Vibrant colors. Free hugs. Indian hip hop lessons. Yoga. Vibe-y music. The only time or place it is socially acceptable to throw colored powder at strangers, and they thank you for it. Holi Color Festivals are a combination of moshing concerts, yoga retreats, and food fights, and it's beautiful.
If you are not familiar with Holi Festivals, they are traditional, Hindu cultural celebrations chock-full of dancing, music, love, and the throwing of brightly-colored chalk dust. And yes, the throwing of colored chalk dust at your loved one's face (in my case, it was MY face. Thank you, Shane, for the mouthful of neon-green powder.)
It can be hard to know what to expect when going to one of these for the first time, so I am going to let you in on some hacks I discovered from attending two of these celebrations so that you can have a great time.
**Disclaimer: Both color festivals I've been to were in the state of Utah, so it's safe to guess that they may highly differ from more authentic ones overseas, but I could be wrong. So consider this a guide to U.S.-based Holi Color Festivals.
1. Wear white
Rule number one: wear white. The vibrantly pigmented colors show up best on white or light-colored clothing.
Also, just as important, wear white that you don't mind getting rid of or ruined. We ended up wearing light gray shirts because we didn't have any white t-shirts that could possibly get ruined.
2. Wear protective eye, nose, and/or mouth gear
Sunglasses are a NECESSARY accessory (see what I did there) at a color festival. They'll keep the colors out of your eyes and help you enjoy your experience. Plus, you can capture neat pictures like this.
Also, I thoroughly recommend wearing a handy-dandy bandana or scarf over your mouth and nose during color throws. We picked up bandanas and sunglasses up at ~the dollar store~ this year on our way out. I didn't have one the first time I went, and I got an unfortunate rainbow bloody nose from inhaling the dust.
I recommend this AGAIN as this year, I let my guard down for a second and took my bandana off before throwing a handful of yellow powder at Shane. As I laughed in his face, he threw an entire bag of the aforementioned green powder at me, which landed directly in my mouth. Good times.
3. Take lots of pictures
The color festival itself is a living piece of art. And you've never looked so good in orange. Remember to snap pictures of you and your friends throughout the event as you get painted with different palettes.
Mind you, I use the term "friends" loosely because everyone at a color festival is your new best friend. You'll see what I mean when you get there.
4. Get ready to move
There is a good amount of dancing and moshing that takes place at color festivals. Make sure you're in comfortable clothing and are plenty hydrated and rested. You will be there to dance with the crowd, have color fights, do yoga, and ~my favorite~ learn the latest Indian hip hop moves.
5. Let go
Holi Color Festivals are for celebration and love. Forget about your hair, because it's going to leave in different shape and color(s). Dance and sing like there's no tomorrow. Nobody there will see you again, and, if they do, they probably won't recognize you well-groomed and showered. Let yourself be open to experiencing a new culture and embrace it.
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