Deemed the most colorful festival in the world, you’ve probably heard of Holi, added it your bucket list, and are hopefully reading this while planning your trip. If you haven’t heard of it, don’t worry! You’re still in the right place and I’m sure you’ll be convinced of adding it to your travel list shortly after.

Earlier this year, I was fortunate to visit India during Holi with my boyfriend, Manuel. Having it on both our bucket lists, it seemed like fate when we found out that it fell on the same week as his spring break from university. With some last minute planning, we were able to pull it off and now have memories that will last us a lifetime.

Here i’m excited to share our experience and some helpful tips to help plan your trip!

WHAT IS HOLI?

Holi is a traditional Hindu festival that signifies the end of winter and the coming of spring. It commemorates the victory of good over evil. The festivities take place over a span of two days and come from Hindu legends.

The evening of the first day is known as, Holika Dahan.  During this time large bonfires are burned through out the city to signify the the death of Holika, an evil princess. Symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

The following day is Rangwali Holi – which is the better known part of the festivities. This is when everyone gathers in public spaces to party and of course, throw handfuls of colorful powder and drench each other with water.

Holi is celebrated annually every March, taking place the following day after a full moon. Future dates for the festival can be found here.

WHERE IS IT CELEBRATED?

The festival is primarily known for larger celebrations to occur in the Northern Region of India. This is important to consider when planning which city to celebrate in. Though, it is celebrated in other regions – these are typically smaller, more intimate celebrations among families or neighborhoods.

In fact, all over the world you can find similar events organized, inspired by the Hindu festival. But in my opinion there’s no better way to experience Holi, then in the very place it originates from – India.

We chose to celebrate in Jaipur, which offered us the best of both worlds. Lots of celebrations to attend with locals that felt authentic. Without the overwhelming size of crowds you’d find in larger cities like, Delhi or Mumbai.

SAFETY

Now I can only speak to my experience as I know everyone’s is different. But, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding Holi on whether or not it is safe, especially for female travelers. After my experience I can say it is safe, if you take the proper precautions as you would traveling anywhere. Like any big celebration, people are going to get intoxicated and things may get out of hand.

As a female, it is important to be aware that India’s attitude towards women can differ from western culture. On a day like Holi – it is the norm for everyone to hug and smear colorful powder on each other. But there have been numerous reports from women of being groped or worst, by men while attending. During the festival, there were occasions when guys in our group had to intervene to pull men away from the females we were with. Myself included, as we would sometimes be surrounded and could not walk away ourselves.

The reason I mention this isn’t to discourage you but to make you aware. If you wander the streets in a large group, don’t get completely plastered and are mindful of your surroundings then I’m positive you’ll still have an amazing time like we did.

HOW TO PREPARE

Now that you know all about Holi, time to plan for what you need. To help, I’ve listed below a few suggestions to ensure your experience goes smoothly!

1. BUY COLORED POWDER TO THROW

The most important essential to celebrate Holi – colorful powder! Whichever city you decide to celebrate in, you should easily find carts lining the streets full of party favors and vibrantly colored powders to choose from. A few bags full should cost you no more than a couple bucks.

2. COCONUT OIL

Apply coconut oil all over your body. This step is crucial if you don’t want the color to stain your skin for days after. Not only will this ease washing off all the color later, but it also smells delicious and will leave your skin hydrated! Win-win, right?!

You can purchase coconut oil from a local market in India for the low! I’m talking half the price of what it costs back home. If you are unaware of all the marvelous things coconut oil can be used for, do some research. Because you’ll definitely want to stock up while your there.

3. WEAR SOMETHING WHITE

Now, this step is optional and really only something that is common among travelers. Though, I do recommend it as it makes the color pop for your pictures and the outfits can be purchased for less than any other article of clothing you probably own. We purchased our white outfits from a street vendor for about 400 rupees ($6 USD), which included the top and bottom.

If you decide to wear something you already have, make sure it is something you plan on never wearing again as the color powder will definitely stain it. Same goes for shoes and undergarments (leave your cute panties at home).

TIP: Bring and wear sunglasses. This will help prevent color from getting in your eye, which burns. Trust me.

4. POWDER PROOF YOUR ELECTRONICS

If you are planning to take any electronics with you to capture the experience, I highly recommend protecting them. They too, will be covered in powder and sprayed with water just like yourself.

We brought our GoPro and DSLR with us to explore the streets. Our GoPro has a housing, but our DSLR did not. We were able to improvise with a plastic bag and hair ties and had no issues!

FINALLY…ADVENTURE OUT AND CELEBRATE WITH THE LOCALS!

Now it’s time to party like the locals do. As soon as you step outside, you’ll be welcomed to the sounds of honking, people chanting and possibly a water balloon headed straight for your face.

Enjoy the experience. Walk around smearing color on everyone or head over to a temple for music and to show off your Indian dance moves! Overall, be safe and most importantly – have fun!!

THE AFTERMATH

If you didn’t return covered in head to toe colorful powder, looking unrecognizable – did you even Holi?

Hope you enjoyed reading about my experience. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any additional questions, need help planning or just want to say hi.

♥ Lo

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