The festival of Holi in India, when people dust themselves with color. Photo by Rajesh_India via Flickr

Blogger Ingrid Fetell points out that on Abraham Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs, the kind of self-fulfillment that leads to joy is stationed high up on the pyramid, a quality that can apparently be realized only after one's basic needs, like food and shelter, have been met. But in India, where poverty is the miasma that hangs over millions, many religious festivals prepare the ground for joy. Holi, occurring around the time of the spring equinox, has its roots in the story of the lovers Radha and Krishna. Krishna's skin had turned blue when a demon nursemaid poisoned her breast milk; later Radha painted her own face out of love for him. Love and color are synonymous at Holi, when people of all ages, friends and strangers dust one another with colored powder and tinted water. Everyone goes visiting to share snacks and colors, and musicians troop the streets. It is also a time to retint the attitude, to forgive others and oneself. "Joy," says Fetell, "reminds us we are human and gives us something to live for."