A look back to some holidays we may have missed. March

March is the month when we start to come out of our winter blues with a vengeance.  On the first, we celebrate Madi Gras. Mardi Gras is a carnival celebration that begins on Twelfth Night (the Feast of Epiphany) on January 6 and culminates on the Tuesday before Lent. The best-known Mardi Gras is in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it’s a state legal holiday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday. It’s the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The biggest events happen on this day. The name Fat Tuesday comes from an old custom of parading a fat ox through the streets of Paris on Shrove Tuesday.

Mardi Gras traditions are rooted in ancient Greek and Roman customs. Carnival in Rome became popular around the middle of the second century as a way to feast and act wild before the sombre days of Lent. They wore costumes and masks. They celebrated Bacchus and Venus and all things glutinous and pleasurable. The Bacchus parade is still held during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

March 2 Lent begins for those who are Christian. Lent is a penitential time with prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. It’s the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. During Lent, devote Christians fast by giving up decadent foods and/or luxuries.

On Mar. 03 Hina Matsuri (Hinamatsuri) is the Japanese Doll’s Festival. It’s also known as Momo-no-Sekku, the Peach Blossom Festival. This holiday used to follow the Lunar Calendar and fell closer to April when peach blossoms began to bloom. Though the trees no longer bloom during the festival, the peach blossoms are still an important decoration for this celebration.

The festival stems from the Heian period when people believed the dolls possessed the power to contain bad spirits. During a custom called Hina-nagashi (doll floating), straw Hina dolls in miniature boats were set adrift on the river to be taken out to sea, taking misery and hardships with them. The Shimogamo Shrine in Kyoto still floats dolls on straw mats down the stream that runs through the temple grounds and prays for the safety of children.

Mar. 04:  The Zhonghe Festival, also known as the Blue Dragon Festival, is held on the first day of the second month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which occurs in February or March. It’s a celebration of the waking of the dragon that brings rain. It was an official festival in the Tang and Song Dynasties.

The Longtaitou Festival, also known as the Dragon-Raising-its-Head Festival, is held on the second day of the second month. It also celebrates the waking of the dragon and the bringing of rain.

The dragon was regarded as the rain deity. The Dragon King or Dragon God is the god of water and weather. He can take many forms. As the Blue Dragon, he is the god of the east and of the essence of spring.

Mar. 16: Purim This Jewish holiday marks the deliverance of the Jewish people during the days of King Xerxes of Persia. Also known as the Feast of Lots–Purim is the Hebrew word for “lots.” Purim occurs on the 14th day of Adar and on the 15th in the cities of Jerusalem. Adar is the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar (February or March). As with all Jewish holidays, Purim begins at sundown.

According to the story, a young Jewish girl saves her people from annihilation and the malice of Haman. The story is contained in the Book of Esther, which is read in its entirety on Purim. When Haman’s name is read aloud everyone hisses, boos, and twirls their graggers to drown out the name. The story of Esther is the only book in the Bible that makes no reference to God (Christian or Persian) or religious observance of any kind.

Mar. 17 St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated everywhere on March 17th by both Irish and non-Irish people. Parades, the wearing o’ the green, and an Irish feast are all customary on this day. A typical American favourite “Irish” dinner is corned beef & cabbage. Another favourite meal is one that is all green, food that is naturally green and food that is tinted green with food colouring. This day is celebrated with parties, wearing green, consuming beer, and a whole lot of fun in America.

Cities do it up for St. Patrick’s Day too. In Dublin, the Greening of the City lights up iconic buildings in a green hue. In London, there’s a mile-long parade. New York has the oldest and biggest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the US. Chicago turns the Chicago River Green, using over 40 lbs. of green dye. Boston holds a large parade and most of the city's plentiful Irish bars have specials.

Mar. 18 Holi, Holika, or Holi for short, is the Hindu Festival of Color. This festival comes during the full moon in the Hindu month of Phagan, in February or March. It marks the end of the nippy winter months and the beginning of spring. It celebrates good over evil.

Holika was a demoness in Hindu scriptures, who was burnt to death with the help of God Vishnu. Holika had an annual bonfire the night before Holi. On Holi, one forgets their worries, and colour can be found everywhere

Mar. 20 Ostara, also known as Eostre, Eostar, and Eostre, celebrates the rebirth of the earth. It occurs at the time at the Spring Equinox (March 20 or 21 in the Northern hemisphere and September 22 or 23 in the Southern hemisphere). It celebrates the return of spring and the balance of light and dark. There are no ties to ancient customs. It’s celebrated by modern Wiccans as one of the lesser sabbats.

This day is also known as Lady Day and Summer Finding.

Mar. 21 Nowruz is the Iranian New Year, also known as the Persian New Year, lasts for thirteen days. It’s been celebrated for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin and the Balkans. Marking the first day of the first month (Farvardin) in the Iranian calendar, it coincides with the vernal equinox, which varies year to year between March 19-22, though it usually falls on March 20 or March 21.

Nowruz is celebrated by diverse communities with different faiths as a secular holiday. However, it remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Bahais, and some Muslim communities. 

February is a month where there is not a lot happening. Valentine’s day is come and gone, and people need a break from the winter blues. Many of us are just starting to realize that we spent way too much at Christmas and our great plans and resolutions made on New Year’s Day are a distant memory.