I'll leave it to you to Wiki Holi for all the details but this quote sums it enough for the time being-
Originally, it was a festival that commemorated good harvests and the fertile land. In addition to celebrating the coming of spring, Holi has even greater purposes. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. Furthermore, Holi celebrates many religious myths and legends.
During Holi in India, the general rules of acceptable public behavior are not as they usually are.
For example, I was handed a giant Kingfisher beer before 11am. It was magnificent.
I explain it as the Mardi Gras of India. Drinking and smoking is accepted, less conservative dress won't get you scolded (and is preferred unless you want your nice clothes to be a new color at the end of the day), interactions between men and women can be less "proper", and the overall mood is fun, festive and joyous.
Daisy, Marianne, and I are the last remaining volunteers from our original group and we had plans to celebrate with the CCS staff. We really wanted to be able to go to Earth Saviours as well to celebrate with the kids, but we'll aim for that next time we're in India.
Many people know that I have a radar for hidden cheekyness. I knew that some of these sweet, quiet, reserved staff members had more going on than meets the non-Hindi speaking eye.
Luckily I was right. They are awesome.
When we got to the office...after hiding around the corner for a moment in case there was a sneak attack...we saw that the floor was covered in newspapers and the furniture on the porch was cleared away. They had already powdered each other but their little yellow and orange faces were just the beginning. We had stolen a packet of powder from the office the night before, just so we were ready when we got there.
Daisy and I started sprinkling it on each other like a couple of little girls. Eyes closed, turned the opposite way, just flailing our arms at each other. I got it in my teeth at one point but thankfully there's not a close up picture of that.
So we had some snacks and drinks, told all the gentlemen that smoking is bad for them (but it's just a Holi thing for several of them), took some pictures of our powdered faces, and THEN they filled the buckets.
Then it was a war. It was 7 boys against us 3 ladies! Not fair! I'm twice the size of a couple of them so I guess that's fair enough...but still. Marianne got her hat taken away. No fair hiding your hair. We'd put on coconut oil to try to avoid turning purple for days to come, but that was only so useful as we found out later. And anybody that knows my aversion to greasy things on my skin won't be surprised to know that I didn't slather it on myself. I was taking my chances.
I don't know which one of these menacing characters started it but Daisy and I both got a bucket of cold water flung at us. Marianne, however, was the first one to get a LARGE bucket dumped on her. She was far too dry anyway. Then we saw what the deal was with these guys. We had to get on the ball!
You turn around to fling poweder at someone and another one comes up behind you and rubs it in your hair, you try to throw water on someone with the little bucket and you get a soaking from the big bucket. No one is safe! I began to see Sunil as my nemesis. He's a little bit taller than the others so we're more evenly matched I feel. We almost broke a bucket that we were fighting over. Lalit and I did break the little bucket later. Oops.
They brought out water shooter things and just kept refilling the buckets over and over and over again.
I don't know which Holi tradition came first...the water, or the wearing of white shirts. That's all I'll say about that. My shirt will never be white again anyway.
There was a lot of screeching and cackling and spitting of powder and slightly more mayhem than I expected from grown ups. It was epically fun.
Daisy and I have said that we feel bad that new volunteers won't get to have this experience with the staff. I'm also bummed out that I feel like I know them so much better just before I leave. I still can't quite believe I was in India for Holi, something I've had on my list of life goals for a while now. I don't know if I've ever really achieved any of my other goals before. I should check.
My Indian Holi was the most fun I've had in ages and I still have purple patches on me to show for it.
It sharpens the misery I will have leaving all these guys but it was definitely worth it.
Originally, it was a festival that commemorated good harvests and the fertile land. In addition to celebrating the coming of spring, Holi has even greater purposes. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colors and saying farewell to winter. Furthermore, Holi celebrates many religious myths and legends.
During Holi in India, the general rules of acceptable public behavior are not as they usually are.
For example, I was handed a giant Kingfisher beer before 11am. It was magnificent.
I explain it as the Mardi Gras of India. Drinking and smoking is accepted, less conservative dress won't get you scolded (and is preferred unless you want your nice clothes to be a new color at the end of the day), interactions between men and women can be less "proper", and the overall mood is fun, festive and joyous.
Daisy, Marianne, and I are the last remaining volunteers from our original group and we had plans to celebrate with the CCS staff. We really wanted to be able to go to Earth Saviours as well to celebrate with the kids, but we'll aim for that next time we're in India.
Many people know that I have a radar for hidden cheekyness. I knew that some of these sweet, quiet, reserved staff members had more going on than meets the non-Hindi speaking eye.
Luckily I was right. They are awesome.
When we got to the office...after hiding around the corner for a moment in case there was a sneak attack...we saw that the floor was covered in newspapers and the furniture on the porch was cleared away. They had already powdered each other but their little yellow and orange faces were just the beginning. We had stolen a packet of powder from the office the night before, just so we were ready when we got there.
Daisy and I started sprinkling it on each other like a couple of little girls. Eyes closed, turned the opposite way, just flailing our arms at each other. I got it in my teeth at one point but thankfully there's not a close up picture of that.
So we had some snacks and drinks, told all the gentlemen that smoking is bad for them (but it's just a Holi thing for several of them), took some pictures of our powdered faces, and THEN they filled the buckets.
Then it was a war. It was 7 boys against us 3 ladies! Not fair! I'm twice the size of a couple of them so I guess that's fair enough...but still. Marianne got her hat taken away. No fair hiding your hair. We'd put on coconut oil to try to avoid turning purple for days to come, but that was only so useful as we found out later. And anybody that knows my aversion to greasy things on my skin won't be surprised to know that I didn't slather it on myself. I was taking my chances.
I don't know which one of these menacing characters started it but Daisy and I both got a bucket of cold water flung at us. Marianne, however, was the first one to get a LARGE bucket dumped on her. She was far too dry anyway. Then we saw what the deal was with these guys. We had to get on the ball!
You turn around to fling poweder at someone and another one comes up behind you and rubs it in your hair, you try to throw water on someone with the little bucket and you get a soaking from the big bucket. No one is safe! I began to see Sunil as my nemesis. He's a little bit taller than the others so we're more evenly matched I feel. We almost broke a bucket that we were fighting over. Lalit and I did break the little bucket later. Oops.
They brought out water shooter things and just kept refilling the buckets over and over and over again.
I don't know which Holi tradition came first...the water, or the wearing of white shirts. That's all I'll say about that. My shirt will never be white again anyway.
There was a lot of screeching and cackling and spitting of powder and slightly more mayhem than I expected from grown ups. It was epically fun.
Daisy and I have said that we feel bad that new volunteers won't get to have this experience with the staff. I'm also bummed out that I feel like I know them so much better just before I leave. I still can't quite believe I was in India for Holi, something I've had on my list of life goals for a while now. I don't know if I've ever really achieved any of my other goals before. I should check.
My Indian Holi was the most fun I've had in ages and I still have purple patches on me to show for it.
It sharpens the misery I will have leaving all these guys but it was definitely worth it.
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