Holi, for my American and Japanese friends, is a Hindu festival that celebrates spring and renewal. The day also celebrates ancient religious myths and legends. It's a time to enjoy spring's abundant colors and say farewell to winter. It's also known as "The Festival of Colors". And as you can see, I had a rather colorful afternoon with the Total Environment staff down at the Windmills employee canteen. There was fun, games and lots of smiling faces down at the T.E. campus too.
The holiday is usually celebrated at the end of the winter season, on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna in February or March. Indians have been celebrating Holi for centuries. The earliest textual reference to it is found in the 7th century Sanskrit drama, Ratnavali. These days the holiday manifests itself with people throwing colored powders and sometimes fragrant water at each other. Bonfires are often lit and social structures relaxed. It's a good spirited day that brings a lot of folks together...
On a completely unrelated note, I've seen a lot of monkeys in India but none in Bangalore. That is until this morning, when I saw a few out on my 15th floor deck! The surprise certainly brought a smile to my face.
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