HOLI, FESTIVAL OF COLORS IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA:
November 2, 2017
Are you planning a holiday tour to India and need some good travel guidance? Then you hit the right button. This article will assist you in planning your tour to India and the festivals which you can enjoy during your visit. You can consult different travel agents to India within your city for your all India tour packages. If you plan to visit in the month of March, then it’s the perfect time for you to enjoy the most amazing and colorful festival of Holi during your time there.
Rajasthan is considered as a gem in the coronet of India due to its rich culture, fairy tale like palaces and with special mention of its colorful and vibrant festivals. It is known as the fourth highest tourist’s attraction city among Indian states and also in Domestic tourist visitors. Rajasthan is day by day becoming a center for tourism and is regarded as one of the best travel destinations of India especially due to its palaces and forts that includes the palaces of Jaipur and Ajmer-Pushkar, desert forts of Jodhpur, Star fort in Ajmer also called as Taragarh. Other famous sightseeing among the tourists includes the lakes of Udaipur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer. Many old forts and palaces have been converted into hotels and restaurants that also facilitate the foreign tourists in staying during their course of tour to India. Other famous spots includes Rajasthan’s Jaipur Jantar Mantar, Mehrangarh Fort and Stepwell of Jodhpur, Dilwara Temples, Chittor Fort, Lake Palace and miniature paintings in Bundi. Many different tour websites can help you plan your organized trip to India so that you can enjoy all mentioned historical venues.
The color festival, Holi, is the religious Hindu festival that is celebrated with full zeal and zest and fun in Rajasthan. An occasion that brings about joy, a festival full of colors, music and dance and fun with family and friends. It is celebrated yearly on the day after the full moon in early March. The festivity is also for the praise of good harvest and fertility of the land as this time is for spring harvest as well.
Celebrated as ‘Vasant Mahotsava’ and ‘Kama Mahotsava’, people are seen dressed in white attires and smearing each other with bright colored powders along with squishing colored waters through water guns and hand pumps. Dunking friends in to pools of mud is also seen which adds to the fun of the festival. Best thing about this fun filled festival is that people share fun and happiness with each other despite the caste, color or creed. Everyone is welcomed warmly during the colored activities of this festival. Not only children and youngsters, but elders also actively take part in colorful activities and enjoy the festival to its fullest.
Special refreshments for this festival include bhang thandai (a mixture of Indian liquor, milk and cannabis), jalebi and gujia (Indian sweets).
Playing Holi in Rajasthan follows different folk traditions. The ‘mali’ or gardener community of Rajasthan celebrate Holi in unique way in which men throw colored water on women whereas women respond them by hitting with a stick. Another is Dolchi Holi that is followed in Bikaner district. In this tradition, ‘Harsh’ and ‘Vyas’ communities throw water at each other’s back through special made vessels known as dolchi, made from skin of camel. Each tradition of playing Holi has its own beauty and fun.
For Holi, there are no walls of communities, cast, race, gender. It’s the time of year for everyone to spare some time from their busy routines, relax and have some fun time with family and friends. According to Hindus, Holi breaks monotony and adds colors to their busy life.