Events that use colored powder find their origins in a traditional, ancestral Hindu festival named HOLI. Holi is THE color festival in India and without a doubt the most fun way ever found to celebrate the arrival of spring whilst worshipping the gods!
It is a 2-day festival that takes place all over India, honouring several divinities:
- In the North, Krishna, the most revered goddess in India.
- In the South, Kama, the divinity of love and desire, like Cupid.
On the first evening, a bonfire is lit in memory of the cremation of Holika, a demoness burnt alive by Vishnu. This act symbolises the victory of Good over Evil. On the second day, the “Rangapanchami”, people dressed all in white, throw colored powder on each other and spray colored water on each other shouting “bura ma mano, holi haï,” which literally means “Don’t be angry, it’s Holi!”
Enough history, let’s talk about the Holi spirit. It brings together a real mix of social classes, the population is motivated and united by an event that is totally colorful and positive, that’s the magic of Holi. On that day, everyone is equal, hierarchy exists no more. You can throw color on your boss’s head, spray colored water on your neighbor as long as you think of the magic phrase: “Don’t be angry it’s Holi! ” And all is quickly forgotten.
During the festival, it’s as if the world is a perfect place, where conflicts can be solved, messages can be got across without aggression. The Hindu tradition is truly inspiring for the West and adds a little color and tradition to our events.
In July 2012, the Holi Festival appeared in Berlin, followed by several cities, set up by various organisations such Holione, Happy Holi, Holigaudy to name a few. But this colorful phenomenon doesn’t end there as color celebrations are to be found in sports events. 5k runs such as ColorRun, RunOrDye, ColorMeRad and HoliRun are blossoming around the world.
And what has skiing go to do with all this? The resort of Les Gets is a pioneer and is the first resort to propose a ski version.
Its name is SkiColor and the date is set for 31 January 2015!