Holi

One of our favorite ways to celebrate the arrival of spring is by "playing colors", the defining tradition of the Indian holiday known as Holi.

I've been told that in northern India, it can get quite crazy, with random strangers running around throwing color and shooting colored water at each other all day long. At the Hindu Jain Temple in Monroeville, the most peaceful Holi celebration ever takes place each spring. No one runs, and there is no water involved. Instead everyone decorates each other while wishing each other a happy Holi. It is traditional to wear white, but anything that can be stained without bringing tears is fine. 

The day started in the Community Center, with a delightful meal catered by the Taj Mahal restaurant. To meet the high standards they have for flatbread, it was being made on the premises just as the meal was ready to be served. After the meal, a cultural program began, and many groups of young people showed off the classical Indian dance and Bollywood dance moves they'd been perfecting. (It was ridiculously cute!) Then we all went outside to "play colors". There is a Puja, a Hindu ritual, that takes place outside with a small fire beforehand, which we have not attended. We never raise eyebrows by coming, although we are not members of the Indian community. I suspect the word is getting out to their neighbors in Monroeville that it's a party that is not to be missed!