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The Indian festival of colours – HOLI – might be considered the most colourful festival in the world. It celebrates the arrival of spring and the love among people. Holi is celebrated mainly in the North of India and Nepal and the main capital of Indian Holi celebration is in the town called Vrindavan.
In today´s article I will explain you why I think that celebrating Holi in Vrindavan is NOT suitable for solo female travellers. And in the comments below you can share with me your own experience if you have any.
HOW HOLI WORKS
What is the main point of Holi? How do people actually celebrate it? It is simple. People stack themselves with powder colours bought directly at the open market and on the days of Holi (which could be the celebration of up to seven days), they either throw these colours at each other or touch your face with the colours wishing you “Happy Holi” OR saying “Hare Krishna” & “Radhe Radhe”. On Holi days people also celebrate the love between the Indian Gods of Krishna and Radha.
HOW TO PREPARE FOR HOLI
You can prepare yourself for Holi celebrations in India not only physically but also mentally.
My recommendations for Holi preparation include:
- Bring some old clothes which you will want to throw away after the festivities
- Bring some scarf for your hair and mask for the mouth
- Don’t forget sunglasses to protect your eyes
- Use any type of oil on your body to easily rinse of the colours after the party
- I recommend long sleeve t-shirts
- Pack a plastic protection cover for your phone
- Get mentally ready for huge crowds of people and no personal space
- Expect unwanted physical contact and harassment by other men
Little reminder, pay attention to close-by monkeys and be aware of them. They usually jump on people to steal their sunglasses and they wait for the exchange for food. I was attacked by one, too and it took me by surprise!
HOW IS HOLI CELEBRATED IN VRINDAVAN
On the main day of Holi (which was on the 25th of March 2024, it changes every year) people start reuniting out in the streets early in the morning and start throwing the colours at each other. Or they gently come to you and touch your face with the powder colours. Besides that, people throw buckets of cold water at each other so you end up wet and colourful.
In Vrindavan the main event is to somehow squeeze into the crowds of people who try to march inside of the Krishna Temple to pay their respect towards their Gods. And that is the part of Holi which was the most traumatizing for me as a woman. I will talk about it below …
Besides the temple visit, people simply stay outdoor the whole day, play loud music, dance, have fun, throw the colours and enjoy the most colourful festival of India.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT INSIDE OF THE TEMPLE IN VRINDAVAN
After you somehow manage to squeeze into the Krishna temple in Vrindavan with hundreds and thousands of other Indians, you will be firstly asked (not politely) to take off your shoes and leave them outside (you will NEVER find them again so come barefoot or with flip-flops which you could hide under clothes).
It´s one big huge mess and chaos inside of the temple. People push one another to get closer towards the altar. They somehow separated me from my three male Slovak friends who I used as my shield most of the time.
And then brutal 10-minute sexual harassment started!
I was touched by many Indians in a very disgusting way inside their holy sacred place (which I still find unbelievable and super disrespectful not only towards me but also towards their Gods!). I could feel every inch of their bodies on my body. I felt like I was almost raped through my clothes. I could feel their intimate male parts on my butt, their hands aggressively grabbing my ass. Even after I managed to get into the protection shield of one of my friends, one Indian man was still grabbing my butt with his hand till I managed to push him away.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE TEMPLE
After we managed to get out of the temple to get some fresh air, I had to take some time to realize what just had happened. I was feeling super grateful to have my male friends, my protectors with me who gave me all the support they could.
We continued the Holi celebrations for few more hours out in the streets of Vrindavan. The situation seemed way calmer than inside of the temple. I was able to have fun, enjoy the vibes, dance with the locals and put the “temple trauma” behind me on that day. After six hours spent outside, we returned to our hotel completely exhausted (physically and mentally!) and pretty sure we wouldn’t go outside again on that day.
CONCLUSION
I do NOT want to judge Indian people for the 10- minute trauma that I have experienced, however, I cannot pretend it didn’t happen. Therefore, ladies, be careful if you head towards Vrindavan city to celebrate Holi. Bring your male friend with you and preferably avoid the temple visit unless you are mentally prepared for the sexual harassment that might come on the way.
I do not regret coming to Vrindavan for Holi celebrations though. It was the most intense, unforgettable and extreme travel experience I had ever had BUT I know that I do not have an urge to repeat this ever again. At least not in Vrindavan – the Holi´s capital of India.
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