Saint Patrick

I arise today, through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

Saint Patrick wasn't just a leprechaun who could drink you under the table, he was also the figure largely credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. The lines above are the opening of the "Breastplate of Saint Patrick", a prayer attributed to him, emphasizing the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. He supposedly illustrated this doctrine using a shamrock as an analogy. This would really be an illustration of the non-Christian doctrine of partialism, but it makes for a nice story and a good national symbol. Here is a scene of Patrick preaching by David FNJ, and shamrocks by Kreativ Snail and Plucky Duck.

Purim

This last weekend was the holiday of Purim, remembering when the Jewish people were saved from destruction, as recorded in the biblical book of Esther. Here are some video versions of that story by Stephanie Englander, the Cohen family, AishVideo, and the Jewish Outreach Initiative.

Mardi Gras

Christians are currently in the season of Lent, a period of reflection leading up to Good Friday and Easter. Lent typically involves prayer, repentance, and fasting (or other self-denial). Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday", which fell on February 28 this year, is the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, time for one last big party before the more austere season. A few years ago the Krewe of Brickbaron, a group of LEGO builders, came up with this scene based on the festivities in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Madness.

Holi

If you use Google, you probably know that today is the Hindu festival of Holi. This is a spring festival celebrated in India and Nepal, noting the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil, when Vishnu defeated Holika to save Prahlada from being burned. It's a time of renewal, of repaying and forgiving debts, and prayers for destruction of inner darkness. It's become known in the west, though, because after these rituals the people take to the streets to party, and a big part of the celebration is an explosion of color, with people throwing colored powder on each other, or dowsing others with squirt-guns full of colorful dyes, creating great pictures or video that get splashed (see what I did there) across the news around the world. Here we see this depicted in LEGO form by Youmi, Itzlar Chamorro Jorganes, and Marquess Kilian Beck.