Holi fun in the holy land of Krishna

Don't duck this year's festival of colour - make the most of the traditional celebrations.

Most people celebrate the festival of Holi for one day only. But that’s not applicable in Mathura and Vrindavan, the birthplace and home ground of Lord Krishna. The festivities begin here a month in advance, right after Basant Panchami.

Holi celebrations are extremely grand and exciting in this part of the country. It’s said that it’s here that the festival originated — and it’s here that people celebrate it with utmost fervour.

The festival is actually known as Brij Holi and people from all over India, and even from abroad, come to these sacred places to witness the celebrations.

There are various forms of Holi celebrated in Vrindavan. One of them is Lathmaar Holi, where women beat men with sticks to prevent themselves from being teased! This type of Holi is actually celebrated in a small village near Vrindavan called Barsana, which is the birthplace of Krishna’s lover Radha.

If you want a unique song-and-dance celebration for Holi, then Vrindavan is the place to go. Various tour operators are offering special packages designed around Holi, starting at Rs 6,000 for four days and three nights.

Holi in West Bengal is celebrated more traditionally, especially in Rabindranath Tagore’s refuge of Santiniketan. People here dress up specially in saffron-coloured clothes, and there is the whole song and dance routine. The use of liquid colours is forbidden here, and only dry gulal and the auspicious black abhir is smeared.

Holi is also known as the Dol Yatra in these parts, and the idols of Krishna and Radha are placed on swings. People then take turns to swing the idols and dance around them. In Orissa, too, similar traditions are followed.

In Manipur, the festivities continue for six days, and the festival is also known as the Yaosang festival. It commences with the Thabal Chongba — moonlight dance where, people gather to celebrate the festival. Here, instead of a pyre, a hut is built and set ablaze. Processions are taken out on the day of Holi, and thousands of devotees participate in them.

Of course, if these are far too traditional options for you, then you can opt for the Holi parties which have become fairly common in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. Instead of bhaang, though, you will be sipping on champagne. The choice is yours!