Youths get ready to make Holi colourful

By Writika Rijal,Kathmandu, Mar. 6: Nepali people living in the mountainous districts and in the Kathmandu Valley are marking Fagu, the festival of colours, on Monday by smearing colours to each other. 

The festival is especially popular among youths in the Valley urban areas, and villages. They splash water at each other, smear colours on the faces of their friends and relatives, sing and dance in groups and gather at Kathmandu Durbar Square and other places. 

Fagu, which is popularly called Holi, is one of the most jovial festivals celebrated in Nepal. The Holi festival is celebrated to welcome spring and celebrate the victory of good over evil. It’s said that Holi used to be a rite performed by married women praying for their family's well-being, where the full moon was worshipped.

While Kathmandu and the entire mountain region mark Fagu on Monday, Terai residents will mark it on Tuesday.

Once in Kathmandu, Holi used to be celebrated in a much more traditional and community-oriented way. The streets of Kathmandu were filled with lots of people smearing each other with multiple colours. 

People were seen dancing and singing in places where the atmosphere was filled with the sound of music, laughter, joy, and happiness. Traditionally, this festival was celebrated with families and friends gathering to play with coloured powder and water in their own house or community. However, in recent years, Holi has been celebrated with large crowds of people in public places such as Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Basantapur. They also organise events and parties held in clubs, restaurants, and hotels. The festival has become more inclusive, with people of different backgrounds and religions joining, which is fun.

In the name of enjoying festivals, many bad practices are being exercised, such as consuming alcohol and weed, which render negative impact on the community. 

As our country, Nepal, went through the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on Holi celebrations, there were fewer individuals to attend Holi celebrations in the past two years due to restrictions on public gatherings. But this year, there is no restriction and the festival is likely to be marked in grandeur. 

Youths were seen filling balloons with water and buying colours on Sunday to mark the festival. 

Display of Holi T- shirts has dominated the major market places including New Road.

“We will play Holi with our friends this time in our locality,” said two boys who were busy filling water in balloons at Balaju on Sunday.

Holi celebrations have also raised safety concerns in recent years due to factors like the use of synthetic colours, which can lead to many health problems. 

These safety concerns may make many hesitant to attend the festival. 

Due to the scarcity of water in the Kathmandu Valley, people use dirty water sources. 

Some people engage in inappropriate or unsafe behaviours, such as touching or groping others without seeking permission, hurling water balloons or other objects at moving cars, or using artificial colours that can be dangerous to both human health and the environment.

So it is important to celebrate Holi in a safe, responsible, and decent manner.

(Rijal is an intern at TRN)