Holi Hai – The Festival of Colors

By Tayani van Eeden

This April, the city of Busan will live up to its “Dynamic” reputation by hosting its sixth annual Holi Hai festival. This epic, spring-themed beach party draws well over a thousand people out of their winter hibernation each year. But, this is much more than merely a day of paint smears, color bombs and free samosas. Holi Hai is an ancient Hindu festival dating as far back as the 4th century C.E. While there are many theories around the origins of Holi, most if its mythology is grounded in the ideals of love and honor – thus earning it the name ‘the festival of sharing love’ in addition to ‘the festival of colors’. In the Braj region of Northern India, for example, Holi Hai is celebrated for a mind-blowing 16 days in honor of the love shared between the Hindu goddess Radha, and the Braj-born deity, Krishna. Poisoned by the she-demon Putana as a baby, Krishna was cursed to live his life with a most unfortunate shade of blue skin. Worn down by Krishna’s laments over his condition, his mother tells him to go to fair-skinned Radha and color her face in any color he wants. Radha was apparently pleased with her new face and the two lived happily ever after.

A more popularly held Holi Hai belief comes from another northern region, Punjab, and tells the story of the demon king Hiranyakashipu and his evil sister – Holika. Legend goes that King Hiranyakashipu was blessed with immortality but was consumed by it
power and turned evil. The king’s son, Prahlada, was upset and tried to overthrow his father’s despotic rule. To stop Prahlada’s plan, Holika convinced him to sit with her on a pyre whilst she secretly wore a fireproof cloak. But as the fire roared to life, the cloak was blown from Holika’s shoulders and Prahlada was saved instead. The following day, people applied ash from the extinguished fire to their foreheads, and so Holi Hai was born. Overtime the festival evolved to include colored powder and took on cultural significance by celebrating the blooming flowers of spring, good harvests and reconciliation. Typically held the day after the last full moon of the Hindu calendar year, many parts of Asia also light bonfires on the eve of Holi in a practice known as ‘Chhoti Holi’ or ‘Small Holi’ in celebration of the triumph of good over evil. As with the upcoming festival on Haeundae beach, most Holi celebrations end mid-day, followed by adults and children cleaning up, putting on fresh clothes and spending the rest of the day relaxing with family and friends. They share candy in symbolic forgiveness and adults are encouraged to settle old debts or scores. It is a time for new beginnings, combining the best aspects of Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day into something vibrant that everyone can enjoy. Amit Gupta, one of the “Indians In Korea” organizers for the event, emphasizes that people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. As someone who attended the festival last year, I can definitely attest to its inclusive atmosphere. Many passersby were shocked by what they saw at first, only to join in with the fun later. I saw quite a few barefooted businessmen in fancy (if not increasingly disheveled) suits being happily pelted by colorful powders and paints.

If you are interested in attending the event this year, make sure to visit www.holihai.org; the registration deadline is March 26. The 10,000 won registration fee buys you entrance, a cap and a starter kit of dry powders and face paints. The dress code is white, and if you are brave enough to face the last of winter’s chill, you can pack a swimsuit and join the courageous few who take a dip in the ocean. Beer and other drinks will be available for sale in a parking lot adjacent to the beach. The festival’s official end time is 3:30 p.m. – leaving plenty of time to change and make it back to Gwangju before the start of the new week. Then again, who needs to waste time changing? Amuse the public by walking around as a moving art piece and get home even sooner!