Everyone’s a kid again at Houston’s colorful Holi festivals
Sugar Land resident Rachana Shah has fond memories of celebrating the two-day festival Holi as a child in India — starting with a bonfire the evening of Holika Dahan and then playing with colorful powder the next day.
“I would be totally unrecognizable,” Shah, a director of Hindus of Greater Houston, says. “I would have so many colors on my face.”
Holi, also known as the festival of colors, marks the arrival of spring. This year, the Holika Dahan begins the evening of March 7 and Holi falls on March 8.
Several celebrations are planned in Houston.
At Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj,
the festivities, free and open to the public, begin at 4 p.m. March 4 with Holi Rasiya, singing prayer songs, and a dinner, or preeti bhojan, starting at 5 p.m. The mandir is located at 11715 Bellfort Village. A bonfire will be held at 6:30 p.m. March 6, and the temple will host a Holi celebration from noon to 3 p.m on March 8.
At the Hindu Temple of The Woodlands, 7601 S. Forestgate, the celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4, with live music, dance, food and a color run.
Bollywood station Masala Radio returns with its annual Houston Holi from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 4 at a new venue, BH Ranch,14149 Player. This year’s event, “Holi at the Ranch,” will include a color rave, Bollywood dances, DJs, live music, booths and rides. Tickets start at $10. rb.gy/rz7jrp At India House, 8888 W. Bellfort, the fun continues with
Holi Fest, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 12, hosted by the nonprofit Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog, “JKYog.” The event will feature live music by Bollywood celebrities Harry Anand and Aditi Singh Sharma, color play, food vendors, dance, a shopping bazaar, DJs, rides and games. General admission tickets are $10 and available at JKYog.org/ Houston-holi.
Origins of Holi
Holi is one of the most important festivals in India, Shah says. There are various ways to mark the holiday, depending on the region of India celebrating.
And there are different tellings of the legends behind the festivities. “But everyone knows the two main stories,” Shah says.
The first explains the name “Holika.” The legend associated with the festival centers on Prahlad, who’s father, King Hiranyakashipu, forbade him from worshipping Lord Vishnu. When Prahlad disobeyed, the king forced him to sit in a blazing fire with his demon aunt, Holika, who was immune to flames. The plan backfired, and Holika was engulfed in the fire.
“Prahlad survived without a scar with the saving hand of Vishnu,” Shah says.
Now, for Holika, people gather around a bonfire to seek blessings and offer their devotion to God. Roasted grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas are thrown into the flames.
“It’s all about getting rid of the bad, negative things and making way for the positive,” Shah says.
A second story about Holi explains why the holiday is also known as the “festival of love.” It’s about Lord Krishna and his great love for Radha.
Lord Krishna, with his characteristic blue skin color, was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion. “When he expressed his displeasure to his mother, Yashoda, she asked him to go and color Radha’s face to make her look like himself,” she said. “This prank has become a part of the Holi festival since then.”
As principal of the school at Vallabh Vidya Mandir Houston, Shah enjoys sharing the holiday with students. Each year, the school volunteers with the Holi event at Vallabh Priti Seva Samaj.
Holi at the Ranch
Masala Radio has hosted Holi celebrations since 2008. This year’s Holi at the Ranch will include the usual fare, with a twist to celebrate the new location. “This time, we’re adding a farm feel,” Masala CEO Sandhya Thakkar says. Horse rides and a petting zoo will offer plenty of photo ops in the country setting.
Thakkar’s goal is to produce memorable celebrations for Holi, and the event has drawn crowds of 15,000 to 17,000, outgrowing several locations.
Mini stages placed in the audience will allow dancers in the crowd to jump up and grab the spotlight.
“It’s very youth-focused, because Holi brings out the youth in all of us,” Thakkar says. “I want to make it a place where young people meet and fall in love.”
It’s all in the spirit of the love of Krishna and Radha, she says. And not just romance, but also the love of friends, family, fun and brilliant color.
JKYog’s Holi for a cause
This will be the organization’s second Holi Festival. Last year’s inaugural event was a great success, says Lata Srivatsan, coordinator of the JKYog Houston Center. “More than 3,000 people attended, much more than we expected,” she says.
JKYog is a nonprofit established to promote healing for physical, mental and spiritual well-being, dedicated to the guru Swami Mukundananda.
The event serves as a fundraiser for JKYog’s charitable initiatives in education and health care for those in need.
Srivatsan remembers, as a child, how she and her brother eagerly anticipated Holi each year. “We used to say, ‘I wish every day was Holi,’” she says. “It was just so much fun. And now, as an adult, it’s still a lot of fun.”