DUBAI // It’s a traditional spring festival that celebrates friendship, but you wouldn’t want to turn up in your best designer clothes.
Wisely, thousands of people dressed down to celebrate the festival of colours, Holi, at Wonderland Park, where bursts of colour and Bollywood pop stars were the highlights of the eight-hour celebrations. About 22,000 people of all ages and backgrounds, some armed with water guns, converged on the theme park at Al Garhoud.
“The way we celebrate Holi has changed over the years,” said Khushal Lakhiani, 49, who was there with his daughter and nephews. “You still have the traditional activities of throwing colours at each other, but now they have DJs and water guns and new features.
“At the heart of it all is a celebration of friendship,” said Mr Lakhiani, a manager of a foodstuff company. “You will find people who haven’t talked to each other for months come to the celebrations and reconcile their differences. This day dissolves animosities.”
Mr Lakhiani has been living in Dubai for the past 27 years.
“We really enjoy these celebrations, they help us keep in touch with our heritage and traditions. You also get to meet lots of people, it’s not just for Hindus or Indians, you have people from everywhere coming to join in the fun.”
Caked in red, blue, green and purple powder, Manish Rupani, 31, was celebrating the day with his wife and daughter, 3. “This is a great family event, we’ve been coming to celebrate it for the last five years even though we are Muslim. There are a lot of very nice people you meet here, it makes you feel less homesick,” Mr Rupani said.
“This is a celebration for anyone who likes colours,” said Soma Chadha, 34, a property agent. “It is a much bigger celebration in India, especially outside the big cities. But at least we get a feel of it here, and the children can experience what the celebrations are like.”
“We’ve made sure to bring bed sheets, newspapers and plastic bags to cover the car seats so we don’t make a mess,” said Dilip Heena, who was there with his wife and in-laws.
Traffic woes have plagued the event every year, and this year was no exception.
“Parking is always an issue. We’ve arranged a taxi service for our members. Next year we might look at linking public transport,” said Prashant Lele, events manager for Dubai Country Club, one of the event organisers.
Starting with 6,000 visitors six years ago, the event has grown bigger every year. This year the numbers more than doubled from last year.
“This is our second-biggest event of the year, after New Year’s Eve. We also have plans for Diwali, but this is probably the most fun event we do, both for the visitors and for us,” Mr Lele said.
“Today is about enjoying life and making sure you cherish spending time with family and friends,” said mother of two Rita Malhotra, a banker from Mumbai. Speckled with bright colour from head to toe, Mrs Malhotra was carrying her six-month-old son, Vivaan, in a chest harness. The baby hadn’t escaped unscathed, he was almost as colourful as his mother.
“It is one of my favourite days of the year. I’ve been celebrating it here for the past six years, but this is the first time for Vivaan. We come here in groups of three families and it is a great family event.
“This is a much bigger celebration here than what I’m used to in India, where people just celebrate in their own buildings, but it is a much more personal experience, you feel a stronger connection with people.”
malkhan@thenational.ae
