People all over the world celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. It is a unique occasion. Holi is an Indian festival that represents the victory of good over evil and the arrival of spring. Holi festival does not only spread colours and laughter but also celebrates the love and brotherhood among people. Holi has spread beyond national boundaries. It has become a widely celebrated festival worldwide. This year Holi will be celebrated on Monday 25th March 2024. Everywhere the laughter of people can be heard and palpable enthusiasm can be felt with the extraordinary positive vibes of Holi. But Holi is just one of several celebrations of this nature. The celebrations of colour, love, and rejuvenation of nature are the essence of many cultures and historical periods’. Each festival has its own distinct traditions and customs. Here are some celebrations and festivals around the world that are similar in enthusiasm and spirit of Holi.
List of Worldwide Festivals Similar to Holi:-
| S.O. | Festival Name | Country |
| 1 | Songkran | Thailand |
| 2 | La Tomatina | Spain |
| 3 | Boryeong Mud Festival | South Korea |
| 4 | Haro wine festival | Spain |
| 5 | Chinchilla Watermelon Festival | Australia |
| 6 | Battle of Orange | Italy |
| 7 | Flour war festival | Greece |
| 8 | Paro Tshechu | Bhutan |
| 9 | Oberbaumbrücke Water Fight | Germany |
| 10 | Carnival | Brazil |
1. Songkran water festival in Thailand
The Songkran word comes from the Sanskrit word Sankranti which means “to change” or “to go through transformation”. The Songkran water festival of Thailand is a famous festival in which people play with water. It is believed that the ritual to play with water washes off the misfortune and hardships. Songkran is also called the Thai New Year and it is a national holiday in Thailand. The new year coincides with Hindu and Buddhist new years too. It will be celebrated this year on 13-15 April 2024. It is a festival to welcome the new year with a new start. This festival is famous for water fights in public. It is a ritual to cleanse the body and the soul for rejuvenation. A huge fight with water is organised across nations on the streets with people armed with buckets, hoses and water guns.
Songkran water festival Date: 13-15 April 2024
2. La Tomatina Festival of Spain
La Tomatina is a Spanish festival in which people fight with food, especially tomatoes. It is celebrated every year on the last Wednesday of August in the town of Bunol, Spain. Thousands of people come to Spain from every corner of the world to play this amazing food fight game. This festival is called the ‘world’s biggest food fight’ or ‘World’s largest Tomato fight’. People play with greater than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes on this day. Before 2013 more than 45,000 people used to reach Spain to fight with food. Now only 20,000 people can go through the official ticketing process.
La Tomatina 2024 Date : 28th of August
3. Boryeong Mud Festival of South Korea
Boryeong Mud Festival is celebrated in July for two weeks in Boryeong, South Korea. On the seashore of Daecheon, a city in South Korea several competitions are organised. It is believed that the mud of this area contains minerals and is very good for skin. Mud has healing and anti-aging properties. It makes skin vibrant and young. People organise mud pools, mud slides, mud skiing and mud prison competitions. People play and take baths in mud. They make a large stage for competitions, live music and other different attractions. A small Market is set up along the seashore. People purchase cosmetics made up of Boryeong mud.
Boryeong Mud Festival 2024 Date: 21 July to 6 August
4. Haro wine festival of Spain
The Haro Wine festival of the battle of wine of Spain is a unique festival. The La Rioja region of Spain observes a wine fight every year from 26-30 June. It is also known as the Batalla del vino or San Vino. It is wine combat that is played early in the morning. People throw red and white wine on one another.
Haro wine festival 2024 Date: 26-30 June 2024.
5. Chinchilla Watermelon Festival of Australia
The Chinchilla Melon festival is a food-fest, celebrated every year in the Chinchilla caves Australia. In this fest melon flavoured cuisines are served and races are organised. This festival celebrates the local melons. For visitors live music, giant melon parades and melon eating competitions are organised. In the festival different games, food trucks and melon-themed games and other attractions are featured. It is a fun fest of enthusiasm and spirit. The melons grown in this region are celebrated through the festival. Special melon varieties are placed like specimens with weight around 70 kgs. Activities like melon skiing, melon Ironman, melon bullseye, melon chariot and melon bungee are organised. People smash the watermark with their head. People enjoy live concerts and local markets.
6. Battle of oranges in Italy
The battle of oranges is the largest food fight of Italy. In this event people from a group throw oranges on other group members. It is also called the Carnival of Ivrea. Every year people honour their liberation with this festivity. It is also said that oranges represent the testicles of the tyrant. A large bonfire is lit up to celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Thousands of people from the towns fight with oranges in 9 teams. The carnival occurs on Sunday to Tuesday in February or March. It ends with the bonfire. This year it was held on 11th February to 13 February 2024.
Battle of oranges 2024 Date: 11-13 February 2024
7. Flour war festival of Greece
Every year a unique festival is celebrated in a small town of Greece. Tourists and local people get engaged in flour wars on clean Monday. People wear goggles and come fully geared up for this festival. In the flour war people go crazy and 1.5 tonnes of Coloured flour is thrown on each other all day long. This event originated in the 19th century when there was a restriction on any celebration during the Ottoman Empire. Locals toss flour on streets and dance.
Flour war festival 2024 Date: 18th March 2024
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