Celebrating Holi

What is Holi?

Falling around the middle of March, Holi is the annual Festival of Colours in Hindu tradition, marking the dawn of springtime and celebrating the victory of good over evil. Though it originated in India, Holi is celebrated by families and communities all around the world, and the traditional two days of festivities involve gathering around a bonfire, sharing food and drink and (perhaps most famously) the Rangwali Holi, where crowds gather to dance and throw coloured powder over each other in a vibrant display! 

With its celebration of community spirit, Holi is a wonderful occasion to mark on your PTA calendar. It’s the perfect opportunity for a colour run, creating an exciting competition while also reflecting the colourful traditions of Holi through the throwing of coloured powder. 

But what if you want to go all out with the celebrations? 

For Rachael Seago, Chair of the Friends of Royal Latin School, creating an inclusive community event was key when they set out to organise their ​‘Glimpse of India’ event. 

“We are a large secondary school with a very strong PTA that has been running for years. We take pride in the fact that we are at the heart of the school. We have quite a range of cultures within the school, mainly from India. The school and PTA felt the Indian community weren’t integrating with the school and wondered how we could connect with them.” 

“One day I nipped into Tesco and bumped into an Indian mum. We discussed how we could get her community more involved, and she told me she felt it would be pretty easy to gather support – the local Indian community is tight-knit and would be very proud to show off their culture. And so, over a trolley, ​‘Glimpse of India’ was born.” 

For Rachael, it was important to listen to the community and create something that was truly authentic.

​“We got a small team of Indian mums together on WhatsApp and discussed options. They had links to a dancer who taught a lot of the students at the school, and she was more than willing to get involved. We had a variety of dancers and age groups, plus costumes that reflected different parts of India. Some parents owned food outlets and were incredibly generous with their time and donations. Again, the food reflected different parts of India – we had food maps showing where certain well-known dishes were from. 

“The event sold out within a week and well in advance, which shocked us. We probably could have done two events with the demand. The atmosphere and support was electric with incredible teamwork. Everyone was very excited and proud of what they had achieved. It even hit the local papers!”