Bright colours, dancing, and a totally crazy cultural experience. Holi Festival has been on my bucket list for years, and this year I finally got to tick it off my list! Originally, I was thinking Agra would be a great place to rock up for Holi, with the Taj Mahal being there, but actually, Rishikesh is known as a super spiritual place, so we figured, where better?
Also, the more I thought about it - the more appealing it was to celebrate what was probably going to be an overwhelming festival somewhere a little more low-key. Although, let me tell you, there was nothing low-key about celebrating Holi Festival in Rishikesh.
I went to India with another friend, and we stayed in Shiv Shakti Hostel in Laxman Jhula - the staff were friendly and it was in a good location, but that's where the positives stop for me. Because Holi Festival is a special day, all of the shops, bars, restaurants etc are all closed so we were looking forward to starting the day off with the hostel and the rest of the guests. I won't go into it, but we basically started the day off with a piece of untoasted bread and jam, and trance music ripping into our earbuds. Not quite the cultural experience we were hoping for.
Nevertheless, we headed out with bags of coloured powder we'd bought the night before on the way back from the Holika Bonfire (there's a tradition before Holi Festival, to hold a bonfire, which is symbolic and represents the killing of Holika to save Prahlad, a devotee of Vishnu), and from the moment we stepped outside of our hostel we were covered in brightly coloured paints.
We continued to walk towards the main square across the bridge to join in the dancing, and literally every step of the way people were coming up to us and saying 'Happy Holi' before putting some coloured powder on our faces. And we repaid the favour.
Once we got to the main square it was absolute madness, the music was blaring, people were jumping about, smiling - all the while putting paint on everyone they came into contact with. The good thing about celebrating Holi Festival in Rishikesh is that alcohol is banned in Rishikesh, so for the most part, people were sober (I've got to say, it was a weird experience being at a festival sober) but it meant that the likelihood of creepy men being super creepy was limited.
There's a drink called Bhang Lassi, which is a form of yoghurty cannabis, and that's how some people get their high (Vishnu smoked weed, so apparently that's allowed). And you could see some people were on that, but to be honest - people were fine. There was the odd grope, as I expected, but honestly it was fine (is it weird to say that?). I did struggle to relax though as I just couldn't help feeling on edge - it's a serious crowd, and eventually people touching your face just gets a bit annoying.
But it's not a lengthy affair, by about 2 pm it was over and we were heading back to our hostel for lunch (which was a tasty little curry) and to scrub ourselves silly in the shower. RIP bra and bum bag.
All in all, I loved my Holi Festival experience in Rishikesh - it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if you're looking for the best place to celebrate, I'd recommend getting yourself there. I'm not sure what other Holi Festival experiences are like, but I couldn't imagine celebrating it in a city... they're manic at the best of times!
Make sure the place you're staying in is doing something for Holi Festival so you can start the day off right.
Make sure everything you're wearing is old, or you're happy for it to get ruined. I thought I was prepared, buying a white tee from Primark and some old trousers but totally forgot about my bra and bumbag!
On that - buy a bumbag so you can keep an eye on your stuff - but take out as little as possible so you don't have to worry about losing anything/being pick-pocketed.
I didn't actually need it that much but I bought a waterproof holder for my phone, but it actually got in the way a lot more than it was helpful (see crap photo below). And I didn't come into contact with water that much... not to say you won't get soaked. My mate just wrapped her phone up in her bumbag with those security bags you get at the airport, so...
Be prepared for people to constantly touch you and your face - it does get annoying, but it's just what happens.
Embrace it and have fun!
If you're planning on travelling to India, have a read of my India travel tips and things to know before you go, and have a look at my dedicated India travel page.
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