greeting unique to Gujarat for Holi is warn people to guard their butter and milk.

In Gujarat, boys form human pyramids
reach a buttermilk pot and become Holi King

The culmination of the buttermilk tradition comes in the crowning of the Holi King. In villages throughout Gujarat, an earthenware pot is filled with buttermilk and then hung high in the air from a rope. The boys of the village form a giant human pyramid to reach the pot. As they climb on to one another's backs, girls from the village and other onlookers throw colored water on them which adds to the exuberance of the event.

The title of Holi King is bestowed on the boy who is finally able to break open the pot and let the buttermilk come pouring out. In some villages, this is accompanied by an actual prize, but in many others, being named Holi King is prize enough.

Goa



The Shigmo Parade in Panaji, Goa
includes elaborate floats of Hindu dieties

In Goa, Holi is called Shigmo (or Shishirotsava) in the local language of Konkani. Throughout Goa, Hindus go to their local temples to ritually bathe the statue of the main dieties there.
The state government of Goa funds many events for Shimgo in the capital city of Panaji. These include street dance performances, folk music and dance shows, and most importantly the Panaji Shigmo Parade with floats showing religious scenes related to the holiday. Many of the floats feature huge images of various Hindu deities, some mechanically operated to move and gesture. The parade includes a range of participants from all castes and cultures in the state. These include people performing various regional dances, flame-throwers, acrobats, brass bands, special marchers with colored umbrellas, and people dressed as various deities. This also includes men playing special large drums rolled on special carts and beaten from a distance with long handled sticks.

The state government of Goa sponsors Shigmo events for 14 days, including many outside of Panaji in other towns and in rural areas.


West Bengal and Bangladesh

In Bengali tradition, Holi is celebrated as Dol Purnima (or the Swing Festival) and, as mentioned above, with observance of a Basant-Utsav (or Vasanta Utsav, the Spring Festival).

The Bengal celebration of the holiday is somewhat unique in its dignified atmosphere in observing the holiday. In contrast to almost everywhere else in the Hindu world where Holi is celebrated with considerable abandon, for Bengal Dol's Purnima and Baasant-Utsav the atmosphere is more reserved and dignified.

Dol Purnima Procession
at Shntiniketan, West Bengal

Dol Purnima (also called Dolyatra)  is an ancient Bengal celebration honoring Lord Krishna. On this day, people dress in saffron robes for a great procession. At the center of the procession is a swinging litter called a palki, which they decorate with garlands of flowers and brightly colored cloth. They then adorn a statue of Lord Krishna with colored powder and place it in the palki, which they then carry through the streets. As the procession moves, people blow conch shells and shout "Jai" ("Victory"). The name Dol Purnima means "Swing Festival" because the litter carrying Lord Krishna swings back and forth as it is carried.

Rabidranath Tagore

While Dol Purnima has been celebrated for centuries, the observance of Basant Utsav was actually only introduced in the early 20th century by the Nobel Laureate Rabidranath Tagore. To build on the tradition of Holi in an intellectually and spiritually uplifting sense, Tagore lived at the time in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, and because of this focused his attentions on Bishwabharati University, and started what he called Basant Utsav, or the Spring Festival, there.

Because Tagore was among the best-known Indians worldwide, the Basant Utsav attracted international attention from its very start. Today, Shantiniketan has become a center not only of Bengali celebration of Holi but as a major tourist destination from across India and beyond.


Dance performance
at Bishwabharati University 

The Basant Utsav events at Bishwabharati University involve special shows including major dance performances and group choreography, musical performances and a wide variety of other cultural programming. The Bishwabharati University students as well as local children in the city dress in special outfits of saffron and other bright colors.

Finally, at the end of the events, as with Holi celebrations elsewhere in India, the participants paint each other in brightly colored powders.

Nepal

Nepal, the only officially Hindu nation, celebrates Holi for a full week. In Nepal, another name for the holiday is Phagu which is the name for a sacred red powder.

Nepalese Chir

The holiday begins on the first day with a tradition unique to Nepal: the setting up of the chir. The chir is a long bamboo pole on which brightly colored cloth is hung. Each strip of cloth represents a good luck charm for the coming year.

The chir is tied to Lord Krishna and his teasing of young women. The Nepalese tradition tells of an incident where Lord Krishna came upon a group of young women all bathing in the Yamuna River in what they thought was total privacy. The mischievous deity then hung all of their clothing high in a tree well out of their reach. Some versions of the story say that the reason the women were all bathing at once was also related to a trick of Lord Krishna, who had covered them all with colored powder.

The festival culminates at the end of the week with the dousing of each other with colored water. In Nepal, the colored water is held in lolas (a type of water balloons) that people throw at family and friends. Finally, at the close of day on the last nigh of the festival, the chir is set on fire in a communal bonfire. The burning of the cloth strips serve as offerings for good luck.

 Conclusion

As with all of these religious observance posts, this is meant only as informational. Nothing I have written here or in any of these blogs is intended to indicate what is or is not the proper way to worship or observe traditions.

Also, while I have researched these to the best of my ability, if I have made an error, please inform me. Finally, I am aware that Holi is a varied holiday and has many traditions that were not covered here. Please feel free to add your own traditions or thoughts at the end of this blog.

Happy Holi! Holi Hai!

Want to Read More?

"Festivals of Nepal: Holi," Nepal Travel Guide:  http://www.nepalhomepage.com/society/festivals/fagupurnima.html

"Holi," BBC Religions: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/holi_1.shtml

"Holi," Religion Facts.com:  http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/holidays/holi.htm

"Holi," Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India: http://www.holifestival.org/

"Holi Customs," I Love India.com: http://festivals.iloveindia.com/holi/holi-customs.html
"Holi: Festival of Colours," The Colors of India: http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/holi.html

"Holi, The Festival of Colours," India Express.com: http://www.indiaexpress.com/rangoli/holi.html

"Holika Dahan -- the Bonfire or Lighting of Fire before Holi," Hindublog.com http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/03/holika-dahan-2008-bonfire-or-lighting.html

"Shigmo in Panjim," Goacom: http://www.goacom.com/culture/religion/shigmo/

"Vasanta Utsav (or Basanta Utsab) and Holi," The Holiday Spot: http://www.theholidayspot.com/holi/vasanta_utsav.htm

Clip Art Sources

Happy Holi: http://www.wiseshe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Happy-Holi.png.jpg

Holi colored powders: http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/holidays/holi.htm

Prahlad and Holika in the fire: http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/03/holika-dahan-2008-bonfire-or-lighting.html

Radha and her friends beat Lord Krishna lathis: http://www.bloggermoms.com/wp-content/uploads/holi-3.jpg

Lathmaar Holi in Barsana, Mathura: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110320/nat6.jpg

Thandai: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/slide-show/slide-show-1-specials-holi-recipes-thandai-dahi-vada-and-more/20110317.htm

Gujarat boys forming human pyramid:   http://www.theholidayspot.com/holi/graphics/team.jpg

Dol Purnima Procession at Shntiniketan, West Bengal: The Holiday Spot: http://www.theholidayspot.com/holi/graphics/ghy3.jpg

Tagore: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tagore3.jpg

Dance performance at Bishwabharati University: http://www.theholidayspot.com/holi/graphics/ghy3.jpg

Nepalese chir: http://www.nepalhomepage.com/society/festivals/fagupurnima.html

Holi Hai image: http://www.kamalascorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/holi-hai.jpg