Celebrating Holi in Denmark

When chilly winds pinch and bite, the thought of Holi might not be thrilling.

How does an Indian celebrate Holi in Denmark where it is freezing cold? When chilly winds pinch and bite, the thought of being sprayed with a cold shower from a pichkari is not exactly thrilling.

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But celebrate he must. The boisterous fun of Holi is too tempting to give up. And like they say, where there is a will there is certainly a way. Praveen Chawla who migrated to Denmark in 1974 relates how he celebrated Holi in Denmark.

I came to Denmark along with my parents in 1974. In the initial days, we were like most Indians who ventured abroad for the first time - a trifle reserved. But gradually, as the reserve thawed, we celebrated our settling down with cocktails and surprise parties.

My wife and me took the initiative among Indian friends. It was decided that all of us would meet once every month. We also decided that we all would cook a dish each and the host, already grappling with the arrangements could go easy on the cooking with just the responsibility of preparing rice.

March arrived bringing with it Holi, the festival of colours and more significantly, anxieties of how would we celebrate Holi! The task was daunting. For one the weather was chilly. Unlike India where the houses are made of brick and cement, here the floors were of wood and the walls covered with wallpapers. So one had to be very careful with colours and water.