Best places to celebrate Holi festival in India
Holi is an important hindu festival of India which is full of colors and smiles. Indian festivals are the best as they bring so much positivity in one’s life. Travelers from all across the world visit India to celebrate Holi with enthusiasm and joy. Musical parties,craziness, and lots of colors make this occasion really outstanding. Here are awesome places in India where you can celebrate Holi in different styles.
Mathura and Vrindavan
Holi festival is connected with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha. And to experience the feel of Traditional holi you should be a part of the Holi celebrations in Mathura and Vrindavan where all the locals start playing holi 40 days before the festival. Mathura is the hometown of Lord Krishna and in vrindavan he spent his childhood. So, devotees start playing Holi in temples especially in Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan where they play with colors, water, flowers. The celebrations are grand and legendary. Consider yourself lucky if you get the chance to celebrate Holi in this religious place because it is once in a lifetime experience.
I went to Vrindavan with my family a day before the main festival and was so excited. It was crowded but was worth it because i got to play holi with the lord krishna. We reached the Banke Bihari temple and the view was just spectacular. Whole temple was covered with colors and priests were throwing flowers on all the devotees and all were dancing on Bhajans(Devotional Song). My family and I also played with colors and had the best experience.
Barsana
The Holi of Barsana is extremely famous in India because it is played with not only colors but with sticks too. The women of Barsana and other nearby villages beat up men with sticks in a fun way. It is known as “Lathmar Holi”. Men protect themselves with shields. It is a really unique experience but is not really safe for solo women travelers to celebrate Holi in Mathura. The people also dance and sing spiritual songs. You can enjoy sweets too during this time.
Delhi
During Holi times, Delhi people get crazy and do many fun activities. Every street is filled with colors and people throw water balloons and color on each other. There is a Holi Moo festival where you can see indian as well as international singers perform live or you can dance on Bollywood songs with your friends. It is the best place to relish Street food and Bhang (special holi drink) too. Everywhere in Delhi, musical holi celebrations are going on to give you an awesome experience. Do not miss the opportunity to witness holi in such a cool way.
Jaipur
Jaipur is one of the most visited cities during holi because you can have the royal and authentic feel here. Rajasthan tourism organizes many events where people can visit, interact with other people and celebrate holi while enjoying folk dance performances, songs and much more. I have also celebrated Holi in Jaipur in Shahpura Haveli. I was really impressed with all the preparations and the hotel was really beautiful. They provided me with a pair of clothes and some colors. Many cultural events were going on. I danced a lot and also made new friends there. Then we all enjoyed a special traditional rajsthani lunch in Chandra Mahal. Overall my experience was great.There is also an elephant festival held in Jaipur where elephants, horses are decorated and they take part in parades. It is a really nice experience to see elephants take part in competition.
Udaipur
Udaipur is one of my favorite destinations to celebrate holi because the city is extremely beautiful. On the eve of Holi, the locals do a ritual known as Holika Dahan and light bonfires. You can celebrate the festival in City Palace with Udaipur’s Mewar royal family. The whole palace looks lavish and the celebrations are followed by a royal band, cocktails, fireworks and dinner. Later on the day of the festival, you will see everyone splashing colors and dancing. If you want a traditional and royal experience with lots of fun then this is the right place for you.
Anandpur Sahib
The Sikhs celebrate Holi in a totally different way and I think it makes this festival more special and attracts many tourists at this time. Hola Mohalla is an annual fair organized at Anandpur sahib in Punjab where warriors display their martial arts,sword fights,turban tying etc. It is a three day event in which people show their bravery and take part in many competitions. This is one of the most unique ways of celebrating Holi in India. The atmosphere is so vibrant and colorful there. Later in the evening, devotees enjoy bhajans and prasad (food) is also served. I am very fascinated by this and will definitely visit next year.
So choose your destination according to your preferences and enjoy Holi in India. One thing is for sure that you are gonna fall in love with India’s culture.
