Celebrated for millennia in India and Nepal, Holi is one of the happiest holidays on the Hindu calendar. Dozens of Bay Area communities are planning big events for this spring celebration known for its tradition of participants throwing colorful powder at one another.
“Holi is all about rebirth, growth and friendship,” explained Anu Sehgal, founder of the Culture Tree, which puts on South Asian-themed educational and cultural programs. “It is about coming together and celebrating new life and beginnings.”
One origin story of Holi celebrates inclusivity. When Krishna was young, friends of the Hindu god became tired of everyone teasing him about his blue skin. Their solution? Put colors on one another so that everyone looked the same.
“Holi equalizes everyone,” Sehgal said. “We all look the same. Skin doesn’t matter.”
In ancient times, Holi would involve herbs and flowers that had bloomed in spring. Today, partiers throw gulal, the traditional brightly colored powder.
Colorful gulal powder is used for the Holi spring festival in India. | Getty Images
Its no wonder that Holi parties attract revelers of all religions, castes and socioeconomic groups to gather together and “play with colors” in India, Nepal and, increasingly, in communities of the Indian diaspora all over the world.
“I am seeing a big explosion of Holi celebrations in the U.S. post-Covid,” said Sehgal, whose new children’s book about the holiday debuts this week. The idea of leaving behind the winter blues and coming out in spring to see crowds of friends is even more resonant after the pandemic. “
Human contact is a really important aspect of Holi," she said. "To apply color, you have to touch that person.”
Celebrated on full moon of Phalguna on the Hindu calendar, Holi falls on Wednesday, March 8, this year. But in the Bay Area, the Holi party season often continues for several weeks.
Holi events typically include gulal colored powder, drums, music and a variety of traditional food and drinks made with “cooling spices” to mark the first hot days of the year in India.
So if you’ve never partied like Krishna and his friends, dress in white, grab your sunglasses and pick a Holi party from the list below.
“Because who doesn’t want to play with colors? Adults do. Kids do,” Sehgal said. “It’s just fun.”
A Holi party in California | Getty Images
The Best Holi Parties in the SF Bay Area
Happy Holi—or Holi Hai! Check out the calendar of Holi events that start today and continue through March and April 2023.
Whether you ride a vintage trolley or slip into something leathery for Folsom Street Fair, ring in the fall season with these San Francisco traditions.
