Holi Celebrations in London

Colourful smiling faces, playful kids, delicious ghujiya and water balloons are my childhood memories of Holi. I have very clear images of playing colours with family, friends and neighbours on an early spring morning every year on Holi. As kids it was pure fun, from getting up early in the morning for Holika Dahan, to preparing water balloons…it was an experience in itself. Holi is a wild event. Boisterous gangs used to rule the roads armed with colours and water pistols and as kids it was all very exciting. Now after moving to London I try to keep up enthusiasm and celebrate the festival with close friends. Here’s a little glimpse into my world and how I kept the spirit of Holi alive in London.

First time in 9 year we had an amazing weather forecast so the spirits were even higher. Holi is such a vibrant festival and there is so much you can do when it comes to décor. This time I wanted to involve Meera and introduce the festival to her. We both created this colorful hand print bunting for the garden. Its very simple, I just used water colours , A5 size white paper and rustic rope to make this bunting. Creating the bunting with Meera was good fun she loved getting messy with colours. Kids get delighted with tradition and festivities so involve them in rituals and feed their creative energy at an early stage. Here is The Red Notebook’s photo story of our Holi celebartions  in London.

Holi outfit idea

So what did we wear on Holi? Well white is the unofficial Holi dress code so my outfit of the day had to be white. I wore a Lucknavi chikan suit with a bright pink bandhani duppata. The pink dupatta simply lifts up the white colour of the suit . A Lucknavi chikan print is a must have in my wardrobe. They are ideal for summer – very lightweight with fine intrigue embroidery. Picked up this Kurta from Amar Palace Chikan Lucknow, and I personally recommend the shop. I enjoyed accessorising the outfit with my old oxidised silver jewellery. You can source this type of jewellery very easily from roadside markets in India (or try Camden town in London). This jewellery is from my old collection and it goes on to prove the fact that I am a clothes/jewellery hoader. Wish I had some Kolhapuri chappals to finish off the look but instead I settled for a mojri and matching anklets that I picked up from Camden town. I did not wear this outfit when we played with colours and changed into something rather colourful instead.

So what does Holi mean to you? How do you celebrate it? Any favourite memory? Would love to hear from you…