India has always been on the top of my bucket list..and Holi Festival a close second. India to me was the ultimate cultural adventure and it did not disappoint.
For the uninitiated, Holi festival is a traditional Hindu festival that celebrates the beginning of spring, as well as the triumph of good over evil…essentially. The folklore behind the celebration is that Krishna, whose skin is blue, was worried about being rejected by his love Radha….that old chestnut!….and he mischievously coloured her face to her look like him. To celebrate their love story and the coming of the new season, coloured powder is thrown, with each colour representing different things. Red reflects love and fertility, blue is the colour of Krishna skin, yellow is the colour of Tumeric and green symbolises spring and new beginnings.
While the festival is celebrated for the same reasons all over India, it takes on different forms, depending on geography. So if you are intending on participating in this type of celebration, check the local customs of the area you are staying.
I revelled in the opportunity to let my inner Krishna escape and wander the streets with the locals of Delhi, laughing and playing pranks. The children commanding covert water bomb attacks, while the grandmother matriarch of the street cheekily through water bombs from the window above. In amongst all of this colour, all of this childlike mayhem, we did all start to look the same….there was no one without a smile on their face. While the festival itself may be criticised by some as manufactured, in my experience, belonging to the moment with the locals of South Delhi, it is still as real and relevant for them.
Now off to the shower…i don’t know how i am going to explain my technicolour face to my mother.
