Holidays Around The World � march 1 at AGLOBALWORLD.com

Holi

Noel — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:07:15 +0000

Holi Date: March 01

Holi Festival is celebrated in India.

One of the more popular festivals emerging out of the mystical land of India is Holi. The festival that is believed to have had its origins millions of years ago where gods ruled the earth is a celebration of good over evil. The festival celebrates the burning of a Hindu demoness, Holika. The story goes that Prahlad, the son of the demon lord Hiranyakashipu was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was a staunch devotee of Lord Brahma and by incessant penance to his god, had attained the power of invincibility.

Holi History

It was granted that Hiranyakashipu could not be killed during night or day not on earth or sea and not inside or outside the house. When Hiranyakashipu was angered at his son’s devotion to Lord Vishnu, it was his will to kill him. With several measures attempted at killing his son, Hiranyakashipu asked his own sister, the demoness Holika to step into the fire with Prahlad in her lap. The festival of Holi celebrates the death of Holika in this fire and the miraculous escape of Prahlad.

Holi Traditions and Activities

Holi is a festival that is observed with a lot of fan fare in India. The festival is one that is celebrated by all the religions in India. The festival although being associated more with the Hindus than anyone else, is one that is devoid of religion based celebration. The celebrations in the more staunch part of India involve bonfires that are recreated to depict the burning of Holika.

Most parts of India however celebrate the festival by throwing colors on each other’s bodies. The colors are mixed with water and are applied on each other. This celebration originated and was made famous by Lord Krishna, who is said to have applied colors to the Gopis (cow herd girls) around him. The act was done in order to make Krishna not feel down because of his darker complexion as compared to that of Radha.

The practice is a regular sight on the streets of India during the occasion of Holi. The celebrations itself can take place anywhere from as short a duration as 3 days to as many as 16 days long. The festival apart from being widely celebrated in India also has its followers in nearby Pakistan and Nepal. There is also a distinct association that Holi has with love.

Holi is celebrated almost throughout India, except for a few places in the south where traditional North Indian communities are few. The festival also is common practice in Indian populated places like the United Kingdom, West Indies, Mauritius and Fiji.

Interesting facts about Holi Festival
The God of Love Kamadeva is said to have an influence on the festival as well and its occurrence in the spring months does strengthen the festival’s association with love.

Among the places to celebrate Holi is Uttar Pradesh, where the town of Barsana plays host to an amazing display of women beating men with sticks and accompanying the celebrations with songs and dance.

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Paraguay Celebrates Heroes’ Day

Carol — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:15:01 +0000

Heroes’ Day: March 1

Heroes’ Day is a public holiday in Paraguay

Every year, Paraguay (Officially, Republic of Paraguay), one of the landlocked countries in South America, celebrates Heroes’ Day on the 1st of March. It is also known as the Paraguay’s National Defense Day. The holiday commemorates the bravery of the country’s army and famous leader Marshal Francisco Solano López. Moment before his death as he sees his country is overtaken by insurmountable alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, he said, “I die with my country!”

History of Paraguay’s Heroes’ Day

Just like any other country in South America, Paraguay was one of Spain’s colonies starting on mid 16th century. Asunción, the country’s capital was founded on August 15, 1537 after the arrival of Juan de Salazar y Espinoza’s fleet. The Jesuits also operated in the landlocked nation lasting for more than one and a half century until the arrival of the Spanish Crown in 1767.

After waging a fierce battle with Spain, Paraguay obtained its independence on May 14, 1811. Paraguay enjoyed years of independence but is marred by serious political instability and wars with neighbour countries especially Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia. The War of the Triple Alliance, also known as Paraguayan War that happened between 1864 and 1870, caused so much death on the part of Paraguay.

Before the war, the country was estimated to have around 500,000 to 525,000 people; when the war ended, the country’s population was reduced to more than 200,000. The cause of the War of Triple Alliance varies from historians to historians and country to country. Also, the relocation of Paraguay’s archive by Brazilian forces to Rio de Janeiro during the war made history (both Colonial and National) learning difficult.

