होली
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| HOLI...SHOPKEEPERS JOIN IN THE FUN |
It's that time of year again. There's a restaurant in Edinburgh called Holi Corner, echoing the name of crossroads to the south of the city called Holy Corner: the latter named because there are four-churches, one at each corner; the former - well, it's named for the festival of Holi, though how many understand the allusion is debatable.
This is the time of year when the young - and some of the old - decide to throw coloured water at each other, usually boys at girls and girls at boys. Gangs roam the streets looking for victims while others stand on rooftops, ready to drop water-filled balloons and buckets of water on passers-by. There's a whole Hindu legend behind the festival, but the main idea is that this is to mark the beginning of spring
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| RADHA AND THE GOPIS CELEBRATING HOLI |
Today is hot, not just warm like previous days, but a slight breeze makes us thankful that there is some relief from the heat. Years ago, I celebrated Holi in Anandapur, a village in the Terai to the south east of the country. In the village galvanised buckets of bhang were prepared, ganja mixed with milk. The celebrations lasted three-days. Drums were played continuously for the whole time till you thought you would never regain your sanity. Perhaps I didn't. Things seems rather tame here compared to then.
Below are some images of the street festival:
HAPPY HOLI
