Toss aside your saris and ballgowns and put on your tattered, worn white t-shirts and sweats – Holi Hai!  March is the time for Holi celebrations in India.  

During Holi, people splash powdered dyes in vivid colors on friends and family! If you think you will leave a Holi festival with your face spared, think again.  A Holi celebration will leave your clothes, cheeks, and heart strewn in a rainbow of colors! Anyone and everyone is fair game in a Holi celebration – children, parents, the elderly, friends, family, even strangers!  Holi celebrations occur in people’s backyards, outside temples, at parks, and even just in the streets. 

If you haven’t already guessed, a big part of this festival is playfulness! Did you know there was an ogress (a female ogre) named Dhundi who used to terrorize children?  One day the children banded together and chased her away. To commemorate this, in some communities, children play pranks on Holi!

To learn more about the history, traditions and myths around Holi, check out our Deep Dive (click on button below!)

Or if you’re ready to check out a Holi celebration, don’t be shy!  Holi festivals are casual, fun, inclusive, and family friendly.  Holi is now celebrated around the world, including in many American cities.  Do a quick online search because chances are, there is a Holi celebration near you.  So pull out your oldest tattered white clothing, and get ready to splatter – and be splattered – with color!