Paraguayan’s also waged war against Bolivia in Chaco War between 1932–1935 as part of Paraguay’s quest for expansion and control to natural resources of neighbour countries. Indeed, the history of Paraguay is filled with disputes, conflicts, and inconsistencies as each country and politicians have their own version of history. In the end, Paraguay was defeated by combined forces of the above countries which also led to the death of its leader Solano Lopez on March 1, 1870.

The celebration of Heroes’ Day is disputed between the commemoration of Paraguayan forces that fearlessly fought in the battle of wars to which Paraguay started or the death of Solano López who never surrendered but fought the country’s enemies till his death.

Paraguay’s Heroes’ Day: Traditions, Customs and Activities

Paraguay’s Heroes’ Day is marked with public celebration such as parade, public speeches, concerts, cultural shows, among others. Various political groups may also hold demonstrations to remember those who perished in the war. Because it is a national holiday, it is work free and serves as a time for families for get-togethers.

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Marshall Islands Observes Memorial Day

Carol — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:12:07 +0000

Memorial Day: March 1

Memorial Day is a public holiday in Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands celebrates Memorial Day or Nuclear Victims’ Memorial Day every 1st of March every year. The holiday serves to commemorate those who perished in the nuclear done in Marshall Islands. The holiday was used to be called Decoration Day.

The Marshall Islands were named after British navigator John Charles Marshall when he arrived in the Islands in 1788. Several countries managed to invade the Island, from Spain, Germany, Japanese, and later the United States of America after the latter’s invasion on the Island against Japanese Imperial forces in World War II.

History of Marshall Islands’ Memorial Day

From 1946 to 1958, motivated by exploring the potential of nuclear weapons in warfare, the US made Marshall Islands as test site for its various nuclear tests. The US approximately conducted around 67 nuclear tests in the Island which contaminated most of the Island country’s territory.

The Bikini Island, known previously as Escholtz Atoll during the Second World War, became a test site for various nuclear tests by the US (Operation Crossroads). The US conducted atomic bomb tests in the area to determine radioactive fallout’s effects on naval vessels. Bikini and Enewetak, two of the country’s major atolls, were sites for this nuclear experiment.

The Castle Bravo, the largest atomic bomb test ever made by the US in the island caused so much damage and contamination in the surrounding Islands with health effects lingering until today. Marshall Island and the US are in a dialogue for nuclear claims that had happened in the area during the Nuclear test era.

Marshall Islands’ Memorial Day: Traditions, Customs and Activities

People in the Marshall Islands celebrate Memorial Day by visiting memorials and cemeteries to honor those who died in the nuclear tests in the country. Public speeches are conducted along with parade and cultural events.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina Celebrates Independence Day

Carol — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:10:03 +0000

Independence Day: March 1

Independence Day is a public holiday in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Every first day of March, Bosnia and Herzegovina marks the yearly celebration of their independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. It is locally known as ‘Dan nezavisnosti’.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is an almost landlocked European country located in the South-East region of the continent on the sharing the Balkan Peninsula with other countries such as Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, continental Greece, Serbia, Romania, among others.

History of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Independence Day

Bosnia and Herzegovina are identified politically as Bosnians regardless of local ethnic origin. There are three ethnic groups which now exist in the country: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs, and Bosnian Croats. The first ethnic group to mention occupies the largest percentage of ethnic group in the country. It enjoys a decentralized form of government and being government by two large political entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ‘Republika Srpska’.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until its separation from the communist republic on March 1, 1992 after the Yugoslav Wars between 1991 and 2001.

After World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina managed itself to remain stable until it joined the ranks of kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which was later known as Yugoslavia. This proved to be a mistake from the part of the country as it suffered tumultuous socio-economic downturn over issues on property redistribution and unstable politics, among others. The Bosnians were later denied of nationhood amidst efforts from famous Bosnian politicians of that time such as Mehmed Spaho.

Among the political agenda that was made during that time, Cvetković-Maček Agreement was made to the best most controversial where Bosnia and Herzegovina was planned to be divided or partitioned between the state of Croatia and Serbia. The agreement did not materialized due to the threat brought by the Nazi Germany before the onset of World War II.

