User submission

I Travelled To North India To Record Some Special Holi Celebrations

In Vrindavan, Northern India there are some ancient local celebrations that occur around Holi time, in March 2018 my partner Ellen and I decided to tick it off the bucket list and pay a visit.

In addition to the Holi you may know, there are two events that make this area special.

Widows Holi: Hinduism demands women renounce earthly pleasures after the death of their husbands. Thus celebrating Holi has been forbidden for Hindu widows for centuries. But for the last couple of years in Vrindavan – NGO Sulabh international organise a special gathering for widowed women to celebrate Holi. This was an incredibly emotional experience.

Lath mar Holi: Translated as ‘Holi with sticks’ The town of Barsana transformed into in a show of Fun, love and equality as for a whole afternoon women go around the town hitting the men with giant bamboo sticks. Yeah.

Enjoy the Film + Photos below.