Holi cats on toast

(March 8) Holi! What's it about! Who knows! Who cares! A holiday embodying the essence of India by combining color with chaos. If the Midwest tried it, there's no doubt it would just blow up because it would be too much to handle. BUT WAIT! You still haven't described the festivities in detail!  Cool your jets, kid. I'm getting there. 

Holi, the festival of colors, is pretty much about covering your friends/enemies/neutral strangers with color. In the process, you too will be covered in color. Yup, that's it. No point system, no benefit to avoiding the color. Color comes in harmless powder form or the much more serious liquid form. Some colors ("bad" colors) will pretty much dye you, your hair, your clothes and sometimes give you rashes. Totally worth it.

Holi started a day early for Brenna, Adam, and me. Outside the back gate of school, initially a few school friends but then mostly randos would run up to us and rub powder on our faces, wishing us a Happy Holi (the social implications of this are mind boggling). Brenna and a little girl bonded as the child ground powder into her face.

Fresh faced and fancy free

Cute and violent.

Day 2: Kakima and Kaka start things off right.

We head to Shreya's apartment complex and start with a little American tomfoolery on the rooftop. Things don't get too bad.

We challenge the local children. Things get a little more intense.

Life is great.

I slept over at Courtney and Kelsey's that night. After saying goodbye to Shreya, we got off our auto and began to walk to the metro. I glance to the right at the people paying for their auto. Wait, they are not emptying a coin purse into their hands, but rather, a powder packet. Realization sets in as our eyes meet with a shock, and my body enters flight mode. "RUN!!!!!!" I scream, and we zip to the entrance. Kelsey wasn't so lucky.

We emerge from the metro. It looks like a warzone. We spend the rest of the walk down the (mostly) barren streets and markets (unsuccessfully) avoiding the few brave souls. 

In summary: 

Holi is amazing. CSB|SJU 2013. It has been weeks and my hair is still pink. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Holi 2012. Boom.