Holi celebration starts today! Here are the best parties coming to the Bay Area

Sarah SmithMarch 4, 2023

English

Holi, celebrated for thousands of years in India and Nepal, is one of the happiest holidays in the Hindu calendar. Dozens of Bay Area communities are planning massive events for this spring festival, known for its tradition of throwing colored powder at each other.

“Holi is all about rebirth, growth and friendship,” explained Anu Sehgal, founder of Culture Tree, which runs South Asian-themed educational and cultural programs. “It’s about coming together and celebrating new life and new beginnings.”

One Holi origin story celebrates inclusiveness. When Krishna was young, the friends of the Hindu god got tired of everyone teasing him because of his blue skin. Their decision? Color each other so everyone looks the same.

“Holy equalizes everyone,” Sehgal said. “We all look the same. The skin doesn’t matter.”

In ancient times, Holi included herbs and flowers that bloomed in the spring. Today, participants scatter gulal, a traditional brightly colored powder.

Colorful gulal powder is used for the spring Holi festival in India. | Getty Images

Not surprisingly, Holi parties are attracting revelers from all religions, castes and socio-economic backgrounds to come together and “play with colors” in India, Nepal and, increasingly, in Indian diaspora communities around the world.

“I’m seeing a big bang of Holi celebrations in the US in the wake of the coronavirus,” said Sehgal, whose new children’s book about the holiday debuts this week. The idea of leaving the winter blues behind and going out in the spring to see crowds of friends is even more relevant after the pandemic. “

Human contact is a really important aspect of Holi,” she said. “To apply a color, you must touch that person.”

Celebrated on the full moon of Phalguna in the Hindu calendar, Holi falls on Wednesday, March 8 this year. But in the Bay Area, the Holi party season often lasts several weeks.

Holi events usually include colored gulal powder, drums, music, and a variety of traditional foods and drinks prepared with “cooling spices” to mark the first hot days of the year in India.

So, if you have never had fun like Krishna and his friends, dress in white, take your sunglasses and choose a Holi party from the list below.

“Because who doesn’t want to play with colors? Adults do. Kids do it,” Sehgal said. “It’s just fun.”