Students on the Downtown Campus are invited to "dress up" this Thursday, March 17, to celebrate the early spring holidays.

Come dressed in green for St. Patrick's Day, wear white or rainbow for Holi, and/or choose your favorite character shirt for Purim!

Purim in the Jewish tradition is celebrated this year from evening on March 16 to sunset on March 17. It is a joyful holiday that recalls the story of Queen Esther, a Jewish girl who disguised herself, married the King of Persia, spoiled an evil plot, and saved her people from destruction. You can find her story in the Bible in the Book of Esther. Because Queen Esther created a disguise for herself, many Jewish people celebrate Purim by dressing up in costumes, similar to Halloween.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, the feast day of St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland. Born in Roman Britain in the late 4th century, he was kidnapped at the age of 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped but returned years later as a missionary to the Irish people. He died on March 17, 461, the anniversary of which is his annual feast day. It is common to wear green on St. Patrick's Day in honor of Ireland, because it makes you invisible to Leprechauns, or because it reminds us of clovers, a teaching tool employed by St. Patrick to explain the Trinity (whichever version of the story you prefer!).

Holi in the Hindu tradition is celebrated this year on March 18. There are many legends connected to the origin of Holi, but each contains a similar message of goodness, renewal, and love. People of all ages wear white on Holi, and throw gulal (colored powder) and/or colored water at one another, until the crowd is decorated in all the colors of the rainbow. In the evening, family and friends gather together for festive food to continue the joyous celebration.