Holi

Homeschooling mom Neeru tipped me off to a Holi festival that was taking place locally.  She knew her kids would love a chance to participate in one, and had been diligently seeking one out.  Holi is a springtime holiday celebrated throughout India.  There are many stories associated with the festival, but essentially it's a nationwide party in which people are free to throw colored powders and squirt colored water at each other!  The only thing that could make it better, of course, would be if you could add some tasty Indian food and a dj spinning favorite Bollywood hits.  So that's exactly what they did!  This festival was organized by the owner of Bollywood Movez Dance Studios and Amrapali Boutique, who told me that she organized one eight years ago and felt it was time to do it again.  I dearly hope it will become an annual event, because it was a wonderful success!  They rented an outdoor pavilion at the Washington County Fairgrounds.  With the weather lately being lousy, I expected maybe a heated tent.  Instead, it totally didn't matter.  Nothing could have dampened the spirits of the revelers. Everyone was grabbing bowls of gorgeous colored powder, and dashing around madly trying to throw it onto everyone else.  It's best to wear white if you can, but anything you are sure you won't want to ever wear again will do! Jasper was perfectly attired for the occasion with his raincoat on over his regular coat, and lab goggles.  We spied several people who appeared to be dressed from head to toe in white Tyvek clean room suits, perhaps borrowed from an Intel lab?  (I suspect their linen service will be thrilled with them!)  Before long, they brought out the water squirters, and the scaredy cats fled to the other side of the pavilion or joined the dancers.  

Jasper chasing his dad with a water squirter.

We all had a really great time.  I realized that since the colored powder is readily available in Indian stores this time of year, it would be a cinch to host a Holi party for friends.  But more importantly, I realized that it's no problem to show up at festivals without worrying too much about whether we "belong".  You can be pretty sure you belong if you're happy to join in.

Filling bowls with the colored powder.

The lovely ladies of Bollywood Movez dance to "Kajra Re"

The crowd watching the dancers.