Holi

Every country, culture and individual should celebrate holi. Unless you're agoraphobic, hydrophobic, chromophobic or globophobic, then it's definitely not recommendable. All other people though, kids, parents and grandparents have no excuse not to partake in this holiday (as long as it's celebrated on the day only and not during the whole two weeks leading up to holi when you're on your way to a very important meeting).

So what is holi? I've heard many different explanations for it, but whether you see it as a celebration of Vishnu's life, the coming of spring, or a celebration of equality, it is really mostly a contemporary excuse for little boys to throw water balloons and colour powder at little girls. And run away screaming and cackling. You honestly can't beat them so you might as well join them.

This year (notice how I've already decided this is going to be an annual event in my life - might even consider Hinduism), I celebrated it within the protective walls of an orphanage in Baise Patti, just outside of Kathmandu. We'd barely reached the door when screams of laughter drenched the four of us and our cameras in questionable smelling but intentionally clean water.  Squealing boys and girls chased us around the courtyard with buckets, Tupperware and hands full of water, just to get us caught up in the festivities. We were late. Then the colours came out. Coloured powder everywhere! Kids running around, jumping and screaming "Give me more! Give me more! (We set up a rationing system after what happened with the yellow) which only seemed to make it more fun. Am I really going to tip some powder into your little hands or will it just end up in your face? Maybe it will end up in my face. Many times it did. It went everywhere. They got their fair share of colour on their faces too. The beauty of it was that once the powders were finished and the water came out again the colours would wash away and you were clean again. Ironically, being one of the taller ones I didn't get the privilege of buckets of water dunked over my head and happily walked around with a purple, blue and yellow face for the rest of the day. Head held high, totally in my element.