Sunday, March 15, 2009

Holi is back!

Today we celebrated our third Holi in India. Mona left for Mumbai this morning so she was not able to join the celebrations and we missed her. There was a large turnout for the festival. As in prior years, there was enough color, water, music, dancing and snacks for everyone. There was an added element this year - Bhang!. It is a preparation made from the Cannabis plant and can be smoked or consumed as a beverage. Last time I had Bhang was over 25 years ago. This time, the concoction was probably a bit milder (catered to the 40+ generation) and all it did was make me pass out for a few hours.

And since Mona was not around this year, I had to figure out how I would get myself and two color and water soaked kids into the house without messing up the whole place. But as they say, necessity is the mother (well, father in this case) of invention. A few newspapers, old napkins, plastic bags and a mop did the trick. Place looks spanking clean!

Standing in the midst of swirling colors and spraying water, I was watching folks from the ages of 2 years to 60 years having a gala time. Festivals like these bring people from different backgrounds, ages, religions together in an environment of fun and friendship. To get a feel for Holi, check out this wonderful ad.

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