Holi Festival Tour

The colorful and vivacious festival of Holi is celebrated in the month of March and is marked by lots of revelry and fun. Its exceptional way of celebration has attracted many international travelers to this vivid festival.

Holi is celebrated over a period of two days, Holika Dehan or a bonfire followed by a colorful gala in the morning. The bonfire symbolizes the victory of good over evil where the evil is burnt while the good prevails. However, the main revelries start on the second day when people irrespective of all castes, creeds, and religions join in to smear each other with powdered colors called Abeer-Gulal. This vibrant festival also celebrates the arrival of spring.

Let us take you on a trip to various parts of India where the spirit of Holi is upheld with a little twist in customs and traditions. Keep your cameras ready for the most vivid pictures of your trip to India.

Holi in Mathura & Vrindavan- In the Land of Lord Krishna

Holi in the land of Lord Krishna is an awesome experience. On the eve of Holi, local theatres enact scenes of Radha & Krishna in context with the festival; giving you a fair background of Holi in Mathura. The morning brings you bizarre scenes on the streets & Krishna temples where people throw colors and buckets of colorful water at each other.

Vrindavan, the place where Krishna spent is his childhood, is also awash in colors with people indulging in mass celebrations; singing & dancing on streets and playing with colors. The famous Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan is the center of festivities with the priests indulging in colorful celebrations.

Holi in Barsana
Another weird tradition is the Lathmaar Holi of Barsana where women publicly beat men with sticks as the men sing songs & tease them. This tradition finds its root in the tales of Krishna teasing Radha and her friends and they in turn chasing him with sticks. A quite wacky yet fascinating spectacle, the Lathmaar Holi of Barsana is certainly worth attending.

Holi in Jaipur
This beautiful capital of Rajasthan adds another twist to this festival of colors with traditional dance and folk music. Go for walking tours and enjoy the celebration spilling on the streets of Jaipur, be a part of festivities organized by Rajasthan Tourism at Khasa Kothi Hotel or check out Eleholi, near Amber Fort, for an exhilarating Holi experience with elephants.

Holi in Shantiniketan and Purulia
Holi in the culturally rich state of Bengal is a veritable extravaganza. The festival is celebrated in Shantiniketan as Vasantotsav or Spring Festival, as initiated by its founder and Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. A cultural gala where colorfully dressed up students welcome the season of spring with a flurry of colors.

Holi in Purulia is marked by performances of folk music & dances where the performers throw colors during their acts.

Holi in Kumaon
Holi in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand is a long affair that starts almost a month before the actual festival. Groups of women sing festive songs and men stand near bonfires and sing and dance to the tunes of Holi songs. Chholiya dancers perform on the streets and sing and dance their way through the town. On this colorful festival, this culturally rich region of Kumaon soaks itself in the ambiance of color and folksongs.

The customs of celebrating Holi in India may be different but the wonderful spirit of the festival remains the same everywhere. A festival of happiness, colors and traditions, Holi embodies the soul of this beautiful country and lures travelers to soak themselves in its colorful essence.