Holi – The Festival Of Colours In India India is one of the most colourful countries in the world with many annual art exhibitions, festivals and other forms of expressive creativity to enjoy. One of the country’s famous festivals is of course Holi – the festival of colours, a celebration that takes places on the last full moon of the lunar month each year. This special festival takes place throughout India’s cities and it’s associated with rain dances, colour powder, bonfires and water balloons. The celebrations are particularly on a large scale in Delhi and Mumbai, but each city celebrates Holi in its own unique ways around the whole country. Traveasy offers cheap domestic flight, allowing you to travel to this wonderful country and see what festivities it has on offer. West Bengal – Basant Utsav In Shantiniketan, Holi is called Basant Utsav, which was introduced by the famous Indian author Rabindranath Tagore. Here students of the Vishwabharati University dress themselves up in the colours of spring and complete a massive cultural performance with dances to Tagore’s songs followed by throwing colour powder into the air. This recreated Holi festival is an important part of Bengali culture. Does it sound like something you’d like to experience? Book the lowest domestic flights with Traveasy and prepare for next year’s Holi in West Bengal. Punjab – Hola Mohalla The Sikhs of Punjab celebrate a unique creation of Holi: Hola Mohalla, an annual fair dating back to 1701. It was introduced by Guru Gobind Singh to celebrate Holi but it isn’t the usual throwing of colours ceremony... instead it’s a festival of acrobatic exercises, turban tying, mock sword fights, wresting and martial arts. The name Hola Mohalla actually means ‘mock fight’ so the special occasion is especially for the Sikhs to demonstrate their physical agility and skills. Jaipur – Eholi Fest There’s a special Holi event held every year at the Eleday elephant sanctuary in Jaipur which involves traditional colour fun as well as quality time with the beautiful elephants. Visitors will be treated to a wide array of experiences including rain dancing, Indian food, games, music, cultural performances, photography and many interactive experiences with the elephants; you can paint them with organic colours, feed them, ride them and even wash them in the pool. This is an amazing and enlightening way to celebrate Holi.
Udaipur – Royal Holi The grandest Holi festival takes place at the City Palace in Udaipur. It’s hosted by the royal family of the Mewar dynasty who keep the tradition alive each year with a spectacular palace parade, which starts at the Royal residence and continues up to Manek chowk. This celebration involves the Holika statue being lit on fire to symbolise the victory of good over evil, and afterwards there’s an array of entertainment options including folk dances, music concerts, cultural performances, the retelling of mythical stories and exhibitions. Book domestic flight with Traveasy and experience this joyous festival in different cities of India.