April 8, 2004

Almaden welcomes spring, Indian style!

By Vashti Srinivas
Special to the Times

Over the past few weekends, many Almaden Valley families of Indian origin celebrated Holi, a festival celebrated across India to herald the arrival of spring. This multi-day festival is a colorful celebration of life and rebirth.

Spring is the season of hope, new beginnings and the rekindling of life. Nature signals the onset of spring with a touch of green and an emerging rainbow of colors. Trees start flowering, gardens and parks present a glorious spectacle of a riot of colors.

People who remain indoors during the cold months of winter emerge to see a new sparkling world of color and gaiety. And then the joy bubbling in their hearts find expression in dance, drama and music. This festival of Holi is a festival of myriad colors, of gaiety, of friendships and reunions and is a vital part of Indian life and culture.

Holi is the most colorful festival of India and was celebrated in March. In India, bonfires are lit on the evening of the first day of the festival, normally in a public place. During the subsequent days of this festival, people in the towns, cities and villages go wild with merry makers, daubed in diverse colors. Stories are retold and the entire community comes together to reconnect and celebrate life itself.

Here in Almaden Valley, several groups of people gathered at the Almaden Lake Park to celebrate Holi. The spirit of the festival was recreated as families came together to daub each other with colored powders (gulal) and to spray each other with colored water. Children and adults alike played hide and seek, hoping to catch each other unaware and apply the color. Everyone got into the spirit of Holi and had great fun much to the amusement and intrigue of passers-by. The festival culminated in sumptuous potluck feasts prepared by the attending families.