Read Fringe Benefit Of Volunteering Abroad: Experiencing Local Holidays first.

I was traveling with my then-boyfriend and I’m sure having a male at my side helped a bit. For a part of the day, we found a nice place on a rooftop to hang out, which was nice because we were out of the main flow of color throwing but could watch very easily. We later bought some of our own dye (gulal) and walked along the main street, stopping for tea or coffee when we found a restaurant open.

Perhaps the “worst” part was actually the day before, when a large crowd of young men started throwing water balloons at us; the boyfriend started running but my sandals didn’t allow me the same amount of flexibility…so guess who got hit. There was no dye inside, but the water balloons were thrown with enough force to burst – pretty hard!

Tips for making your Holi a good one:

• ASK locals what happens in the area where you are staying for Holi and if they have any advice. Do people start celebrating with water balloons the day before? Are there rowdier areas you should avoid if you’re more reserved?
• If you’re female – look into this thoroughly and seek advice from several sources. Had I been solo, I might not have gone out.
• If you are hit with a water balloon from out of nowhere don’t act angry or you may be hit with several more out of nowhere!
• Buy some cheap clothes or wear old ones you don’t care about so you can enjoy the day and not worry about your attire being stained.
• Adding water may make dry dye set in more. Brush off what you can or use Chapstick (or something like it) to remove it.

I’m glad I went out and experienced Holi – it’s one of the more memorable parts of my trip. Happy belated Holi 2007!