A battle wrapped in thousands of colors. This is how they celebrate in India the Holithe arrival of spring. A festivity, marked in red on the calendar for the Hindu community, which they have been sharing with the people of Tenerife for twenty years. After the coronavirus paralyzed the party, yesterday he returned with more desire than ever to adejewhich has become the epicenter of this celebration on the Island. Two thousand people, according to the organization, turned to it and ended up, without being able to help it, painted from top to bottom to give the best welcome to the flower season .
“After the pandemic, there was a great desire to be able to celebrate Holi again as we have done for decades,” says Jagdish Fabiani, president of the South Tenerife Hindu Association. Although he assures that they could have celebrated it last year “we did not want to take risks” and waited for the definitive end of the health crisis. Yesterday it returned stronger than ever and at the venue, located on Moscow avenue in the Adejero municipality, there was dancing to the rhythm of a DJ, a foam party, different food and drink stalls and even Bollywood-style exhibitions.
But what is celebrated in the Holi party? Fabiani explains that it not only serves to welcome the new season, but also to forget the offenses committed during the year and make offerings to have a good harvest. It coincides with the last full moon of winter, which is why it was already celebrated in India last week. “It’s a holiday there and everyone goes out into the street,” he says. In the Canary Islands “we wait for Sunday so that as many people as possible can participate the better”.
The Hindu community in the south of the island – which is made up of some 2,500 people – claims to feel very proud that more and more canaries are deciding to be part of this festival. “We are very grateful and we feel very integrated.”
ANDl Holi “is for us what Carnival can be for the canaries,” says Nisha Khatwani behind the food stall that she runs with her family. “We missed it and we are going to enjoy this day to the fullest”, since for them it is their most important holiday only behind Diwali. In his position, his parents strove to prepare the different delicacies of Indian gastronomy that the attendees could enjoy. Pakora, a mix of vegetables with chickpea flour and sauce, Pani Puri, a light pastry filled with lentils or potatoes and yogurt sauce and for dessert Gulab jamun, a sweet milk-based dumpling.
“Not spicy, really,” Kalafinagh insisted to all who asked him, pointing to the different dishes at his food stall. But the inexperienced Canarian palate, which is unaccustomed to these flavors, did not agree. “Well, it has to be a little bit, if you don’t notice the spiciness the food for us is like the food has no flavor,” Khatwani quips.
But for those who did not want to dare to try the delights of Indian gastronomy, the culinary offer was more extensive and you could eat pizzas, hamburgers or sandwiches in several of the surrounding stalls. You also had to go there to quench your thirst and cool off. The intense heat that was yesterday made it seem that, instead of welcoming spring, it was welcoming summer, since the thermometers exceeded 26 degrees.
The foam party also helped to cool off, which delighted the little ones and those who weren’t so much., since there were even those who did not hesitate to roll on the floor to get the most out of it. Throughout the day, a hose installation also served to soak attendees.
The Holi festival is suitable for all ages and the venue was full of very young people, families but also slightly older participants who did not want to miss the celebration either. Some came armed with water pistols but for those who had forgotten their props, in the enclosure you could get everything you need to equip yourself for battle. Not only could you buy the colored powders imported from India – in bags for three or five euros – but also the water pistols so that no one could say that they had not enjoyed the party to the fullest.
The stalls even sold waterproof covers for cell phones, since there were many who did not want to give up taking photos of a print that the thousands of colors distributed throughout the body made it worthy of a selfie.
The family made up of David, Olaia and Edurne arrived at the venue around half past one in the afternoon from La Laguna. “We have come expressly for this”, they commented and although yesterday was the first time they were going to participate in Holi, as soon as they arrived the atmosphere had already convinced them. “It looks really cool and we want to have a laugh.”
For Iván Álvarez it was his second time at Holi. «I was in 2016 when it was held in the Plaza de Fañabé and even then I liked it a lot». So much so that he did not want to miss this edition. «The party has grown a lot and has a lot of potential to become one of the most important”, he assessed. From her point of view, “it is bound to be even more successful” and pointed out that it should also move to other parts of the Island.
This is precisely the intention of the organizers who are already thinking of organizing marathons to take the party to other municipalities. “We would like to celebrate it over several days and in different places,” insisted Fabiani. For now, this year Holi will also be celebrated on April 16 in Puerto de la Cruz, by Club India.
In Adeje the party lasted until 6:00 p.m. But in her being clean was almost a provocation. Nothing caught the attention of the attendees more than a pristine shirt. And in a moment she was wrapped in a thousand colors.
Not only canaries but also many tourists who did not want to miss this celebration moved to the venue. Many shyly entered the party and bought their colored bags. But in just two minutes they were already locked in an all-out war with other participants. A battle in which good vibes and fun always prevailed.
