Holi one of the most romantic and exuberant festivals of India transcends the religious and geographical boundaries. No typical Bollywood movie is complete without a song sequence of Holi. Though Holi is a festival which spells out the spirit of undulating fun but the experience is totally different in different parts of India.
We bring to you The Other Home recommended 5 top destinations for Holi.
1 Barsane Ki Holi – Mathura and Vrindavan
The famous Lath Mar Holi is their way of celebrating in Barsana.
Holi is a 40 days long celebration here during the 40 days prior to the main Holi day. Dancers from various parts of India gather to put up shows depicting Krishna Raas with Gopis. It begins when Radha along with other Gopis invite Krishna to come to Barsana to play Holi. When they come to play Holi they are in mood of light hearted flirtatious Holi and their advances are resisted by the Gopis with sticks. This Holi is a treat to play and experience and tourists in thousands come to experience this life time moment.
2 The Urbanite Tinge – Delhi
Holi Party in Delhi
Any festival gains momentum and magnificence in Delhi and Holi is no exception. There are the most exclusive farm house parties in Delhi with best of food and drinks and if you are lucky to get invited to any such party be sure to catch a few Page 3 celebrities here. However if you are not so Lucky, for us less mortals there is Holi Cow festival- a festival of color, music and madness, just outside Delhi. The environment is safe, and non-toxic colors are provided, along with bhang lassi, street food, and sprinklers to get everyone in the mood. Both DJs and bands perform. Plenty of expats, as well as locals, attend.
3 Elephant Festival – Jaipur
Jaipur Elephant Festival
The Holi festivities starts a day before actual Holi with elephant festival in early evening from 4 pm until 7 pm. The traditional procession of decorated elephants passes through the streets of Jaipur. The elephants proudly parade up and down, like catwalk models, to an appreciative crowd. Elephant beauty contests, folk dances, and tug-of-war between elephants, locals and foreigners are all regular events. If you’re lucky, you might even get to play Holi while riding an elephant. In the evening, fireworks light the sky.
4. Vasanta Utsav – Shantinekatan
Open-air school at Shantiniketan (Photo: Country Roads)
Rabindra Nath Tagore started the celebration of Holi as Vasanta Utsav in Shantiniketan. This has become a truly cultural festival with students dressing up in spring colors and putting on a huge cultural program for visitors, including dances choreographed to Tagore’s songs. This is followed by the usual playing with colors. Here the festivities start 1 day before the celebration of festival all over the country.
5 Tribal Twist – Purulia West Bengal
Holi at Purulia (Photo: Sourabh)
This also starts a day earlier then Holi and lasts for 3 days. Tourists get to sing and play Holi with the locals, as well as enjoy a wide variety of unique folk art. This includes the remarkable Chhau dance, Darbari Jhumur, Natua dance, and songs of West Bengal‘s wandering Baul musicians. What makes the festival special is that it’s organized by villagers as a way of helping sustain themselves. The location is around 5-6 hours by train from Kolkata.
If you want to be notified next time, subscribe to the RSS Feed or say hello via Twitter @theotherhome. You can plan your dream holiday with us, visit The Other Home.
No comments:
Post a Comment