When to Go - March

Holi is a two-day festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, as well as the abundance of the spring harvest season. It's commonly referred to as the "Festival of Colors." People exuberantly throw colored powder and water all over each other, have parties, and dance under water sprinklers. Bhang (a paste made from cannabis plants) is traditionally consumed during the celebrations. Holi is a very carefree festival and great fun to participate in if you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.

A week-long festival filled with dance, yoga and live music, the Bali Spirit Festival in Ubud sells out nearly every year. Workshops, cocktail hours, scrumptious multi-country cuisine and a mix of cultures draw people from all over the world to this international gathering in the month of March.

The Shwedagon Pagoda is one of the most sacred to Buddhists in Myanmar and for a week before the full moon, hundreds of people make a pilgrimage to the temple to walk up the steps and listen to the monks who chant continuously. They give offerings and donations to the images and relics of Buddha and compete to weave holy robes over night.

The Sak Yant Festival is a one-day tattoo extravaganza held at Bang Pra Temple, just outside Bangkok. Specifically for devotees, the event is a chance for many to get inked up with Sanskrit scriptures - all from the end of a sharpened bamboo stick. Expect to see some weird and wonderful, almost magical things!