Everyone in India awaits the winters, after a hot and unusually humid summer that the nation witnesses but post-winter the only one thing people eagerly wait for is the festival of colors, Holi. The most vibrant and lively celebration of India, marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
There is no fancy shopping or buying gifts; all you do is wear the simplest of clothes and step out to have pure fun and enjoyment. Holi is a festival that calls for people to become carefree and celebrate life, in all its abundance and colors!
Traditionally, the celebrations last for two days, day one is when we celebrate Holika Dhehan, in some parts of the country, burning all the evil spirits, and negativity in the form of a bonfire while circling it and wishing for all evil to go away.
After the bonfire, everyone wishes their friends and family, “Happy Holi” and puts some color on them. The next morning, day 2 is Dhulandi or Holi where everyone celebrates this festival with colors, a lot of dancing, and the celebration is completed with delicious food. However, we have all been a spectator to such Holi festivities, why not make this Holi more exciting?
This year, to add more fun to your Holi plans we bring to you five amazing places where you can celebrate the best Holi of your life. So, get ready to pack your bags with loads of colors and water guns!
- Pushkar Ki Holi
If you’re into trance music and wish to celebrate Holi with some friendly foreigners, then Pushkar’s Holi celebration is your spot.
Pushkar, a city in Rajasthan, is famous for its slightly techno Holi celebrated not with the regular Bollywood songs rather pure electronic trance music playing throughout the festival. It’s an opportunity for you not just to celebrate the festival but celebrate it with some entirely new acquaintances or strangers from across the world. It’s a great tourist attraction, with decent accommodation facilities and a modest entry fee, this one should be on top of your list!
- Holi In Goa
Colourland Goa Holi Party is the perfect Holi party destination. If you’re into partying next to a beach with some good drinks, nice music and dance then sign yourself up for this interesting Holi euphoria. You can get your gang and have the best Holi of your lives.
The bigger the group, the better it is, chilling around the beach with color-smeared faces is what you should do this year. The event will also feature a fantastic line-up of singers and DJs to add to the craziness and your celebration.
Not just this party but in Goa, you also get to be a part of the Holi parade held in Panaji, thus be ready to have a fun-filled and culturally enthused Holi this year.
- Holi in Shiva’s Land or Varanasi
Holi with a tint of spirituality is the best way to welcome any festival. And its Lord Shiva’s land you ought to expect tranquillity with a dab of ‘bhang’. In Varanasi, people burn pyres on the Ghats to shun negativity and welcome the goodness, of spring and the new season with prayers and the world-famous aarti.
The Ghats are crowded with people, wanting to burn away their ill feelings and bring hope and positivity in their lives with the beginning of another season.
On the day of Holi, with people playing Holi with Pakka Rang and drinking Bhang out of huge earthen pots, get down on the streets. It makes for a spectacle, worth watching.
While Banarasi Paan and Saree are famous throughout India, the Banarasi Bhang is the star during Holi, each paan walla shop catering to hundreds of people with thandai. Thandai, colors, and Varanasi, it’s in Varanasi that one celebrates, the festival in its real sense and authentic manner.
- Barsana ki Lath Mar Holi
The most famous and talked about Holi from Northern India. Probably, the only festival which allows women to hit men with sticks, surely a solid start to any festival, for all the women out there. Jokes apart, the Lath Mar Holi finds its significance in mythological, beliefs.
Lord Krishna, during his teenage years, was very notorious and mischievous. He supposedly came to Barsana, Mathura to play Holi with his beloved, Radha.
As Krishna and his friends teased Radha and her girlfriends; taking offense Radha and her friends drove them out of Barsana by hitting them with sticks.
The same way a day before Holi, all the people of Mathura gather around the Radha Rani Mandir for prayer, and then in the narrow gate, in front of the Mandir, women sing folk songs and smear colors on men. The next day men visit Barsana with the motive of putting colors on women, and the women can be seen chasing them away with sticks.
- Royal Holi in Udaipur
If you wish to witness how royalties celebrate their Holi, then visit Udaipur. The Royal Family, along with their subordinates, commence the Holi celebration by burning a pyre on the day of Holika Dahan.
The next day, the royals with a massive procession of people go to the Manek Chowk. On their way, villagers and tourists get together to sing, dance with the Royal Family.
The royalties are on chariots and horses, accompanying locals, on a cheerful and merry journey, on this auspicious occasion of the festival of colors.
Conclusion:
These are just some of the top places to make your Holi special, while the real fun lies in playing with your closest family and friends. Running, up and down your houses to smear some gulal on your siblings, is pure bliss. And it isn’t just about that; it’s also about the yummy delicacies that you get to eat like gujiya, math, moong dal pakode along with the festival special- thandai. That’s what completes Holi.
And while we burn the negativity during the bonfire, keeping yourself safe is also essential. Ensuring, you’re surrounded by decent people who aren’t under the influence of alcohol, is a must. Especially when it comes to visiting places like Varanasi and Mathura, it is advisable to be with a trustable company, as this guarantees your safety. When prepared with these things, go, have a blast!
Travel through a world of colors, and dive into the color-filled water, make sure that those vibrant colors don’t come off easily. Make your trip, even more, memorable and convenient by renting a car on one of the world’s leading car rental services, ECOS (India) Mobility and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. Renowned worldwide for its laudable work ethics and unique services, ECOS is a well-known name in the ground transportation services, business.
This year, take that much-planned trip with the assistance of www.ecorentacar.com and play colors like never before. Paint your body like a canvas! Because if after Holi, your face doesn’t have, the reminiscence of the wild Holi you’ve played, with patches of color on your cheeks and ears, then you did not play well. Don’t miss out on the fun, and celebrate the festival looking like colored monkeys, taking a tour of the country!
