A vibrant festival of colours featuring gujiyas, thandai, water, and balloons, accompanied by Pichkaris and water guns—immerse yourself in a day full of joy, nostalgia, and celebration of Holi in India. It is a festival that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. The tapestry of Indian festivals resembles a bouquet, with each event deriving a unique fragrance befitting its significance. Amidst this lively array of celebrations, Holi stands out as a colourful ode to victory. Are you curious about HOW TO CELEBRATE HOLI IN INDIA? Don’t worry, as TravLiv360 presents a blog on how people across the country revel in this festival of colours. Let’s kick off with Bura Na Maano Holi Hai.
EXPERIENCE THE JOYFUL CHAOS OF LATH MAAR HOLI IN MATHURA
Ensure you don’t overlook the Holi festivities in Mathura including Lath Maar Holi, Khichad Holi, Phoolo Ki Holi, Rango Ki Holi, and many more. The primary essence of Holi lies in commemorating the timeless love shared between Lord Krishna and Radha Rani. Notably, regions like Mathura are renowned for Lath Mar Holi, where women engage in the playful pursuit of men, hitting them with sticks (lathis), while men carry shields for protection. The streets come alive with vibrant scenes of people dancing, singing folk music, and joyfully splashing coloured water. Celebrating Holi in India is an experience not to be missed.
HOLA MOHALLA IN PUNJAB
This Sikh festival usually takes place a day before Holi and marks a time of community and martial spirit. Originating from the time of Guru Gobind Singh, the festival showcases an incredible display of martial arts, horse riding, sword fighting, and other impressive feats. Hola Mohalla is a perfect blend of tradition, spirituality & martial prowess and offers a truly captivating experience for those fortunate enough to participate or observe. It is the spirited and colourful way how Punjabis celebrate Holi in India.
SHIGMO FESTIVAL IN GOA
Don’t miss out on the ultimate festive experience! Secure your passes now for the unforgettable Holi celebration in Goa. Prepare yourself for an exclusive event featuring some of the best artists around. This vibrant festival of colours, known locally as Shigmo, brings people together for a carnival. Revel in the traditions as the streets come alive with locals playing with colours, singing folk songs, and dancing. It is a celebration that transcends religious boundaries, uniting everyone in a wave of happiness and excitement. Are you geared up to join the Celebration of Holi in India?
ATRANGI HOLI IN RAJASTHAN
The celebration of Holi in Rajasthan is no less than Vrindavan & Mathura. Being the land of mighty kings, Rajasthan lavishly celebrates Holi, where you can witness the traditional style of the Mewar royal family. A night before the full moon, people gather to light a giant bonfire, followed by horse parades & the royal band. The Royals of Rajasthan don a festive spirit and mingle with the commoners to celebrate this festival of colours. Surprisingly, it is astonishing to witness how several places celebrate Holi in their unique styles as follows:
MALI HOLI IN AJMER
In Ajmer, Mali Holi is a famous celebration among the Mali community where the men splotch colours on women and women playfully strike them with bamboo sticks or long pieces of cloth. This deed is followed to bolster the bonds and fellowship among the people. It is quite similar to the Lath Maar Holi in Mathura. So when you are planning to visit Ajmer for this amazing colourful experience.
GAIR AT GODAJI
All the men from nearby twelve villages gather at Godaji village near Ajmer in Rajasthan to play gair a few days after holi. Each village brings its drummer and gair troupes. The picturesque location is a valley surrounded by hills on all sides where thousands of onlookers and close to a hundred players make awe-inspiring sights and fond memories.
BRAJ MAHOTSAV HOLI IN INDIA
The celebration of the Braj Mahotsav takes place in honour of Lord Krishna & Radha a few days before Holi. The natives, in gay, multi-hued attire sing and perform the Rasleela depicting the eternal love story of Radha and Krishna. You won’t believe it as you play in Treta Yug or Kalyug. It depicts the immense cultural and religious way of celebrating Holi.
