Udaipur: Colour and Chaos on Holi Day

Holi arrived today, and it turned out to be one of the most unexpected highlights of the entire trip. I knew the festival would fall during our time in India, but I hadn’t realised quite how much it would shape the day, or how fully we would find ourselves caught up in it.

Back in Jaipur our guide had already prepared us by arranging traditional white Indian outfits for the group. That caused a small flurry of activity in the Marriott lobby as everyone tried to find the right size. This morning we finally wore them. Mine was the largest available and still a little snug across the shoulders. Around our necks we wore simple white flower garlands, strings of small blossoms that felt almost ceremonial against the crisp fabric.For a short while everything was spotless.

That would not last long.

After breakfast our guide led us out for a short visit to local vilage and within minutes the first colours appeared. Someone approached smiling and gently pressed coloured powder onto a few faces. A streak of pink here, a touch of green there. Soon the whites were no longer quite so white.

We returned briefly to the hotel to freshen up and already the streets outside were beginning to be busy. Motorbikes and tuk tuks rolled past with horns blaring, riders already dusted in bright powders. It felt like the city was gradually turning up the volume.

Before heading out again we gathered for group photos on the steps of the hotel. It was wonderful to see everyone embracing the occasion. The white outfits made us look almost like a ceremonial procession waiting to begin. Some had sensibly adapted their look for the day. A few of the women had wrapped scarves around their heads, and one member of the group who had eye problems had come prepared with swimming goggles.

Then we set off again. Progress was slow almost immediately. From above the scene must have looked like a strange parade, a cluster of Western travellers dressed entirely in white walking through streets already alive with colour. We were an obvious target.

Holi: You might as well put targets on our backs

Families approached with smiles, gently marking our foreheads and cheeks with coloured powder. Our guide had bought small packets of colour for us as well, so before long we were doing the same, carefully pressing bright yellow or pink powder onto the faces of the people greeting us.

Many families wanted photographs with us, particularly with their children. It struck me how odd and lovely it was that we were becoming part of their Holi memories too, appearing in countless phone photos that will probably circulate long after we have gone home.

Children were among the most enthusiastic participants. Several groups appeared armed with water pistols or small balloons filled with coloured water, laughing as they chased one another down the street. The usual rules of behaviour seemed temporarily suspended. For one day, mischief was allowed.

The transformation of our group was gradual but relentless. The once pristine outfits began to bloom with colour, first small fingerprints of powder, then streaks of yellow and green across shoulders and backs, and finally entire splashes of pink across shirts and hair.

One of the nicest moments came when we stopped to take photographs with three young girls standing together by the roadside. Their faces and clothes were already layered with colour, and they held small plastic packets of powder in their hands like treasured supplies. They stood proudly beside us for the photograph, as though we had been friends for much longer than the few minutes we had just met.

Motorbikes frequently slowed as they passed us. Riders grinned and waved, some shouting “Happy Holi!” A few stopped altogether. At one point a father paused on his motorbike with his young son sitting in front of him. Both of them were covered in bright powders. My wife gently added another dash of colour to the child’s cheek while everyone laughed.

Elsewhere groups of young men gathered under the shade of trees, their clothes and faces already almost unrecognisable under layers of colour. Many wanted photographs with us too, standing shoulder to shoulder as if we had joined their celebration rather than simply wandered into it.

Occasionally bikes roared past carrying excitable young men who threw handfuls of coloured powder into the air as they passed. It never felt aggressive, only exuberant.

Musicians appeared beside us, a drummer beating out a rhythm as we walked. For a few minutes the group moved through the street to the sound of drums and laughter, the colours rising in clouds around us.

By the time we eventually returned to the hotel, our transformation was complete. The carefully chosen white outfits were now completely covered in bright pink, yellow and green powder. Faces, hair, sleeves and backs had all become canvases.

We recreated our group photograph on the hotel steps, though this time the result looked far more authentic. Our guide held up a sign with the name of the tour company and I suspect that we may appear in their brochures sometime in the future.

The hotel kindly opened their rooftop terrace for us afterwards, providing drinks and music for anyone who wanted to continue celebrating. Some of the group danced while others simply sat and enjoyed the moment. I settled for a cold Coke and watched the scene unfold. After the noise and energy of the morning we slipped away to wash and change before lunch.

Our guide advised us not to venture back out later in the day. As Holi continues, the celebrations can become more intense and alcohol often becomes increasingly part of the mix. Motorbikes weaving through the streets with coloured riders is charming enough in the morning, but perhaps less so later in the afternoon. Tempting though it was, we respected him and his judgement and therefore followed his advice.

By late afternoon the streets had quietened and the bright chaos of Holi gradually faded into a warm golden light. From the rooftop we had a clear view across the city towards the City Palace, its domes and terraces rising above the skyline.

As the sun began to drop the sky turned an extraordinary deep orange. For a few minutes the palace appeared almost in silhouette, the domes and small flags on their pinnacles sharply outlined against the glowing sky. The sun hung beside the palace like a burning disc before slowly lowering until it touched the curved dome of one of the buildings.

Sunset of the City Palace on Holi Day, Udaipur

First view of the moon

For a moment it balanced there, half hidden behind the architecture, before slipping away completely. The whole skyline seemed to glow. It felt like a perfect counterpoint to the morning. After the riot of colour, noise and laughter, the city now seemed almost contemplative. As dusk deepened another spectacle began.

Through the haze above the distant Aravalli hills the moon began to rise, already carrying a deep orange tint. At first it appeared faint and blurred against the sky, almost ghostlike above the dark outline of the hills and rooftops. Gradually it became clearer, a soft amber disc hanging above the city.

This was the full moon of Holi, but it also coincided with a lunar eclipse. From India only a very subtle part of the eclipse was visible. The moon had already entered the outer shadow of the Earth as it rose, so there was no dramatic “bite” taken out of it as we naively expected with an eclipse.

Instead the effect was much gentler. The moon appeared slightly dimmed and strongly coloured, glowing a deep coppery orange through the dust and evening haze. Watching closely, the surface looked unevenly shaded as the shadow slowly moved across it. After the vivid spectacle of Holi during the day, the quietness of the eclipse felt almost meditative.

Full Moon over Urdaipur on Holi Day

Later that evening, after dinner on the roof terrace, framed by the delicate scalloped arch of traditional Rajasthani architecture, the moon hung above the city like a lantern suspended in the sky. Below it the domes and carved stone details of the palace roof caught the soft artificial light, while in the distance the lights of the city flickered in the darkness.

After such a vibrant and energetic day, the calm of the evening felt almost surreal. Holi had filled the morning with colour, laughter and unexpected encounters with strangers who welcomed us into their celebrations.

The day ended quietly, with a glowing sky, an eclipsed full moon, and the soft lights of Udaipur spreading out beneath us.