Gary’s Q&A

Listener question & Gary’s response · Transcript passage

Let’s get right into it. The first question comes from Shelby Frizzo. They asks, “Of all the cultural & religious celebrations that you have been to across the globe, what has been your favorite and why?!”

I haven’t really been to a lot of religious celebrations, and it isn’t something that I go out of my way to experience. That being said, I have found myself at the right time and place and have experienced a few.

I was in Singapore exploring the city when I came across a Hindu Holi celebration. I didn’t really know anything about it, and I had no idea what to expect. I ended up spending several hours there photographing everyone, and it was extremely messy. If you haven’t seen a Holi celebration, it is basically a giant fight with colored powder. The powder gets into everything. My hair was pastel colors for a week, my clothes were basically permanently dyed, and I had to spend a whole lot of time cleaning my camera.

I also happened to have been in Jerusalem during Holy Week. Again, I didn’t plan it, but I was there before Holy Week was starting, so I just extended my stay there to experience it.I got to experience Passover in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. I also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Easter Sunday for western Christians and Palm Sunday for Orthodox Christians.

I could probably spend an episode talking about everything I learned and experienced that week, but those two would definitely be the highlights.