Happy Holi to everyone who celebrates!
Holi is a Hindu festival that marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring with religious rituals and the throwing of colored powders. This year, it’s celebrated on March 7th and 8th. For many, it’s an opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends and have delicious meals together.
Read on to learn how four passionate Local Guides from India celebrate Holi and how they utilize Google Maps to enjoy the festival.
@AnshukMitra lives in Rajasthan state, where Holi celebrations start with Holika Dahan, a ritual bonfire to burn all “enmity and negativity.” On the day of Holi, locals “apply colors to the feet of the murti (idols) of God, followed by our parents and elders,” Anshuk shared. After that, people play with herbal powders and enjoy sweets in the evening.
How do you use Google Maps during Holi?
I use Google Maps to locate new sweetshops near my house or support existing ones. I love namkeen (salty snacks) a lot, and Heena Bakery is my preferred choice. On the occasion of Holi, I also visit Thakur Mishthan Bhandar & Caters to buy gujiya sweet dumplings.
What are your favorite places to celebrate Holi?
Holika Dahan happens at many road intersections. The celebration at Jagdish Temple is popular among locals and foreigners in Udaipur.
In Mumbai, Holi is also celebrated over two days, with a Holika Dahan bonfire and an offering of sweets, coconut, colored powder, and a garland made of cotton. One of the things @FalguniP looks forward to most is getting traditional Holi desserts and drinks.
How do you use Google Maps during Holi?
Just like other festivals, during Holi we enjoy delicious sweets, like shrikhand (sweetened yogurt), puran poli (flatbread with sweet lentils stuffing), and ghewar (round sweets with ghee and rose flavoring). There is also a special beverage called thandai (milk with dried fruits and spices). I usually search on Google Maps for places that offer these desserts.
What are your favorite places to celebrate Holi?
I enjoy watching the Holi festival in Vrindavan virtually. It lasts a week and is very different from what we celebrate here. I have experienced Holi at Juhu Beach in Mumbai, where they played music, and even visited an Iskcon Temple a few times, where they sang Holi songs and played with powders and flowers.
This year, @Rohan10 will take part in “an eco-friendly celebration” in Mumbai with safe-for-the-environment colored powders and no water balloons to preserve water. He’s looking forward to singing, dancing, exchanging gifts, and feasting with friends and family.
How do you use Google Maps during Holi?
I use Google Maps to plan routes to different celebration destinations and find local stores to purchase gifts, apparel, and eco-friendly colored powders. I recently found a shop for organic and non-toxic powders in Mumbai.
What are your favorite places to celebrate Holi?
Last year, I celebrated at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The places I wish to watch and take part in the festivities are the City Palace and Royal Gaitor in Jaipur and the City Palace and majestic Lake Pichola in Udaipur.
Originally from Kerala, a southern state where Holi isn’t typically celebrated, @Dr_AlwyPaul attended a Holi festival for the first time with the Indian community in The Philippines, where she studied. Her first celebration in India was last year when she moved to Bangalore for work.
How do you use Google Maps during Holi?
Google Maps helps greatly in finding venues hosting Holi. My friends and I always share our live location because sometimes we get lost in the crowd. It’s easy to locate each other like that as it’s difficult to call and talk over the loud music.
What are your favorite places to celebrate Holi?
Bangalore is a diverse city with people from different parts of India. I was able to attend the Holi festival at Rangotsav Whitefield last March. It was the best Holi I’d ever celebrated. I made new friends; there was color splashing, flower throwing, music, and dancing.
Do you celebrate Holi? Be sure to share your photos from this year’s festival in the comments below!
.
HollI:star_struck: y realmente es un evento que no se puede perder, las bolsitas de colores son lo más!!! Por suerte tocan días lindos (siempre se hace en verano).
FELIZ HOLLI:partying_face:
May you feast on your favorite treats to your heart’s content!
. Saludos