Holi

By Anonymous -



A truly overwhelming sensory experience? Holi. This celebration of color and the coming of spring was truly an experience for all the senses. The colors were visually intense obviously, and the powder flying through the air was a sight to see. The powder would get in your mouth, leaving a foul taste, and the smell was very distinctive as well. People were throwing cold water at each other, and someone dumped a bucket over my head, instantly pulling my attention towards the feeling of the ice cold water running down my back. You could hear everyone yelling and laughing as they chucked this multi colored powder at each other, until it all had been used up, and everyone was a mess of different colors. Some people had been so covered in the powder that the colors all molded together to a brown, while others had bright splashes of pink and purple where they had clearly been hit with the color. Then, some people swam in the pond, although I did not partake in that.

Even though my hair is still pretty pink, it was extremely fun, and a wonderful way to celebrate the end of a long winter with a sensory experience like this. If you did not partake this year, you definitely should next year.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirpin...
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was...
Read more