Holi diary

I'm really excited!  This week my friend Varinder's helping me make a video for my school. It's about Holi, a special Hindu festival we celebrate every year, usually in March. We're going to film some of the activities and next week we're going to show the class our video. I hope they like it! 

11 a.m.

Last night we went to the big bonfire! Today the big Holi celebrations start. We went to the park this morning, where people were playing the drums and other musical instruments. People were dancing and singing everywhere - in the streets, outside temples and other buildings too. Everyone looked so happy! During Holi we celebrate the good things in life. 

Here's a picture from the park!

5 p.m.

Colours are important at Holi because it's the 'festival of colours'. That's why we put coloured powder into water and then throw the coloured water at each other. Some colours have meanings; for example, red means love, while green means a new start. The powder's been on sale in the markets for many weeks. I filmed it last weekend. 

This afternoon we went to see my aunt, uncle and cousins after lunch. It was great fun. We used water pistols and we filled balloons with water and powder. Then we spent hours outside and threw the coloured water at each other. (I put a plastic bag over my camera, so that I didn't get water inside.) My aunt doesn't let us throw water inside the house, so we put coloured powder on each other's faces instead.  

This is us getting my uncle!

7 p.m.

It's the evening now. We're clean and in our best clothes. Now it's time to enjoy special Holi food and drinks. Our grandmother's prepared gujiya, a sweet made with dried fruit and nuts. She's also made my favourite drink: a kind of yoghurt drink called lassi. Later tonight we're going to dress up and visit the rest of the family. I love Holi! It's my favourite festival in the world!