Coloured powder and water will be hurled across the cities of India today as millions of Hindus celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. The religious festival celebrates the prevailing of Prahlada, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, after several attempts by his demon father to kill him. The events are celebrated during the opening weeks of the Indian spring, which is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar, meaning that Holi falls on a different date each year.

Throughout much of India, Holi is celebrated with a public holiday and marked by large scale revelry on the streets of major cities. Brightly coloured powders, often scented, will be thrown around the streets to decorate buildings, and accost any unsuspecting passersby. Often, mixed with water, the colours form part of a joyful riot for young and old. The colours are said to represent the colours of spring, the season of love. Certain regions of India have unique Holi traditions, such as the breaking of a pot of buttermilk in Gujarat to the burning of bonfires in Maharashtra. Notably, many Tamils do not celebrate Holi publicly, and much of Chennai will remain open and party-free today. Colours and water fights can be expected in Chennai’s central district, mostly around Parry’s Corner and Sowcarpet.

Rangapanchami marks the end of festivities, and occurs between one and sixteen days after the initial festival. Symbolising new beginnings and the ending of rivalries, it is often celebrated with further waterfights and colourful ambushes. In parts of Maharashtra such as Nashik, Rangapanchami is also observed as a public holiday, five days after the main event of Holi.

Recent decades have unfortunately seen a dramatic rise in Holi-related injuries, with some party-goers filling waterbombs with acid instead. Others injuries have occurred when cheaply-made throwing powder is mixed with water, causing an unexpected chemical reaction. The use of marijuana, known locally as bhang, is linked to the celebration of Holi, providing a disconnect from the realities of life. While local authorities may turn a blind eye to the use of cannabis during Holi, combined with country liquor it is blamed for a spike in physical and sexual assaults, car accidents and domestic violence around the festival. The use of bhang during Holi is most prevalent in rural eastern India and parts of Nepal, although it has become more of a city issue in recent times.

With the spotlight currently on the treatment of women in mainstream India, it is unsurprising that the issue dominating the lead up to today has focussed on women’s involvement in a festival recognised for its often rough-and-tumble party atmosphere. Just yesterday Jayashree Nandi wrote an opinion piece in India’s most widely read newspaper, The Times Of India, in which she suggested that Holi be ‘reclaimed for women’. Shree points out that although Indian women look forward to the day as much as any man, it is the practical and safety limitations which she must observe on that day which spoil the fun. “As a result,” writes Shree, “women have two options – put up with what often amounts to a virtual sexual assault, or quietly recede into the security of familiar territory until the colours have faded away”. It is the hope of most level-headed people that this situation will change, although it will take more than three months of debate to change some long-standing attitudes.

UrbanDuniya wishes a very happy, joyous, colourful, and above all safe Holi and Rangapanchami to all of our readers.