Source: The Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/6297468.html
Think of the Hindu Holi festival as Slumdog Millionaire goes to summer camp. It’s colorful, joyful, a little messy and a lot of fun.
The actual holiday, observed at local temples, is on Wednesday. But Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m, the Hindu community invites Houstonians to celebrate the Festival of Colors 2, a day full of color, food and entertainment, including Bollywood music and dancing.
It’s a great way, organizers say, to forget about recession woes and welcome spring, with a little culture mixed in. But be forewarned, colorful means just that. Instead of dying Easter eggs, people are colored with powders ranging from green and yellow to red, orange, blue and pink.
“The colored powder is nontoxic and washes off, though it might take several times,” explains Shilpi Seth. “But we have a huge circle blocked off where the colors are thrown. So if you are young or old or just don’t want colors thrown at you, stay by the stage and the food vendors.”
In other words, if visitors just want to watch the fun, no problem, he says. Even Seth, 25, who has played with the colors most of his life, went through a period when he was young and didn’t like to get dirty.
“I’m now in that phase where I like to get dirty again,” he laughs, adding that it’s more like streaks of many colors.
Most Hindus wear white clothes to Holi, so the colors show up better.