by 
Sharing an experience with another family can be one of most memorable adventures to experience together. Adding a whole other culture to it can make it even more memorable. Each spring there is a Hindi Festival called Holi.
Around the world, Hindus are celebrating Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is a popular springtime celebrations observed on the last full moon of the lunar month. Participants traditionally throw bright, vibrant powders at friends and strangers alike, celebrating the arrival of spring. To learn more about Holi visit here
It’s become our own little family tradition to make T-Shirt to keep from our Festival events. Very simply we take the letters HOLI and paint them onto plain T-Shirts. We used letter outlines to create our and even foam stamps one year. You could even handwrite them too. By creating our Holi Shirts the kids can purposefully make colors and prints on the shirts and really get into the fun which then turns into a keepsake for the rest of the year. You can join the fun at home too, which just kid friendly paints.
Year by year we’ve invited our friends and family to come and celebrate the festival with us. It’s been so much fun seeing how each year they get braver and braver in joining into the fun. Imagine adults and children and kids alike running around with colored powder, water guns, water balloons and hoses. The best part is at the end while you’re all wrapped up in towels warming up in the sun with the cool spring air you are enjoying delicious Indian snacks, Indian sweets and perhaps some warm chai or mango lassi.
This holiday has become a fun way for my children to share their culture with their friends. Generally around this time in local Hindu temples and Community Centers Indians are also hosting India Fest. Here’s a sneak at our latest Visit to the Temple. It’s such a fun experience to submerge into Indian culture with dance, songs, foods, art and culture within your local Indian community. Take a peek in your area and see if there is a local event near you this month.
To discover more about India please visit:
- The Educators’ Spin On It India Pinterest Board
- Multicultural Kid Bloggers Asia Pinterest Board
- Visit India the Virtual Way on Multicultural Kid Blog
- Everyday life in India on MamaSmiles
Can you think of a way to encourage your child to invite their friends to celebrate in the traditions of your culture?
For more ideas, be sure to check out our Holi board on Pinterest:
About the Author
Kim Vij enjoys sharing simple ways to make every day moments into learning opportunities. She is a blogger, mom of 3 and educator which inspired her to co-create The Educators’ Spin On It.
Follow Kim on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram & Facebook.
by 
Kim Vij
Latest posts by Kim Vij (see all)
- Celebrating Holi with Family and Friends - March 14, 2014
- Learning about the World during the Olympics - February 21, 2014
I’ve heard people say Holi is their favourite festival. I was lucky enough to celebrate last year in India – it was a blast!
That’s on my bucket list Browyn to experience it in India. I can only imagine how exciting it will be! Lucky you!
I’ve always wanted to celebrate Holi the way it’s meant to – with lots of color and mess, but unfortunately where we live it is so cold this time of the year and I’ve never been willing to stain our coats 🙂 It sounds like such fun, and it’s on our family bucket list to experience, some way, some how 🙂 It’s a wonderful tradition to share with your friends and family – I bet it is so much fun!
It is such a fun event trying to think of how you could do it in cold, I don’t blame you for not wanting to stain coats. The Indian powders do leave colors on your clothes for sure. When ours were super little we used washable paints by crayola too.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve always been curious about Holi but never considered having my daughter (and her friends) “recreate” it here to help build an appreciation for Indian culture.
If you look around your community many groups will meet at public parks and invite others to join the fun too. Or perhaps connecting with a neighbor. It’s such a fun festival for all to enjoy.
That toddler is the cutest thing ever! Holi sounds like a wonderful holiday. I was so glad to learn about it!
This celebration looks like so much fun! I agree with Pragmatic Mom – such a sweet photo!!
This is a wonderful tradition! We ran a color run 5k where the participants threw similar colored powder and it was absolutely a beautiful mess! What a great way to bring Indian culture into your home by hosting a Holi festival each year!