Category: Water
Vaisakhi: the Punjabi New Year and Harvest Festival
Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi, is the Punjabi and Nepali New Year, and the beginning of the harvest season in Punjab, India and Nepal. It is one of the major Sikh religious festivals, and is celebrated by Sikh communities around the world.
The date of Vaisakhi is determined by the solar calendar; it is the [...] Read More »
Easter Monday: Angel’s Monday, Wet Monday, Dyngus Day
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday. It is an official holiday in many largely Christian cultures in Europe, Africa and Central and South America. It is sometimes called Angel’s Monday, because it is the day that, according to Christian traditions, the angels gave the message of Christ’s resurrection to the women [...] Read More »
Songkran: Happy Thai New Year!
Songkran, the Thai New Year, is celebrated from April 13 to 15 in Thailand. It is also celebrated in Laos (where it is called "Songkan"), Cambodia, Myanmar, and by ethnic Dai in Yunnan, China. “Songkra” comes from Sanskrit and means "a move or change." Songkran is also known as the “Water [...] Read More »
The Hindu Kumbh Mela, or Festival of the Urn
Millions of people gather in India to celebrate the Hindu Kumbh festivals, or melas, during their 12-year cycle. The celebrations, especially the Maha Kumbh and the Ardh Kumbh, are the largest religious gatherings of people in the world.
The mid-point in the cycle is being celebrated in 2007 with the Ardh Kumbh, or Half [...] Read More »
