70 deliciousmagazine.co.uk
Holiisanannualspringfestival
heldovertwodaysandcelebratedall
overIndiaandbeyond.Itfollowsthe
lunarcalendarandthisyearfallson
9-10March.Ontheeveningofthefirst
day,peoplelighta bonfireandthrow
alltheirrubbishonit.It’ssymbolicof
doingawaywiththeoldandlooking
towardsthefuture,thepassingof
winterandthearrivalofspring.
Thenextdaystartsearly,depending
onhowmuchofa fanaticyouare.
Peoplevisiteachother’shomes,grab
a fistfulofnutsorsweetsandsay
‘HappyHoli!’astheyrunaround
andplaywithcolouredpowders.
In a traditional society like India,it’soneofthefewtimeswhenpeople
fromallreligionscometogether.You
don’thavetobea Hindutocelebrate
Holi– it’scomeone,comeall.
There’sa senseofmelancholyafter
Christmaswhenthefestivitiesare
done,soHolibreaksupthemood
brilliantly.Youhaveallthesepeople
insuitsgoingabouttheirbusiness–
andthen 20 orsopeoplepeltingpaint
atcompletestrangersandgoinghome
withgreenandyellowhair!Thisis
a liberated,free-spiritedfestival.
WecelebrateHoliatCinnamon
KitchenintheCityofLondonand
alsoinanoutsidepop-upzonewhere
youcanmakea colourfulmess.
I’mnota sticklerforauthenticity,
andtheonlyruleaboutHoliisthat
therearenorules.Youjustneed
togetintothespiritfully.Let
go,beopenandwelcoming –
andcomeupwithyour
own new traditions.CinnamonKitchen’sHolifestival
celebrationsrun2-15March.
Formoredetailsvisit
cinnamon-kitchen.comThandhai