I was on the phone with my sister the other day and we were talking about Holi being around the corner! She’s studying in a small town in France and was sulking about not having anyone to play the classic home-style Holi with. We have loads of traditions at home, like making scented water, creating a Holi playlist, and eating ‘gujiya,’ a traditional Holi sweet dish. She ended up telling a lot of her friends about how the Indians play Holi — the festival of colours.
Like many Indian festivals, Holi too celebrates the victory of good over evil. This is traditionally represented by a ceremonial fire lit up a night before the main festival. People gather around the fire, pray and carry out religious rituals. The next morning, communities engage in the actual event of playing with colours locally known as ‘gulaal’ and of course, water as well. Kids, especially, enjoy this festival a lot by bringing in water balloons, water pistols, and whooping with laughter the phrase “Bura na Maano Holi hai!” which means ‘Don’t get mad, it’s just harmless Holi fun!’
After having a long conversation with her, I thought of looking for Holi-like festivals around the world for anyone who has missed going home this Holi :’)
So here it goes!
- Okay, I admit it! The first festival that came to my mind was, of course, 🍅 Spain’s Tomatina tomato festival 🍅. It takes place in the Spanish town of Buñol. While all of us must have heard of this festival quite a bit, kudos to its popularity all over the world, there are some interesting lesser-known facts too! The day begins with a challenge involving a piece of ham being hung on the top of a greasy pole in the middle of a town square jam-packed with people. The first person to retrieve the ham acts as a signal to begin the food fight and the rest is a long day of chaos and fun.
- We’ve all heard about mud baths, mud facials and mud pedicures, now put it all together at the 🏝 Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea 🏝. It is a carnival of ‘mud-filled’ activities that take place on Daecheon Beach. From street parades to painting your body with colored mud, the festival has it all. And the best part — these activities are not limited to the day. There are mud-themed nightclubs and fireworks lasting throughout the night. Have you ever heard of something like that? Neither have I!
- This festival is the perfect combination of sophistication and madness with people getting soaked in red wine in the Spanish town of Haro at the 🍷 Haro Wine Festival 🍷. I think it’s safe to say that Spanish people know how to party. More than 20,000 litres of wine is used by people and thrown at each other, painting the town purple and creating an almost drunken atmosphere at the Chapel of San Felices de Bilibio.
- The festival from around the world that is closest to the Indian Holi is the 🔫 Songkran festival from Thailand 🔫. People throw water at each other and even at strangers! So if you’re walking the streets of Thailand during Songkran, you are sure to get soaked. Since it’s a new year festival, people tie white threads around each other’s wrists for good luck and protection in the new year! They even apply a white paste on each other, just like our gulaal.
Here we have it! Some of the most interesting festivals around the world resembling our celebration of colors. So if you cannot have enough of Holi once a year, travel to these countries and many more and play their version of our beloved festival 🤪.