They celebrate the festival of colours a day in advance. And likewise they have kept alive the decades old tradition.
A day before the arrival of Holi, the pandas and ghatias of the Sangam area soak themselves in multiple hues and present a unique sight on the banks of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati..
On Tuesday, they not only sprinkled colours on each other, but the visitors to the area were also not spared. Enhancing the festive mood was the serving of thandai, a refreshing drink containing the dry fruits and other ingredients which was prepared especially for the occasion.
According to the tradition, celebrating the festival at the banks of river Ganga and Yamuna is unique in itself. The ghatias, pandas and members of mallah community also involve the saints residing in the area to participate in their celebrations and they too enjoy the festive fervour.
However, first things first.
The morning ritual of the entire celebration starts with the preparation of thandai in which bhang is mixed lavishly.
After the first servings of the popular drink, the celebration is kick started without delay. Likewise on Tuesday, the event started after worshipping at the temple of Bade Hanuman Ji.
The revelry continued for quite a long time. "Playing Holi at the banks of Sangam is quite ancient and the exclusively lies with its inherent feeling of harmony and fraternity with which it is played", said Avdheshanand, a saint who was soaked from head to toe in bright colours. Ramesh, who assists the pilglims in performing various rituals, said, "On the actual day of the festival, very few people get the time to visit the Sangam area and thus we celebrate the festival a day in advance".
{{/usCountry}}The revelry continued for quite a long time. "Playing Holi at the banks of Sangam is quite ancient and the exclusively lies with its inherent feeling of harmony and fraternity with which it is played", said Avdheshanand, a saint who was soaked from head to toe in bright colours. Ramesh, who assists the pilglims in performing various rituals, said, "On the actual day of the festival, very few people get the time to visit the Sangam area and thus we celebrate the festival a day in advance".
{{/usCountry}}Another Rameshwar Prasad said, "We play Holi shunning personal differeces in mind and enjoyment is the only motive behind the celebrations".
The group dispersed after playing Holi with an unspoken promise to keep the tradition alive for posterity.