India celebrates the festival of Holi with full vigour and spirit, but not many people are aware that the festival of colours is celebrated with equal enthusiasm around the world. Yes, there’s so much love for the vibrant festival that it has exploded in popularity and spread throughout the world.
Thinking of getting in on the action this year? While the celebrations will be slightly muted, thanks to the pandemic, but the spirit of the festival itself is so infectious that no one can help but join in the fun. Yes, virtual travel is very much an option, but until the colours are thrown at you, until the water from the pichkaris hit you, until you taste the myriad of flavourful food items, until the bhaang hits you till you’re tipsy – you haven’t really celebrated.
A lot of people used the convenience of virtual tours to enjoy a slice of the festivals around the world in 2020, but now that things are on the road to recovery, many are hoping to catch up on celebrations this time around, albeit in a slightly subdued manner. The spirit of Holi is to forget your differences and shrug off inhibitions. It is about victory over evil and the current situation couldn’t justify this better. But, most importantly, it’s about having fun together.
The best part is that, to have fun, you don’t HAVE to be in India. Like we mentioned earlier, Holi is celebrated with fervour throughout the world. Of course, the celebrations will be different everywhere, but the colours, the water and the spirit remain intact. So, if you want to spend Holi outside India, these are the places you should visit. Take a look!
- Melbourne, Australia
The Melbourne Holi Festival takes place each year, even though it is autumn in the Australian city. Filled with brightly coloured powders and lots of stalls, there is also live entertainment and lots of food. The festival is free to attend but requires registration.
- Spanish Fork, USA
Once a year, the Sri Radha Krishna Temple in the city Spanish Fork, Utah hosts a vibrant celebration of the festival of colour to herald the arrival of spring. It draws people from across the state who come to celebrate, dance, sing, and play with colours.
- Canada
Canada is the country where a large number of Indians populations reside. I have read that the Indo-Canadian community individually participates in honouring this festival celebration. People embrace the new changes in their lives for a better way of living. The festival is equally celebrated with Indians residing in Canada.
- Mauritius
Mauritius is a small island nation east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, and it is home to a large Hindu presence. Most of the population of Mauritius, of which two-thirds are of Indian ancestry, considers itself Hindu – so Holi is widely celebrated on the island. Beyond the usual Holi elements, like colours and coloured water, participants exchange gifts with their loved ones and give gifts of sweets.
- London, UK
There’s no shortage of Holi celebrations here in the UK. Take a city break in London to experience what’s officially become the biggest Holi celebration in Europe – The Holi Festival of Colours in London. More of a festival in the ‘dancing in a field’ sense, it sees a euphoric crowd enjoy music performances and a flavour of Holi with vibrant colours.
- Nepal
In Nepal, Holi is known as ‘Phagu Purnima’. Although a predominantly Hindu nation, Nepal celebrates Holi somewhat differently than India, with the erection of the ‘chir’, a wooden pole decorated with colourful strings of cloth, in a public space one week prior to the start of the festival. Throughout the course of the festival, participants throw powdered dyes and water balloons at each other, dance, pray, and exchange food. On the festival’s final day, the ‘chir’ is burnt to ashes.
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While all these places have their own respective events, make sure you check whether they’re taking place this year, as there may be restrictions owing to the pandemic. If you want to play it safe this year and not venture out, you can scope out these places via virtual travel, and plan your big Holi trip for next year.
Till then, Happy Holi!
