Be ready for a splash of colours! Green, blue, shades of violet and happiness from around the world. A celebration of colours like no other, this article will capture your imagination and leave you surprised. People from across the planet have their own unique style of celebrating the hues. Let's take a look at the various counterparts of Holi around the world.
Les Boules Roses, Aires Libres
Canadian landscape architect, Claude Cormier, created a piece that features 200,000 resin balls in three sizes and five tons of pink for the Aires Libres summer celebration that turns Sainte-Catherine Street East into a vision of pretty pink. The rows of balls are hung through the trees in nine different suspension patterns at wavering heights. A magical canopy stretching over 1km between St. Hubert and Papineau streets is stunning to the eyes. The many shades of pink turn the street into a cheerful sight!
Lei day (Celebration of Colour)
On first of May, Hawaii celebrates 'Lei Day', a celebration that is an integral part of their culture. Lei is the fragrant and colourful flower garland worn around the neck, symbolic of the Hawaiian culture. It looks beautiful and is eye candy for every colour-lover. It stands for friendship, respect and love. The celebrations are full of music, lei-making competitions, the coronation of a Lei Queen and her court, hula. From pure white tuberose leis to ornate magenta orchid ones, there is a lei for everyone!
Papel Picado
Papel Picado is a Mexican festive decoration that translates to "perforated paper". Beautiful intricate designs are cut from colourful tissue paper or plastic and are put out on streets by artists. These handmade cut-outs look gorgeous and add an artistic touch to celebrations. The colours are carefully chosen. Sky blue or pink and white stand for celebrations in honour of the Virgin Mary, yellow and white for patron saints, vibrant pink, orange and purple are the key tones for ofrendas (offerings) associated with the Day of the Dead. Shades of purple are also widely used for Easter. The colours of the Mexican flag – red, white and green – are set aside for revering the nation's patroness, La Virgen de Guadalupe, as well as for commemorating Independence Day on 16th, September. Rainbow hues are mostly used for Christmas.
Saint Patrick's Day
On March 17th, the world looks green with shamrocks, leprechauns and four-leaf clovers as Ireland celebrates Saint Patrick's day. No other country celebrates green like Ireland. The country is known as the Emerald Isle, with its rich mountains and lush landscapes that represent green in its truest spirit. Interestingly, blue was the traditional colour of Ireland and Saint Patrick. Even today, Saint Patrick's blue (a sky blue) and Presidential Blue (a dark shade) are the official colours of the Government of Ireland. The original Ireland flag as well as the current Coat of Arms and the Standard of the President of Ireland feature a gold Irish harp on a Saint Patrick's blue background. There are plenty of theories of how green took over but most agree that Saint Patrick used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity to Irish pagans which forever linked wearing the green symbol to the holiday. But today, Saint Patrick's Day is a celebration dipped in shades of bright green and unmatched vigour.
