Sneak out of your home on 17th March, 2014 if you happen to stay in India, and you will get to know what Holi – India’s festival of colours – is all about. Chances are that you will be able to see faces smeared with colours, the atmosphere laden with powdered colours being thrown in celebration, delicious snacks and sweets, and of course, the ‘bhaang’ to get you heady and in the mood.

It is often said and also felt that Holi, apart from being the festival of colours, is also like a celebration of life in itself. If you want to make friends with strangers or even persons who have once been your enemies, Holi is the best occasion to do so. It’s amazing to see what colours can do to your life. Even the otherwise strict-looking gentleman of your neighbourhood can be seen smiling and immersing himself fully in the enjoyment and fun that Holi brings with it.

The evening prior to Holi is spent performing the customary rituals where the almighty is worshipped and the ‘Holika Dahan’ tradition is carried out. Both the young and the elderly thereafter eagerly look forward to playing with colours on the morning next. Bright colours ranging from pink, yellow to even more darker ones such as dark blue and green become the favourite ones to play with. One can play with colours either in their powdered form (‘gulaal’) or by mixing them in water. Buckets and buckets of coloured water are then made ready for the Holi celebrations. What follows next is absolutely splendid ! No person out there is spared. Come what may, everybody should be given a good dash of the colours of this wonderful festival.

On the evening of the playing day, all persons of the locality gather for a warm get-together where they share Holi greetings with each other and have Dinner. Each and every person in this world should come to India at least once during this time of the year to witness and experience the joy of Holi celebrations.

Happy Holi !