(March 22nd, 2015)

Having grown up in Singapore, I am somewhat disappointing that I have never experienced this festival there. My first visual introduction to it was in Chris Kattans’ Bollywood Hero.

The Holiday technically fell on March 6th. But March 22nd was when local radio station Masala Radio sponsored an outdoor celebration.

The ground was still wet from the heavy rain the day before, but at least the humidity was low and the temperature was acceptably cool enough. I was warned that while strangers will be respectful and not douse you with colors, one will most likely not leave the festival grounds dry. Indeed, there were plenty who came in all white for that one purpose, to be blessed in technicolor.

The older folks wants to make sure you are properly celebrating with hugs of colors, and the children were more interested in splashing you with water (there were plenty of high powered water guns for sale….). The other “young and mobile” revelors were more interested in the dancing and making sure their friends were walking paints, as they should be.

I was informed on good authority that this 8th annual Houston Holi is way more intense than what you can experience even in India. With an estimated of 18,000 folks participating in an park area, I can believe that.

more images at: http://forestphotography.smugmug.com/Events/2015-Solils/20150322-Holi-Festival/48196334_vfdj6K