6 Myths About Holi Festival

Tomorrow is the joyous Holi festival in India. It’s a beautiful occasion which is marked by colors, music and dance. This is also one of the few festivals in India, where in being in a “spirited state” is officially allowed. I look forward to playing Holi every year, not because I like it, but because I also want to have a Holi which is as fun and cheerful as the ones shown in movies. And after years of making unsuccessful attempts at having such a Holi, I conclude that movies have yet again fooled us. Here are some wrong perceptions of this festival that the movies have created in our minds:

Myth Number 1: Holi is about people and people and people

So, unlike Diwali, Holi is perceived to be a social festival-wherein you go beyond your family and close friends and you can play Holi with just about anyone on the street. How absurd is that. I have never done that in all these years of playing Holi. Yes, we move beyond the family and splash colors on neighbors also but that’s it. Only known faces- and that too reluctantly. I wonder how did Anupam Kher and Juhi Chawla manage to have so many known neighbors in their area that they could sing and dance with them. No wonder it was so easy for the stalker (ShahRukh) to come close to Juhi.

Myth Number 2: Holi is a full day affair

A Deepika and Ranbir took a full day (starting at the crack of dawn) and half night to sing and dance on a 3 minute song. That’s not even humanly possible! I have never been in or seen people playing only Holi-splashing colours, drinking happily and dancing for 18 hours at a stretch! We are done in maximum 6 hours. That’s also a stretch figure. Most of my Holi celebrations have lasted like 2-3 hours. And I am not the odd one out!

Myth Number 3: Girls look beautiful while and after playing Holi

Like really! Even after fully being in the mood of Holi, singing and dancing with the love of her life, how could Rekha still manage to look so beautiful? Or any other actress in any Holi scene! I can’t even start to think how we look after all the colours all over our hair and face and hands and even feet!

Myth Number 4: Holi is about Happy Faces

Now, Holi is not as happy as it’s made out to be. Kids crying with colors in their eyes, girls cribbing about that bad boy throwing balloons on them, aunty shouting for throwing water on her- we have seen it all. Specifically when the hooligans of the area would start going at crazy speed on their bikes sprinkling water and colors on just about everybody-who can still remain happy? And yes, what about the mess after Holi! How when the colors won’t come out we would use all our foul language on the house mates who used such a “pakka” color!

Myth Number 5: Holi is about romance- competition between the two genders

I have hardly come across couples or love birds that are willing to be in each other’s arms in front of prying eyes of the entire neighborhood. And seriously a song/dance competition between the two genders- that never happens. So it’s either an all girl’s group one side and all men group the other side- chit chatting, gossiping, wishing each other or it’s a mixed group of happy friends who are together in a place because they want to have fun.

Myth Number 6: Throwing Colors in air is fun

Now this one I have tried many times. Flying colors is not fun at all. Because, the law of gravity works on them too. And the colors fall in the eyes, causing a lot of irritation. Especially when you are in a crowded place with kids around you, avoid this.