Holi

Holi is a wonderful festival celebrated on the full moon in the beginning of March to celebrate the arrival of spring. The festival is celebrated first with burning bon fires to ward off the evil spirit Holika and then throwing tons of bright colored powder called gulal at anyone within range!! Ha Ha. Himachal Pradesh celebrated Holi this year on the 10th while other areas celebrated in on the 11th (My 25th birthday by the way!). Since we were traveling we were struck by the flights of color and dancing and music twice! In Manikaran after bathing in the hot springs we were covered with the gulal by everyone. People seemed to take great pleasure on tossing the powder on us! Even on the drive towards the temple everywhere were boys loitering on the streets or rideing in groups on top of trucks stopping cars and tossing powder. It is like one giant game that the whole country is in on. On the 11th, the day was filled with a car ride from Kullu Valley to Armritsar, while the journey was only suppose to take around 9 hours we got a flat tire so it took 12 instead. However, during our breakdown we were covered with Happy holiness again by a group of pink powdered women. Mr. Roy told them it was my birthday and they took a special interest in covering me in colors. It was a memorable birthday and we all spent the day powdered up and sticky in a the car.