Places In India You Could Colour Yourself With The Happiness Of Holi In

The style and the tradition of celebrating Holi varies from state to state in India, this festival of colors brings joys in ways you haven't imagined and the best part is you can participate in the celebrations in the way you like the most. When Amitabh Bachchan sings "Rang Bharse" in his husky voice tone and there are gulaal bombs in the air, bhaang in your matkas and excitement in your veins, there's nothing that can stop you from going wild on Holi in 2019. An amalgamation of different reasons to celebrate - good over evil, the love story of Radha Krishna, good harvests and fertile lands, Holi is the second most widely celebrated festival in India. Let's take you through how Holi is celebrated in different states in India and where you can head this Holi 2019. 

1. Wild Holi In Delhi

Being a metropolitan city, The Holi celebrations in Delhi is crazy. Stocking up of balloons in the days lining up to Holi is a major activity that takes place amongst the kids and the adults. Buckets of balloons are filled and stored to be used on the day of Holi to hit people with. Huge farmhouse parties also organized in Delhi where you can just pay and take your own stuff and celebrate with people who love this festival.  Music, fusion food, a lot of dancing, and so many colors define Holi In Delhi. People drink “Bhaang”, an intoxicating drink made from Cannabis, which is typical to this festival. 

2. Lathmar Holi In Barsana & Nandgaon

The way Holi is celebrated in the birth towns of Krishna and Radha (Barsana and Nandgaon) respectively is insane.
Men from Nandgaon come with the intention of teasing the women from Barsana and the women in return hit them with Lathis  - hence the name 'Lathmar'. The men also save themselves with shields. The day that follows, all the women from Barsana go to Nandgaon to celebrate Holi with the men there. The main celebrations take place in the Ladliji Temple ( dedicated) to Radha Rani. This unique celebration of Holi is popular across the world. 

3. Hola Mohalla

An annual festival that takes place in Anandpur Sahib. Organized by 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh to celebrate Holi, this fest dates back to the year 1701. The male name for Holi is Hola. In this festival, Holi takes the form of displaying martial art talents. Since this is the masculine form of Holi,  mock battles, exhibitions, display of weapons etc followed by music, poetry competitions take place in this festival. 

4. Celebrate it Royally in Rajasthan

Cities like Jaipur are known to have elaborate parades. Elephants, camels, horses and other animals are decorated and paraded around on the streets. There are contests like tug-of-war, beauty contests, and stunning folk dance performances. 

Udaipur has a unique of celebrating Holi in a royal style. The Holi festival in Udaipur spans over 2 days. This day in Udaipur is dedicated to Holika. On the first day, the tradition is for a palace procession from the royal residence to Manek Chowk at the City Palace. This magnificent procession also includes decked-up horses and royal bands playing music. On the second day, an effigy of Holika is burnt is the sacred holy fire. The most famous place to celebrate Holi in Udaipur is the Jagdish Temple.

5. Basanta Utsav - Shanti Niketan

The spring festival was inaugurated as an annual event by famous Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in his Vishva Bharati University at Shantiniketan. A student in this University adorn themselves in bright spring-y colors and dance and sing to the verses and poems of Rabindranath Tagore. Post the musical program, the usual throwing around of colors on each other is practiced. This way of celebrating Holi now forms a major part of the Bengali culture and tradition.

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6. Mathura Vrindavan

Since Krishan Ji and Radha Rani spent the pinnacle of their childhood in the Braj area between Mathura and Vrindavan, they become really important places to lavishly celebrate this season of festivals. One of the ways in which people here celebrate Holi is by throwing a bucket full of flowers on each other. And the second way is when the devotees are allowed to play Holi with God himself with the gates of the Dwarkadeesh temple opening to the crowds a day after Holi. Mathura & Vrindavan are the most-known places to celebrate the festival of colors in North India. 

7. Goa - Shigmostav

Goa changes the entire game of how Holi is celebrated. A 14-day long festival comprising of intricate folk dance performances, Holi parades, boats symbolizing the warriors that left to fight the invaders after Dussehra. Shigmo festival has two variants: Dhakto Shigmo (small Shigmo) and Vhadlo Shigmo (big Shigmo). Dhakto Shigmo is celebrated by farmers, the labor class and the rural population, while Vhadlo Shigmo is of greater significance and is celebrated by everyone together. Majority of the celebratory events are mainly concentrated in Panjim, Vasco, and Margao. Main Goa Beaches also turn colorful on the day of Holi with a large number of locals & tourists gathering on the shores to play with colors.

8. Kumaon Holi

The celebrations here begin from the month of winters. Kumaon Ki Holi is people singing to their heart' content and showering each other is a blanket of colors. 

The Kumaon Holi is divided into 3 categories - Baithaki (sitting), Khadi Holi (standing) and Mahila Holi. 
In Baithaki Holi, people sing classical ragas to serve Lord Krishna. 
Mahila Holi is the same as Baithaki Holi except the gatherers are only women. 
Khadi Holi refers to the gathering of townspeople who come to sing in unison.

FAQ

Q. How to Protect Your Skin from Harmful Colours?
A. Follow the below techniques to protect your skin from the harmful colors of Holi:

1. Apply Coconut and Mustard Oils
2. Don't Forget Sunscreen
3. Apply Nail Paint
4. Wear Sunglasses
5. Beware of Cuts and Wounds
6. Use Herbal Colours
7. Don't Stay in Wet Clothes
8. Stay Hydrated