Holi celebration in Rajasthan

The colourful state of Rajasthan plays Holi much the same way as Mathura. A night before the full moon, crowds of people gather together and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves and twigs of the winter. People throw coloured water and powders (gulal and kumkum) at each other and make merry. Singing, dancing and the traditional beats of dhol add to the gaiety of the occasion.

Holi is celebrated with pomp and ceremony and more so with a regal air befitting the royal history of Rajasthan. Elephants are bedecked to the hilt with ornate jewellery, jhools (saddles) and vibrant colours.  Female elephants are decorated with huge anklets that tinkle as they walk down the alleys of the city in a procession that also features bedecked camels and horses. The procession is accompanied by folk dancers that entertain onlookers with their traditional dances. Holi is celebrated in a unique way wherein people sitting on the elephants sprinkle gulaal on the bystanders. Elephant dances, elephant polo and tug-of-wars add an interesting twist to this already unique celebration of Holi. However, in recent times, The Elephant Festival has come in jeopardy due to animal-rights groups protesting against the same.

Folk Traditions in Rajasthan

Mali Holi :                                                           
The colourful festival of Holi is played in many different ways. The 'mali' or gardener community of Rajasthan has a unique style where the men colour the women with water and women retaliate by hitting them with sticks or long pieces of cloth
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Gair at Godaji:                                                    Men from 12 villages collect at Godaji village near Ajmer in Rajasthan to play gair a few days after holi. Each village brings his own drummer and gair troupes. The picturesque location for it is a valley surrounded by hills on all sides. Thousands of onlookers and close to hundred players make a wonderful sight and a fond memory.

Dolchi Holi at Bikaner:                                                                                                                          

In Bikaner district, members of 'Harsh' and 'Vyas' communities have been celebrating Holi by throwing water at one another with force for the past more than 300 years. A specially designed vessel called 'dolchi' made from camel skin is used for the purpose. But the water is thrown only at the back of an individual.

Tribal celebrations in Banswara                                                                                                 Banswara, a small town near Udaipur in Rajasthan, is a tribal stronghold and an erstwhile princely state. The Holi celebrations here are a unique display of the culture and traditions of the Bhil tribe. On this day the Bhils, dressed in all their festive finery, perform the beautiful Ghair traditional dance around a huge bonfire.