March has always been a symbol of rebirth and the start of spring, a joyous and lively month full of colorful sprouts and budding trees. It’s not just mother nature who brings new life to the new year- many cultures around the world celebrate the start of spring as well as other traditions in the fabulous month of March.
Mardi Gras and Carnaval
Often confused as being another name for Carnaval, Mardi Gras is actually only a small part of Carnaval, but the most celebrated and most important day of Carnaval, and the final one. This famous radiant and masked holiday that we all know by the French translation, “Fat Tuesday,” has origins going all the way back to ancient Europe. It started in Rome as a Pagan festival, and is often thought to have been derived from the other Roman festival, Saturnalia, which 
celebrates the coming of spring. The tradition has changed and been taken in by different ethnicities and cultures everywhere. In 1703, French settlers held the first recorded and organized celebration of Mardi Gras in what is now known as Mobile, Alabama. In present day times, it is often celebrated as a Christian holiday. It is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the end of the pre-Lenten season and the beginning of the 40-day lent period. This year it lands on March 4th of 2025.
Today, Mardi Gras is commonly celebrated in New Orleans, Louisiana, with huge parades, flamboyant floats, and dazzling dancers. Bringing almost 1.5 million people to New Orleans every year, it’s certainly a gorgeous celebration that is worth taking a trip to see. Year after year, different “krewes”, or large groups of people or organizations put together floats or marches to go into the parades or balls. Sometimes even “super” krewes participate, having over or around 1,000 active members that choreograph together to put on spectacular large-scale mandala effects or incredible movements full of color. Some krewes that often participate in Mardi Gras are Mistick Krewe, Krewe of Proteus, Rex, Zulu, Twelfth Night Revelers, and the Knights of Momus. As far as Carnaval goes, it is most famously celebrated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Samba dancers flood the streets most every day, parading with festive colors and fancy feathers.
Holi
Holi is famous for its vibrant colors and messy festivities. But in case you don’t know anything about this holiday, Holi is a Hindu tradition to celebrate the coming of spring, the defeat of good over evil, and in general it’s a time for joy and happiness. It is celebrated commonly all across India, its date coinciding with the full moon in the Hindu lunar month, Phalguna- this year landing on March 13th and 14th.
However, this is no average festival. For the first day of two they celebrate with bonfires, until the second day, when tons of colorful powder and water is flung and sprayed everywhere, and people are coated in every vibrant color imaginable. This colored powder is called gulal, and it is produced by a small company in India. Radha Kishan Color World produces over 2,000 tons of gulal annually, churning out over 600 pounds each day.
Valencia Fallas
If we’re talking about showy holidays- Fallas is a good one. This tradition originated in Valencia, Spain, taking place from March 1st through March 19th, although the main five days are from March 15th-19th. This holiday takes place in order to celebrate the coming of spring, and is inspired by the way that carpenters used to burn scraps of wood in tradition of the start of the new season, as well as being in honor of Saint Joseph’s Day. But today, this holiday has ramped up quite a lot, and this festival has a much larger scale than in the past.
Every year, massive and intricate paper-mache and wood sculptures called falla, ranging from up to 100 feet tall (around the height of a 5-7 story building) are constructed and displayed for the entirety of the Fallas festival. Before the main event can begin, la Nit del Foc (Night of Fire), a massive, jaw-dropping fireworks display, takes place the day on March 18th. On the final day, the falla of the year, 100-some feet tall of sculptural wood and colorful art is set on fire and burned in commemoration of the ancient practices of carpenters.
Pasifika Festival
Even all the way in Auckland, New Zealand there are cultures that celebrate March with color. However, New Zealand isn’t celebrating the coming of spring or religion- they’re choosing to celebrate the cultures themselves that live there. Although it varies on the exact date, the Pasifika Festival often takes place in Western Springs Lakeside Park. The island of New Zealand has eight iconic Pacific ethnicity villages that prepare to showcase different cultures, soul foods, and dances there.
These villages celebrate the main Pacific ethnicities of the island, which includes Samoan, Cook Islands Māori, Tongan, Niuean, Fijian, Tokelauan, Tuvaluan, and Kiribati. The main ethnic group that lives in New Zealand is the Samoans, and in 2013, they had a population of 144,141, which has since increased to over 238,900. They make up over 4% of the entire population of New Zealand. The Samoans celebrate Pasifika with dances like Sasa and Fa’ataupati (traditional Samoan slap dance), and serving traditional food as well as opening workshops and interactive experiences that educate people about Samoan wood carving and storytelling.
Grape Harvest Festival
Down in Western South America, The Grape Harvest Festival; also known as “The Vindimas” , is celebrated in Chile’s wine regions. The heart of these festivals are held in Chile’s central regions, in valleys like Casablanca, Colchagua, and Maipo, all near the capital of Santiago. The Vindimas brings together people from all over to honor the hard work of vineyard laborers, and the creation of wine. This festival takes place sometimes in March, but majority in April during the grape harvest season. Each country celebrates their own individual festivals, with their own unique traditions and activities, such as the Maipo Valley Vendimia, the Casablanca Vendimia, or the Colchagua Vendimia.
During the Grape Harvest Festival, the most common activities that occur are wine tasting, folkloric performances, culinary foods, handcraft displays, and local market stalls. Some specific events that take place are Grape Stomping, and the crowning of “The Vendimia Queen”. Grape Stomping is quite clear, people gather together and stomp grapes in order to create juice-as a way to honor the harvesting. The crowning of The Vendimia Queen is when a young woman embodies grace, beauty, and connection to the grape harvesting. The candidates for the Queen of Vendimia are carried on huge floats decorated with an assortment of grapes and flowers.
No matter what you celebrate- March is a time for joy and festivity, whether you see it as a celebration of the coming of spring, a celebration of religion, culture, or anything else! What holidays do you celebrate this month? Let us know in the comments on the right side!
