Jaipur Holi Fair

Holi - the festival of colors - is the most fun-filled Hindu festival. It's an occasion that brings in joy and mirth, fun and play, music and dance, and, of course, lots of bright colors!

Every year it is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March and glorifies good harvest and fertility of the land. It is also time for spring harvest and riotous fun. Holi is also celebrated as 'Vasant Mahotsava' and 'Kama Mahotsava'.

During Holi, squirting colored water on passers-by, dunking friends in mud pool amidst teasing and laughter, getting intoxicated on bhaang and reveling with companions is perfectly acceptable. In fact, on Holi, you can get away with almost anything by saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi = Bura na mano, Holi hai.).

Draped in white, people throng the streets and smear each other with bright hued powders and squirt coloured water on one another through pichkaris (big syringe-like hand-pumps), irrespective of caste, color, race, sex, or social status. Whatever be the choice of colour, nobody remains in their original state at the end of the play. And everybody takes delight looking at the other. Really, the other name of the festival is FUN.

Days before Holi, the markets get flooded with the colours of every hues. This aptly sets the mood of the people till the actual day of Holi. It is such a colourful and joyous sight to watch huge piles of bright red, magenta, pink, green and blue everywhere on the streets. Buying those colours seems as you are bringing joys and color to your home and into your life.

And, it is not just children, but the young and the old alike who take delight in this joyous festival of colours. Seniors too, move in their groups. Their enthusiasm is at times greater than that of their children as they forget the bars of age and follow their hearts. To youth, Holi gives a chance to explore the heights of their enthusiasm as they climb the human pyramids to break the pot of buttermilk and to express their love to their beloved by applying colour.

For, Holi knows no bars, everybody feels it is their right to enjoy and enjoy they do. Songs, dance, drinks, food everything goes in excess when it is time for Holi. It can be said, "Life turns Colourful" when it is time for Holi.