I went out this morning: clean pale skin, long blonde hair, light denim pants, white t-shirt (and two white "under-layers" just-in-case-of-water-splashing).
I came back later this afternoon: green and yellow arms, pink & red face, orange-yellow-pink hair, rainbow spattered jeans and a neon camoflauge t-shirt that also tattooed my skin. I was plastered, layered in colour!
Happy Holi!
I spent an equal amount of time playing Holi and I did washing it off... scrubbing face, scrubbing clothes, scrubbing bathroom after the fact. Only slight fear? When my hair was rinsing reddish-pink after the second wash, but no harm done. Except for a patch of un-exposed skin (still) retaining a beautiful florescent-watermelon-with-vibrant-green-dots...
I arrived at the school outside the Rose Bowl at 10:12am and within 10 minutes the lawn, paths and students didn't look the same. I was given a packet of light-green dust (of an All-Natural vairety) and tried to figure out the game. An adult learning to play. A grown-up trying to celebrate a childhood she never knew. A Yes Ma'am being politely smeared with the powdered colours of Holi.
So you may be wondering - music? dancing? organized chaos? What's NOT to love? and more importantly... why? I asked around. I looked things up... and I learned the following:
- there are two kinds of Holi but it's kinda morphed into one celebration, always in the spring. Always on the Last Full Moon Day of the Feb/March lunar month.
a) bonfires lit on Holi-eve for the Holika Dahan (or burning of Holika - a religious story in which God prevails.).
b) colour! commonly played with both dry and wet colour, water guns, water balloons
- it's a festival that equalizes all people (and no one is safe!)
- always to the sounds of the Dholaks (traditional drums).
- sometimes it gets out of hand and people in the streets start throwing less friendly colours... like paint.
- celebrations are bigger in North India but are epic in West Bengal where they start with music and singing at 6am! Also celebrated in Nepal & Sri Lanka.
- things usually calm down by lunch. Or at least by 2pm.
- it AWAYS rains just before or just after Holi. (This year it was the evening before so the colour-dusted streets are fun reminders of my first celebration!)
- at Doon they are still respectful and as I was encouraging one boy to throw the colour on me he advised otherwise "Actually Ma'ma it can get in people's eyes." - good point my multi-coloured-young-sir. Good ponit.
- There are sweets and snacks all OVER the place!
Obviously... I LOVED IT!
I came back later this afternoon: green and yellow arms, pink & red face, orange-yellow-pink hair, rainbow spattered jeans and a neon camoflauge t-shirt that also tattooed my skin. I was plastered, layered in colour!
 |
| Post-Holi, Final Form |
I spent an equal amount of time playing Holi and I did washing it off... scrubbing face, scrubbing clothes, scrubbing bathroom after the fact. Only slight fear? When my hair was rinsing reddish-pink after the second wash, but no harm done. Except for a patch of un-exposed skin (still) retaining a beautiful florescent-watermelon-with-vibrant-green-dots...
 |
| Let the HOLI-Playing Begin! |
I arrived at the school outside the Rose Bowl at 10:12am and within 10 minutes the lawn, paths and students didn't look the same. I was given a packet of light-green dust (of an All-Natural vairety) and tried to figure out the game. An adult learning to play. A grown-up trying to celebrate a childhood she never knew. A Yes Ma'am being politely smeared with the powdered colours of Holi.
 |
| Girls of Many Colours: Where's Lyndia? |
So you may be wondering - music? dancing? organized chaos? What's NOT to love? and more importantly... why? I asked around. I looked things up... and I learned the following:
- there are two kinds of Holi but it's kinda morphed into one celebration, always in the spring. Always on the Last Full Moon Day of the Feb/March lunar month.
a) bonfires lit on Holi-eve for the Holika Dahan (or burning of Holika - a religious story in which God prevails.).
b) colour! commonly played with both dry and wet colour, water guns, water balloons
- it's a festival that equalizes all people (and no one is safe!)
- always to the sounds of the Dholaks (traditional drums).
 |
| Dance! Dance! Dance! |
- celebrations are bigger in North India but are epic in West Bengal where they start with music and singing at 6am! Also celebrated in Nepal & Sri Lanka.
- things usually calm down by lunch. Or at least by 2pm.
- it AWAYS rains just before or just after Holi. (This year it was the evening before so the colour-dusted streets are fun reminders of my first celebration!)
- at Doon they are still respectful and as I was encouraging one boy to throw the colour on me he advised otherwise "Actually Ma'ma it can get in people's eyes." - good point my multi-coloured-young-sir. Good ponit.
- There are sweets and snacks all OVER the place!
 |
| Colour Layer 1 of approximately 7 |
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