The battle that ensued forced Yugoslavia to surrender to the Nazis. This event led Yugoslavia to give Bosnia and Herzegovina to Croatia or the then Independent State of Croatia (NDH) during the Second World War. The resistance to the occupation among the Bosnians resulted to cruelties among the ethnics especially among Bosnian Jews and Serbs. Later in the Cold War the Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was re-established and Bosnia was once again made a separate and Independent republic.

In the event that follows, countries which were part of the communist Yugoslavia started to declare independence. Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence in June of 1991. The same year was marked by a call of independence of Bosnia from Yugoslavia but encouraged the creation of an autonomous region for Bosnian Serbs – Serb Autonomous Regions (SAO). The Serbs wanted to stay with the remaining Yugoslavia, so this made Bosnia and Herzegovina establish its own independence on its own May 22, 1992 as recognized by the United States and majority of the European countries at that time.

Two years later, in March 1994, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was created to ease up tensions between the Bosnians and the Muslims and the Croats in the region. In spite of that, atrocities continued with thousands of Muslim members of the federation killed. The civil war ended only with the signing of Dayton Peace Agreement in 1995 in Paris, France.

Bosnia’s dark times led to the existence of a republic consisting of three large ethnic entities: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs and each are recognized as legitimate and constituent people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is generally lauded and accepted by the majority of the people in the country.

Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina is beginning a new phase of economic transformation, changing its current economy to a market-oriented type where prices of food and services are determined by the government under the influence of supply and demand (free price system).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Independence Day: Traditions, Customs and Activities

The independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina is celebrated with street parade, public speeches from Bosnian political party leaders and state-sponsored cultural shows. Since this is a public holiday in the country, most Bosnians spend the holiday with their families or visit the Local Park and malls. Float parade, concerts, and grand fireworks await spectators at night during the celebration of Independence Day.

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Hola Mahalla is a Sikh religious observance

Noel — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:55:03 +0000

Hola Mahalla: March 1

Hola Mahalla is a religious observance for the Sikhism followers.

Sikhs celebrate the festival of Hola Mohalla on the first day of the month of Chet in the Nanakshahi calendar, it may correspond to one day of the month of March since the date varies from year to year. It lasts for a whole week and several activities are displayed throughout the week by Sikh communities that join together to celebrate Hola Mohalla.

History of Hola Mahalla

The festival of Hola Mohalla is marked deeply in its origins by military influences. The word Hola comes from another word Halla which means military charge in English, and Mohalla means an organized procession of an army column, both words combined would mean a charge of an army. Even so, the whole festival is of joy and peaceful spirit. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, during his reign was surrounded by threats, as his predecessors were and many battles had already been fought by the Sikhs against their enemies.

After instituting the Khalsa, or the Saint Soldiers, Guru Gobind Singh organized a day with his forces of practicing fights, battles and poetry contests. It not only had the intention of being a way to keep his soldiers on their toes and ready to fight their enemies, but also was a way to keep the Sikhs attentions distracted from the Hindu Holi festival, in which Hindus playfully throw colors at each other. The tradition was quickly picked up by all Gurdwaras and is today the biggest festival in Anandpur. It is day that the Nihang Singhs, or the ascetic Sikh warriors, that dress with blue robes and big turbans, are seen and revered at the festival as they perform their skills in fencing, jousting, archery and horseback riding.

Hola Mahalla Traditions, Customs and Activities

The day starts early with the morning prayers at the gurdwaras, Sikh worship places. The Guru Granth Sahib is also taken out of its place and ceremoniously bathed with milk and water, after this ritual it is placed back in its rightful place. During lunch everybody sits in rows, or pangats, and eats Langar, which is free vegetarian food served by volunteers. During the afternoon and evening activities the Nihang Singhs show their skills in gatkas, war like displays with sword fights, horse riding stunts, martial combats, archery and battles. During the whole day there are music, dance and poetry competitions. At the end of the festival there is a big procession, like a military parade, with war drums and standard bearers, the procession will visit all the gurdwaras in the region.

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