What if laughter, dance, color, and play emanated from us the vibrant way that they do on Holi?My arms were stained bright magenta and my face was a rainbow of color. I began to stroll home from the Holi celebration on Pollinate’s roof, and two little boys, drenched in orange, stood on the corner staring at me. They began to giggle and jump with excitement as they shouted “Happy Holi!” as smiles spread across their tiny faces. I continued to walk along the pavement, as two other young boys, drenched from head to toe in blue and yellow color smiled at me knowingly. Across from each other on the street, we embodied this common thread of colors that have paved their way through generations, through ceremony and celebration. We shared a mutual bond, because our skin had been colored with a rainbow of pigment. These colors brought us together and facilitated an interaction that would not have happened otherwise.
Our rainbow colors connected us as parts of the spectrum of light. I flitted home, comforted by a sense of belonging to this place. I continued to receive looks of surprise on my walk, which turned into goofy smiles, and then manifested into deep-throated laughs from mighty uncles, who yelled “Happy Holi!” from across the dusty street. I joyfully yelled back to them, feeling connected to the bustle of this special day. Once I got home, I did my best to scrub off the color, through the course of 3 showers. Alas, despite my grit, I could not remove the pink from my skin and hair. I jumped into an auto-rickshaw to meet a friend at my favorite bookstore, and I smiled down at my magenta stained arms. I looked out the open rickshaw door, glancing at the intricacies of life taking place all around me, identifying a plethora of colorful humans. Each time I spotted someone who had played Holi I giggled to myself, at the ridiculousness yet beauty of the color. I couldn’t stop thinking about the joy that color brings. Yes, I played Holi for the first time. We danced, we sang, we shared food, and we acted like crazy, colorful oompa loompas, as we jived to Bollywood tunes. Holi is a time to forgive and to forget. Holi is a time to make new friends. Holi marks the changing of the seasons. And Holi is a time to cultivate a sense of play in our lives and exude the vibrant colors of our selves through playing. I continue to ruminate on these thoughts:
I am grateful to experience festivals like Holi, that encourage humans, who are so often devoid of connection, to celebrate, love, laugh, dance, and connect to one another through play. These ceremonies give life and demand that we see each other as one part of the rainbow spectrum. We are forced see each other as one, as part of the whole, no matter what color is on our skin. So, I leave you with these reflective and playful questions:
Happy Holi to all. May your life be filled with every color of the rainbow.
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Sammi Bennett I am a dancer, singer, creative non-fiction writer, yoga teacher, outdoor lover, and book-binder. Archives
August 2022
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