DOLCHI HOLI IN BIKANER
In Bikaner, people of the Harch & Vyas communities celebrate Dolchi Holi, in which they throw water on others in a vessel called Dolchi made from camel skin. This traditional custom dates way back 300 hundreds of years ago. However, this practice started as a dispute, but with time it became a custom and a tradition where men mainly play this Holi while women and children look over.
The other cities such as Udaipur, Jodhpur, Pushkar and Ranthambore also celebrate Holi with immense grandeur, showering colours in the air, watching traditional dance performances and enjoying delicious food. Now, you must be eager to celebrate holi in 2022. So pack your bags and let’s celebrate.
MANJAL KULI IN KERALA
Every state celebrates holi in their traditional style. Therefore, Kerala also celebrates its version of Holi as Ukuli or Manjal Kuli. The festival of colours is not so famous across the state. However, Holi is the traditional celebration prevalent amongst the Konkani and Kudumbi communities in the region that you shouldn’t miss in 2022. The locals sing folk songs and play with watercolours that contain turmeric. These festivities take place near temples. It’s the only state where you can have the real taste of South India.
DOL JATRA IN BENGAL
In Bengal, Holi is famous for Dol Jatra, Dol Yatra or the Swing Festival. You can witness a religious crowd parade through the streets with a giant sculpture of Lord Krishna and Radha, singing and smearing colours upon each other. People dress in conventional yellow attires and dance to rejoice in this auspicious festival. Why don’t you join this Dol Jatra to celebrate holi in 2022?
DOL PURNIMA IN ODISHA
Dol Purnima, Doul Utsow or Deul is the festival of colours celebrated in Odisha, & Assam. This is somehow similar to Dol Jatra in West Bengal. Gopal community of Odisha celebrate this festival and dedicate it to Sri Krishna. However, the main highlight is Dolagovinda, in which processions of Lord Jagannath may be visible throughout the various parts of the state. So, let’s devote ourselves to Lord Jagannath to celebrate Holi in 2022.
RANGPANCHMI IN MAHARASHTRA
In our last blog, we told you about this festival in Maharashtra. Holi is famously known as Rang Panchami and is celebrated after the sunset. The tradition of setting fire to Holika known as Holika Dahan symbolises the triumph of good over evil. According to sacred texts, Lord Vishnu protected his devotee Prahlad from his father Hiranya Kashyap & his aunt Holika. After completing the rituals, the next day is known as Dulhandi, and people play with gulaal and coloured water. It is the festive time when people come together and let go of their grievances. It is the style of Marathis to celebrate Holi in 2022.
PHAGU PURNIMA IN BIHAR
In Bihar, Phagu is another name for Holi, where Phagu signifies the sacred red powder and Purnima is the full moon day, on which the festival ends. Bihar’s holi celebrations are similar as outrageous as the ones in Uttar Pradesh, loaded with traditional folk songs, thandai and gujiyas. People play with coloured water & dye during the day but, at night, they gather to sing, dance and feast to celebrate this occasion. Why not let’s celebrate holi in 2022 in Bihar?
HOLI IN UTTARAKHAND
You are familiar with various styles of Holi till now. Similarly, In Uttarakhand, Kumaoni Holi is inside the Kumaon region. Baithaki Holi, Khadi Holi and Mahila Holi are three one-of-a-kind forms of Holi in Uttarakhand. The locals sing folk songs and play classical instruments on Baithaki Holi. On Khadi Holi, the local men dress in traditional dresses and dance on Holi Carols. Mahila Holi is for women and is similar to Baithaki Holi. Why don’t you celebrate Holi in 2022 in Uttarakhand with cultural elements?
LAST NOTE ON HOLI IN INDIA
Holi is a charming cultural and religious celebration comprising much more than smearing colours on each other. The festival of colours always spreads vibes of fortune, positivity, freedom, and hope. In this blog, you’ll get a glimpse of how to celebrate Holi in 2022 throughout the nation. Kindly tag your friends who never show up on the day of Holi. Are you ready to celebrate Holi in 2022 with the different unique styles of India?
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Story By: Anoushka Dutta