While we wait here patiently for spring to arrive, people in
India are already celebrating its arrival – with the festival of Holi today.
When I was growing up, Holi used to be such a fun festival.
Spread over two days, the second day would always be the best for us as
children. On the first day, there would be a huge bonfire symbolising the
victory of good over evil. We would also throw corn and coconuts in the fire so that they would get roasted. The taste of these still lingers in my mouth! But the next day would
be the fun day… we would wake up early in the morning and knock on our
neighbors’ doors and call everyone out only to smear them with powder paint
and splash them with colored water. We would throw colored water-filled balloons on
unsuspecting passersby – some would take it sportingly and some wouldn’t. But
then who cared? We were having fun!
While the festival of Holi has religious significance for
some, for most people it is a time for fun.
When I think of how we used to celebrate this festival in India, I feel nostalgic …I wonder how those days of the carefree abandon of
childhood flew by so quick...
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