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Sangam city celebrates ‘Kapdafaad’ holi with fervour
A day after Holi celebrations, Sangam city celebrated its own form of the festival, ‘Kapdafaad Holi’, on Saturday.
A day after Holi celebrations, Sangam city celebrated its own unique form of the festival, ‘Kapdafaad Holi’, on Saturday.
Vying for a place with the likes of ‘Latmaar Holi’ of Barsana village of Mathura, the ‘Kapdafaad Holi is celebrated in Prayagraj with equal if not more fervour. ‘Kapdafaad Holi’ literally translates to ‘Tear the clothes Holi’ just as ‘Latmaar Holi’ means celebration of ‘Holi by ‘beating with Lathis or batons.’
Kapdafaad Holi at Loknath in the Chowk area of Prayagraj found water hoses showering water from upper floors of buildings onto the revellers assembled below with coloured water and confetti. Within a short time, clothes were flying around and some of them got stuck on lampposts and power lines.
Revellers gathered in thousands in old localities of the city like Chowk, Rani Mandi and Lokhnath to play and witness ‘Kapdafaad Holi’. Dancing to the blaring tunes of Bollywood Holi numbers, the revellers tossed their clothes here and there. Most men were found to be bare-chested by the end of the melee.
Huge sprinklers were installed at various locations that dispensed coloured water to add to the fun, frolic and festivity of Kapdafaad Holi. Drenched in colourful water, the revellers even tried to entice the passersby to join in and celebrate this unique form of Holi with them which continued till late afternoon. Huge sprinklers were also installed on the terrace for spraying coloured water during the celebrations.
Some men came attired in women’s clothing such as lehenga and salwar kameez. Some of them sported colourful wigs to add to the fun. Women and children watched the fun from their terraces. Some of them also threw buckets full of water on the revellers from above.
Policemen were deputed to keep an eye on the revellers to prevent any untoward incident. They remained silent spectators and enjoyed the spectacle while ensuring that the celebrations do not end up in any unpleasant incident.
Speaking of Kapdafaad Holi, Sanjay Singh, a resident of Malaviya Nagar, recounted how thousands of local people have participated in this unique celebration year after year for decades.
“The actual Holi celebration takes place in Prayagraj on the second day of the main festival. On the main festival day most of the people, especially traders are very tired to participate in the festival. Therefore, the main fun takes place on the second day,” he shared.
Ramesh Kesarwani, another resident of Chowk shared that he has been taking part in these celebrations for over 20 years now. “It’s a tradition which embraces celebrating with gay abandon. Friends and neighbours dance, play with colours in a mass celebration, likes of which are not seen anywhere else,” he claimed.
