Holi Festival, Rajashtan

Holi Ambush

The sauce

Every spring, or to be more precise, on the last full moon day of March, Indians celebrate the religious spring festival of Holi. Holi lowers the strictness of social norms and caste system, and people from all walks of life get stuck into some serious partying at home and on the streets, throwing handfuls of colorful dye on each other or squirting dyed water using water pistols. It’s also one of the only days where Hindus are allowed to drink and so you can imagine, things get a bit wild.

The stunning colors of Holi

I was lucky enough to be in Jaipur for the festival this year. The day before the festival I was walking through the backstreets, enjoying the cacophony of sights, sounds and general traffic chaos that you associate with Indian street life. I was drawn to some loud banging music down a back alleyway, and in the middle of a small courtyard next to a temple, I came across a small crowd  watching people dancing on a makeshift stage covering each other in dye. They were celebrating Holi early!!

He's definitely on the sauce

Caught in the crossfire in the backstreets of Jaipur

I tried to be inconspicuous  and take some photos, but I was spotted pretty fast (was it the green rucksack that gave it away??). A man with a big grin on his face came up to me and gestured me towards the stage, and by now it was clear that non-participation was NOT an option. We danced and laughed for about half an hour, and predictably I was covered in the luminous dye. The unadulterated joy and smiles on the faces of those I was dancing with is something that I’ve never really experienced, it just felt so innocent and pure. It’s one of those experiences I could never plan for and one that I’ll never forget!

I tried not to stick out so I got stuck in

The aftermath.. and yes this stuff stains

Another Holi celebration at AmanBagh