Holi-Day

I know, I’ve been gone for an unconscionably long time.  But…  I’m back with pictures?

Pictures I took on the same holiday LAST year, but…  Well, any taken today would have been very similar, and since I never got these up, I’m doing them now.

Today, spring began.  That is, Nepal celebrated its annual holiday that has marked similarities to spring celebrations around the world, since it features playing with colors and with water.  (Easter eggs, anyone?)

Pigments for sale at Pashupatinath a few weeks ago, on Shiva Ratri, with the prospect of Holi in mind.

Here, for Holi, the kids paint themselves with brightly colored pigments and then spill into the streets, tossing plastic bags filled with water at one another.  Or else they get very clever, like my neighbors’ kids, and go up on their roof with buckets, and fill those up and pour them instead.

Look out below! My neighbors' kids having a blast, surprising pedestrians with buckets of water.

But the kids only seem to rule the morning of Holi, and, a bit, the days before.  By mid-morning today, like last year, I kept hearing the roaring cheers as gangs of young men poured by, some on foot, some in motorcycle convoys, some in vehicle convoys.  I never caught any pictures of the latter, but I do have the former:

Gangs of colorful marauding youth take to the streets for Holi, attacking other gangs... with colors and water.

Another group of colorful Holi youth.

…and I know this is short, but it’s a start.  Maybe I’ll return to adding posts more regularly…

Nepali of the Day:

rang:  color

rangi-changi:  multi-colored

paani:  water

ramailo:  fun

raamro:  good

keta:  boy

keti:  girl

ketaketi:  kids

kelchu:  to play