In online articles and instagram posts we have always seen spectacular photos and romanticised descriptions of the Indian festival Holi, also called the ‘festival of colours’, with young people and families embracing and enjoying throwing coloured powder at each other. But is the festival of colours really as it is described? Our experience unfortunately resembled more of a horror story. My boyfriend Ben and I spent Holi 2024 in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India. Below you will read about our personal experience, and what to expect from the festival of colours in Pushkar.
What is Holi?
Before we turn to our personal experience, it is worth saying a few words about the beautiful meaning of the festival of colours, why it is celebrated and what it symbolises.
Holi is a very significant festival for Hindus. It is celebrated mainly in North India and Nepal, but also in other Hindu communities around the world. The festival takes place in February-March, during the full moon, to welcome the spring season and mark the end of the winter season.
The Hindu Legend
Holi has several origins and meanings. One of the most popular stories tells of Hiranyakashipu, an evil king who demanded that all inhabitants of the kingdom worship him. Those who did not, would be punished or killed. The king’s son, Prahlada, betraying his father, chose to worship the Hindu deity Vishnu, the god of preservation. The king then asked his demoness sister Holika to kill him. Hence the name ‘Holi’. However, the god Vishnu intervened to protect Prahlada and saved him from the demoness. Holi thus symbolises the victory of good over evil.
The act of throwing colours during Holi is a symbol of joy and happiness, equality (as all people on that day mingle regardless of social status, age or gender) and a symbol of the destruction of evil.
Holi in Pushkar: What to really expect
To celebrate Holi, we decided to travel to Pushkar. We had heard of Pushkar as the ideal place to spend this celebration from many different people (which now surprises us greatly!). Foreign tourists and local indians alike all told us that Pushkar is THE place to party for Holi festival.
Pushkar is a small and pretty sacred town easily reached in about four hours by train or bus from Jaipur in Rajasthan. It is famous for being one of the oldest cities in India and for its namesake lake, considered sacred by Hindus. Pushkar has in recent years become a must-visit destination for tourists to enjoy its calm, spirituality and markets. The city is also a paradise for vegetarians, as there are only 100% vegetarian restaurants!
During the Holi celebration, however, the town is completely transformed. Various psytrance and techno parties take place, making it an attractive destination for young people from all over the country. While private parties can be a good and fun alternative to spend Holi, the city streets are not!
Harassment on the streets
Our day started at 10am, when we were on our way to a local café to have a coffee and get ready to celebrate. After a few metres, we were immediately surrounded by a group of Indian guys who, taking advantage of the excuse of approaching us to sprinkle some colour, immediately tried to harass me and touch me inappropriately.
The fact that my boyfriend was with me unfortunately only partially helped. We were so dazed and confused from all the powder in our faces that we could hardly see anything or even breathe. Neither of us could properly handle the situation or predict what was going to happen.
When we arrived at the cafe we found other western tourists that had unfortunately shared the same experience.
Alarmed at the situation, we decided to take a different, less crowded route. Even then, however, we were surrounded and harassed several times by groups of local Indians. I did not feel safe at all and we started to feel very anxious. We immediately noticed that 99% of the people on the streets were groups of young Indian males, whose only purpose (for most) was to target girls and harass them!
Note: During this celebration it is typical to drink thandai, a refreshing milk drink with dried nuts, fragrant spices and cannabis. Many people during Holi abuse this drink, losing control of themselves and not being fully lucid in their actions. Pay attention to those around you!
After only 10 minutes of celebration, we were already fed up with being on the streets. We therefore took a tuk tuk to go to a private party and get away from the centre. Incredibly, some men tried to touch me even when I was inside the tuk tuk! Although the ambience at the private party was much better than the streets, by this time our mood was subdued and we simply wanted to get back to the hotel safely.
The intensity of the celebration
Even leaving aside the harassment, we found the celebration in the streets really intense and chaotic. Hardly anyone respected our personal space. We were almost choked by the aggressiveness with which they threw dust in our faces, not stopping even when we were coughing. As a tourist you have a target on you for locals to come and harass you as aggressively as possible!
The day after the Holi we both caught the flu, probably from all the people touching our faces. We had a cough, and blew purple and pink coloured stuff from our noses for at least three days! Only in the days following Holi did we receive multiple warnings from hoteliers and locals warning us of the intensity of the celebration. They explained to us how during this festival, unfortunately, harassment often occurs and how there is no respect for other people’s personal space (thank you, we would have liked to know this earlier!).
Suggestions for enjoying Holi safely
The above is our personal experience, on the streets of the city of Pushkar. We have unfortunately heard similar stories of other people celebrating Holi in other cities in northern India, such as Jaipur or Rishikesh. The harassment and intensity of the celebrations during Holi is a common occurrence, which should be reported more. However, other friends of ours had a good experience during the Holi, and had a good time.
Our tips to stay safe
If you are in northern India during Holi, and you want to participate in this festival, these are the tips we have collected from our experience and that of several of our friends:
- Avoid city streets, especially those that are so crowded. By doing so, you will avoid being surrounded by groups of people and finding yourself in trouble.
- If you are travelling alone or as a couple, go to a hostel and try to form a large group with other young people. This way it will be more difficult for people with bad intentions to isolate you. This is especially important for single girls!
- Attend paid events. These are usually ‘expensive’ (10 to 20 euros) and as such are avoided by those aiming to harass people. We went to an organised party in the afternoon and found people much more polite and respectful of personal space. At these events we also immediately found more girls, especially Indian girls!
- Consider going to a quieter and less popular town to celebrate Holi. Then you might find more families and people who want to celebrate this festival in its true and pure meaning.
- Avoid walking down the street during the evening hours to return to your hotel/hostel. We have received recommendations from many hoteliers to take tuk tuk and not unnecessarily risk getting into unpleasant situations when the sun goes down.
Accommodation in Pushkar during Holi
If you wish to spend Holi in Pushkar, we recommend that you book your accommodation well in advance. Due to the popularity of the festival, the entire city will probably be full for the days surrounding Holi. If you arrive without having booked a hotel, you might have to pay a very high price for a basic room (more than 5000 rupees, roughly 50 euros) or not be able to find one at all.
All our recommendations below are rated above 8/10 on booking.com with breakfast included!
Hotels in Pushkar View all
Conclusions
Given our experience, and that of so many others similar to ours, we felt we had to write this article to warn other travellers, should they find themselves in Pushkar or similar cities during Holi, what to expect from the festival of colours. Having said that, we believe that it is possible to have a good experience and enjoy this festival in peace, if one takes the necessary precautions. We really recommend that you follow our suggestions and be careful so that you can have a good, carefree day.
Have you had similar or different experiences? Leave us a comment below! If you have been to Pushkar during Holi, we would love to hear about your experience!
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