When we booked our trip to India and realised that we would be
there during Holi, the Hindu Festival, I felt butterflies of excitement. Holi is an annual celebration of Spring, rebirth, new life and a chance for people to come
together as a community regardless of faith, nationality or beliefs. This really
appealed to me, as I love any chance to enjoy nature and always celebrate the Solstices at home.
You’d need to have been living under a rock to not have
noticed the popular increase in Colour Festivals all over the world. From
colour runs to nightclubs hosting their own colour parties, people love the
chance to throw paint over one another and celebrate in a multi-coloured cloud
of dust.
Arriving in Goa our first mission was to find a place to
celebrate Holi Festival with the local people but we struggled to find any one
source of reliable information about it. This is partly because Holi Festival is
more widely celebrated in the North of India and because it usually coincides
with the rise of the full moon, so it changes every year.
Holi starts the evening that the moon grows and glows to
achieve its fullest potential for the month, but often people start celebrating
even earlier. In the days leading up to Holi, locals were in a triumphant mood,
drinking, singing and dancing in the waves with their friends. Eager to involve
travellers, they chatted happily and put their arms around us to pose for
pictures to remember the occasion.
There are many elements to Holi, with dance, music and arts playing
a part and when we arrived we found that there had been a week-long Festival two
weeks earlier with street parties and public events. There were also a few
party promoters cottoning on to the popularity and running events for young
party goers in trendy resorts, in both Palolem in the south and Anjuna in the
north of Goa.
However, the colour element of the festival, which Holi is
most well-known for, actually takes place the day after the full moon and is
usually celebrated in the villages or communities with family and friends,
young and old. There is an air of playful mischief that laces the air and you
sense that behind every corner a cheeky, prankster may be hidden waiting to
unleash their colourful stash.
We awoke eagerly expecting there to be an organised event in
the town but in Goa at least there wasn’t but instead steadily from early
morning and throughout the day people congregate on the beaches, in the towns
and outside temples. They wait for a chance to decorate passers-by with a range
of colourful paints that each carry a different meaning.
As we made our way down to the town we were immediately
stopped by a child asking if she could decorate our arms and faces with red paint,
which means purity. On the streets there was evidence of early morning revelry,
with rainbows splashed across the pavements and men covered head to foot in reds,
blues, greens and yellows, energetically chatting and laughing.
We wanted to get a real sense of Holi Festival and so we headed
into Old Goa, which is the ancient part of the state and the remains of which
are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Passing through the villages on the way
to town was the most fascinating way to see people celebrating Holi, with small
communities gathered to paint each other and celebrate.
Designed and occupied by the Portuguese until the 16th
century, Old Goa is home to many churches and is designed on an attractive grid
system, making it feel distinctly European in comparison to the rest of Goa. Down
the pristine pavements, alongside perfectly preened lawns and flower beds,
quaint white churches peeped out from behind trees.
We wandered between the various buildings seeking solace
from the raging, humid heat of the middle of the day. We sheltered in the cool
walls of churches, lighting a candle to show our respect and having great
difficulty getting it to stand up on its own.
In between the sights, crowds gathered and sellers pedalled their
wares, including the brightly coloured Holi powders. Occasionally you could see
a puff of rainbow coloured smoke billowing up above a group and people going
about their day with a smile and stained clothing.
We made our way to my favourite of the UNESCO sites, the Church of Saint Augustine, which is now in ruins. We trundled up
the hill, flagging in the stifling heat but spurred on by the merest wisp of
wind wafting through our hair.
Walking among the heavy stone that meandered in crooked paths of the once grand and proud church, I was reminded of the Lindisfarne Priory
that I visited and immediately loved. I’m a romantic when it comes to
ruins!
After a while, we were baked and decided to make our way back
to the cool shores. Families of three or four, streaked in colours, rode tiny
mopeds that looked like they’d topple perilously any moment.
As we reached the beach small groups of young
people were gathered enjoying the special day and families painted a typical
seaside scene with buckets, spades and ice creams. Toddlers played at mum’s feet,
with pink stripes across their chubby cheeks and produced shrieks of joy as they doused dad in paint and ran towards the sea.
As we settled down to people watch, feet buried in the cool
sand, a merry band of women and their children approached dancing and singing
songs. A little boy ran over with a super soaker and purple paint, denoting
wealth and prosperity, eager to adorn inquisitive onlookers. Unfortunately they
then used that to intimidate tourists to hand over money, which left a sour
taste on what should be a day of community and celebration, but not surprising given India is still a poor country.
As the sun started to set and the cheers, singing and playful splashes quietened down I reflected on the day and what I had learned of Holi. Beyond the pretty colours that make fantastic pictures, it has spiritual roots but with a playful touch that has the power to unite people. Noone escapes the mischief of Holi, not even the animals.
The most enjoyable element for me was observing families within the tiny villages coming together, playing and laughing, shrouded in rainbow coloured clouds.
Have you been to a colour festival or celebrated Holi before? What are your favourite kinds of festivals?
If you want to read about what else I got up to in India you can read about it here and here. Stay tuned for more soon.
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