If you Google it, Holi is a “Hindu spring festival... often known as the festival of colors", but for me, Holi is a symbol of home.

In Nepal, schools, businesses, and government offices shut down everything for Holi, and you are not able to walk anywhere for fear of having colored powder and water thrown at you.

(I say this from experience.)

However, Holi is much quieter in the US. There is no neighborhood-wide-color-throwing party. I can go out without worrying about my clothes.

Holi used to be my favorite holiday, and while it still is, I celebrate it in a more understated way. I learned to do this with almost every festival not celebrated in the United States.

We celebrate it as a family, but there is no community-wide celebration (which is okay, but it does take some of the fun out of it because no festival feels as grand or as... festive, if you will).

Being with my family alleviates some of that, but it does feel different celebrating in such an understated way.

Nevertheless, Happy Holi!