I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge festival-goer. I hear of people attending Burning Man, Tomorrowland, Glastonbury, and other celebrations around the world, and I think, “Good for them.” I’ll peruse through their blog posts, articles, and pictures online, smiling and appreciating the diversity in the world…and then move on and away. However after attending the Festival of Colors as part of Holi, I think my mind is starting to change. The atmosphere around the festival was electric, full of love, and harmony. “Toss the chalk” became the cry around me, as colorful chalk was tossed into the air, at people walking by, and at my friend.
Every hour on the hour, festival-goers toss the chalk into the air, creating a beautiful rainbow cloud…
…for a few seconds until it all mashes together into a big, brownish cloud.
It became hard to breathe, you couldn’t see, you’re bumping into everyone around you, elbows and arms flailing about as they toss the chalk over your head. And yet, you’re grinning like an idiot. This is so cool.
Even though you’re supposed to toss the chalk on the hour, there were often more “unofficial” times where everyone would toss the chalk: during performances, small groups having “battles” between themselves and other groups, or the occasional child who was super excited to be handed a bag of colorful chalk and little restrictions.
Ashley and I spent some time at the top of the hill between the Krishna Temple and the main stage, just watching the merriment all around. At this moment in time, I realized what I’d been missing out by writing off festivals as a whole.
And while I’m not sure my self-realization will amount to anything other than an epiphany, I know that I’ll be more open to attending festivals like this in the future. But for now, here’s a barrage of color-laden photos of the Festival of Colors in Spanish Fork, Utah!
Have you ever been to the Festival of Colors before? What is your favorite festival that you’ve attended?
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