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Holi, one of the most significant holidays in India, is celebrated with great excitement. It piques people’s imaginations and spirits which are already at an all-time high around the country. From sending people happy Holi wishes to thinking about Holi home decoration, this festival brings great joy to our lives. Holi is symbolic of celebrating the beautiful aspects of life such as the triumph of good over evil, colors, fertility, and love. It is that soothing time of the year when winter transitions into summer, marking the harvest season’s beginning. The root of the word ‘Holi’ lies in the Latin word ‘Hola’ which means showing gratitude to the god for the growing season. Regarded as the festival of colors, it is no surprise that Holi is celebrated all over the world with the utmost zest. Let us now look at the various Holi traditions around the world with which people celebrate this beautiful festival.
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Holi in USA
To experience the beautiful spirit of Holi like that of India, the Indian community in the USA organizes large meet-ups. This helps them enjoy themselves together as a community without missing out on the fun and vibes of this festival. Apart from this, the local temples and the Indian Student Association host various small celebratory events. The two popular large-scale events held at the time of Holi in the USA are:
- Houston Holi: Holi events in Texas are quite popular as a large number of people come together to play with colours. There are also rides for children and dance performances. All in all the whole event is like a carnival.
- Utah-based Holi celebration: This Holi event is organized by ISKCON, which is one of the largest Holi celebrations in the entire country. Although they organize Holi events at many places, ISKON is especially famous for their Utah-based Belur Math-style Krishna temple.
Holi at Oxford University
At Oxford University students celebrate the beautiful festival of Holi with open arms promoting inclusivity and the idea of finding beauty in differences. Even the Non-Indian students get together with Indian students to embrace the beauty of colours while accepting the different traditions and cultures eliminating all boundaries. The celebration reconnects the NRI students back to their roots while bonding with their fellow batchmates.
Holi in Canada
The next country on the list of Holi traditions around the world is Canada. It is home to a significantly large population of Punjabi community members for whom the festival of Holi marks the beginning of the harvest season, thus signifying fertility. To recreate the same vibes of Indian Holi in Canada, people gather as a community and light the holy bonfire to observe Holika Dahan followed by singing folk songs, dancing to a Bollywood playlist, and enjoying a lavish feast. They also play with powdered colors called gulal while spraying each other with water.
At a national level also, Holi celebrations have been given recognition in Canada as the Canadian Parliament joined the spirit of the festival by decorating the parliament complex for the first time in 2017.
Also Read: 5 Facts about Holi That Will Interest You
Holi in Australia
Australia is among the most popular study-abroad destinations for students, primarily because of its flexibility to adapt to various cultures. To ensure that people find whatever they are looking for, numerous supermarkets in Australia such as SuperBazar and India at Home provide a wide range of Holi essentials in one place.
The festival of colors is celebrated on a large scale in the city of Melbourne where people get together and play with colours and water guns. In addition to this, there are many events organized by the Hindu Council of Australia. Similarly, Monash University also organized a campus-wide Holi celebration where students get to explore the diverse culture of India and its festivals.
Holi in Singapore
The fact that Tamil is one of the official languages of Singapore makes the importance of the Indian community quite obvious. To embrace the beauty of different traditions, locals join the celebrations of Holi with a lot of excitement. Watercolour fights are a common scene at the time of Holi in Singapore. Celebrating the festival of Holi as a community by embracing different traditions definitely promotes the idea of inclusivity in all its glory. Though the celebrations might not match the exact vibes of India, the festive events in Singapore certainly are events to look forward to.
Also Read: Types of Holi in Different States of India
Holi in Barcelona
This beautiful city of Spain celebrates the spirit of Holi in its own way by adding an essence of Spain to the Indian celebrations of Holi. Instead of playing with colours, they lather each other with tomatoes. This is known as the Tomatina festival. The locals join the celebrations with utmost enthusiasm enhancing the vibes of Holi.
Holi in Nepal
Interestingly, Holi in Nepal’s Kathmandu is a three-day festival. The first day includes decorating wooden poles, known as chir, with multicolored cloth and then burning them during the night. This symbolizes the end of the previous year and grants blessings and positive vibes for a new year ahead.
The celebrations continue with lighting bonfires on the second day to symbolize the death of the demoness Holika. Next, people gather on the streets on the third day of the celebration to play with colors and water balloons.
Also Read: Tricks and Tips for a Hassle-Free Holi!
Holi in UK
With over 1.4 million population of Indian residents, Holi in the United Kingdom is a marvelous spectacle. The Indian Society of the University of Dundee celebrates Holi like no one else. Generally hosted on the grand campus, the celebrations of Holi are filled with amazing food, color-mixed air, Bollywood beats, and whatnot.
Additionally, you can also find Indian grocery stores across the United Kingdom to prepare for the upcoming festival and its celebrations. Holi traditions and celebrations around the world are truly fascinating things to learn.
Related Blogs
| Paragraph on Holi | Importance of Holi in Indian Culture |
| Holi Mela and Fairs | Why do we Celebrate Holi |
| Holi Home Decoration | The Science Behind Holi |
FAQs
Ans- The most common traditions that are generally associated with the festival of Holi is lighting a bonfire, playing with colours and water balloons/guns, eating good food and sweets and dancing to traditional folk music.
Ans- Holi is celebrated with utmost zest in the city of Agra – located on the banks of the river Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from being known as the place where the iconic 7th wonder of the world – Taj Mahal is located, it is also known for the grand celebration of the festival Holi.
Ans- Taking the example of the USA, the Indian community residing in America organize large meetups where they play with colours, enjoy good food, dance and try to bring the same spirit of Holi as it is in India.
Ans- Following are some of the interesting facts related to the festival of Holi:
The use of natural colours to celebrate Holi was inspired by Ayurveda.
-Holi marks the incoming Harvest and Spring season signifying fertility.
-It makes people remember the beauty and importance of communities as during Holi people generally come together as a community to celebrate the beautiful spirit of Holi.
-Celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun as per the lunar calendar, Holi is regarded as a lunar celebration.
This was all about the different types of Holi traditions and celebrations around the world. For more information about such informative articles, check the trending events page of Leverage Edu.