With Carnival here and Mardi Gras right around the corner you might be wondering how a religious holiday could be so fun.
Turns out, Carnival isn't the only wild religious celebration out there. Unlike some of the more sober observances, these religious "party" holidays encourage the uninhibited revelry that spiritual experience can induce.
Which religious holidays do you have the most fun celebrating? Here are some of our favorites, arranged by their 2014 dates:
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1
February 4: Basant Panchami
AP
2
March 4: Mardi Gras
John David Mercer/AP
3
March 15: Purim
Menahem Kahana/Getty Images
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4
March 17: Hola Mohalla
AP Photo/Ranjit Singh
5
March 17: Holi
Poras Chaudhary/Getty Images
6
March 21: Nowruz
Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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7
May 1: Beltane
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
8
July 27: Chand Raat
Izzah Zainab/500px
9
July - August: Obon Festival
Buddhika Weerasinghe.Getty Images
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10
October 16: Simchat Torah
Leonid Neizberg/500PX
11
October 23: Diwali
Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images
Click through the slideshow to see a pictorial religious calendar for 2014 with photographs of celebrations of the world's numerous beautiful and sacred holidays:
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