Holi

Holi is the Hindu festival of colour, which this year co-incided with the Easter weekend. We didn't learn much about Holi while we were in India, but for those who are interested, there's a wikipedia article about it here.

For the most part, the festivities seem to consist of everyone throwing coloured paint powder at each other, which seems like a lot of fun! - For a few days beforehand, little piles and also little bags of coloured powder can be seen on sale at market stalls. We were advised however - for our own safety - to leave Delhi over the Holi weekend, as the festivities can sometimes get out of hand, meaning the streets may not always be a very safe place for tourists!

We also saw evidence of Holi festivities in Mussoorie, and had water balloons containing coloured paint thrown at our bus a couple of times. When I asked to photograph a family of paint-covered Indians at our hotel they obliged happily, but then insisted on painting my face in order to include me in the festivities! Some of the rest of the team also got Holi-fied, but for the most part people were gracious enough not to throw it all over our clothes!

On our first day back in Anna Nagar I think some of the children were anxious that we may have missed out! More importantly though, it was another excuse to put red paint all over our faces!