8 Places Where Holi Is Celebrated Differently

Did you know some places celebrate Holi with ashes. Others with flowers. Or even with wielding sticks? Mayur Sanap/Rediff.com delves into various unique Holi traditions.

The vibrant Lathmar Holi in wee Barsana is a week-long celebrations where women playfully actually rain down lathis (wielding sticks) on men, as together they bring the spirit of Holi alive. Many tourists flock to this Uttar Pradesh town at Holi to witness the unusual event.

A horde of people come together to play Holi colours on a full moon night in this state. One of Odisha’s significant festivals, the highlight of Dola Purnima Holi is the procession carrying the murti of Lord Krishna, as devotees soak in the colourful and spiritual vibe.

A three-day celebration at the holy town of Sri Anandpur Sahib offers a peek into the warrior spirit of the Khalsa community as they put on a breathtaking display of Gatka or martial arts and horse riding with a riot of Holi colours!

The community celebrations of Basanta Utsav, which Rabindranath Tagore started, in the early 1920s, in Santiniketan of Bolpur in West Bengal, is all about music, colours and joy! People dressed in traditional attire dance and celebrate colours as they indulge in music and poetry to mark the beginning of spring.

The blooming of bright orange palash flower, also known as the flame of the forest, at the advent of the hot season. In rural Maharashtra, especially in the tribal belt, the flower is crushed and turned into natural saffron colour for Holi celebrations.

This soothing and eye-pleasing celebration makes use of delicate flower petals, instead of powdered gulal, as people come together and put on a dazzling spectacle of colours, joy and laughter. This beautiful Holi, unique to the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, attracts many tourists.

The iconic Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, in the sacred town of Varanasi, bring in many a devotee as they play Bhasma Holi, also known as Masan Ki Holi.  This age-old hatke tradition sees people smearing each other with bhasma or pyre ash, as they dance and sing bhajans.

Kerala's answer to Holi is Manjal Kuli, also known as Ukuli, that the Kudumbi and Konkani communities celebrate with much gusto. Bright yellow turmeric is the dominant colour. This is the real Yellow our beloved Chris Martin was singing about!