After Valentine's Day, here comes the festival of colors, Holi, celebrated all over India during the spring season. All over the world there are festivals that excite people to forget all resentments and join into the enjoyment of togetherness.
La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on the last Wednesday of August each year in a region of Spain. People throw tomatoes and bathe in tomato pulp.
In Thailand there is a water throwing fun loving festival known as Rod Nahm Dum Hua. Here young people throw water at elders to show respect.
Holi is a festival of colors. This festival is being celebrated from ages since Lord Krishna played with Radha and Gopi as a symbol of love, devotion and togetherness. Then, people played with colors made from petals of different flowers and leaves grinded and mixed with lot of water to be showered at each other. Here mud is sometimes used as a prank and fun among friends.
Young people touch elder’s feet with color and pay respect to them. Those of same age, apply colors on their face and forehead sharing sweets and hug each other. Children enjoy this as a fun-filled day to play pranks with their friends throwing color filled balloons and sprinkling color at others. Even God is worshipped with color and sweets.
The best part of this festival is that we come together giving due respect to every religion, and community with shades of color. Family, friends, neighbor, relatives, colleagues, boss, young, old… everybody shares the fun under the sky.
Holi Hai!!!
In Shantiniketan people celebrates Dol in a unique way. It welcome the season 'Basanta' with music and dance and early morning 'Path'. Young girls wear yellow saris and perform dance in around the 'ashram' to the song of Tagore's 'Khol dar khol'.
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Traditional delicacies are prepared in advance and served while playing Dol Purnima. People visit each others houses and savor the delicious dishes, be it the famous Rossogolla or the preparation of 'Malpoa' (a dessert made of flour, milk, sugar and dry fruits).
The colour, noise and entertainment that accompanies the celebration of Dol Purnima bears witness to the feelings of oneness and a sense of brotherhood and goodwill.
The spring air is still cool, the water cold, but revelers make a special punch of an intoxicant called bhang, which is mixed in milk, to add to the festivities.
Holi Hai ... I can't wait :)