Holi festival of colours – Delhi, India

Holi is an Indian spring festival with an ancient tradition, known worldwide for its joy of colors, which is celebrated by Hindus all over India. In north India the festival is dedicated to Krishna, in south India it is dedicated to the god of love Kama.

On this day all barriers of caste, gender, age and social status seem to have been lifted. There is an exuberant celebration and people sprinkle and sprinkle each other with colored water and colored powder, the gulal. Originally the colored powders were made from certain flowers, roots and herbs that have a healing effect, e.g. from the “flame of the forest”, the palaza tree, which is in bloom in February and March. According to legend, Krishna played with the blossoms of this tree at Holi.
Even today the colors are usually consecrated beforehand on the altar and people bring blessings.

As here in the center of Delhi, the young people in particular make a popular sport out of shooting careless passers-by with paint water bags and spray guns from under cover – even from balconies – or they are even given a paint powder rub with their bare hands. The cheerful call “Happy Holi” can be heard from all sides. Particularly unsuspecting, as yet undyed tourists are exposed to the color attacks as soon as they venture out onto the street. It is a good idea to wear old clothes, as the colors are sometimes difficult or impossible to remove, and it is best to just let yourself go. “Ammunition” can be bought on every street corner. As you can see in a photo, I had to temporarily protect my camera from paint and water with a garbage bag!