A look at the various communities in the city and their unique celebration of the festival of colours.
Sweet exchange for sindhis
Among Sindhis, Holi is celebrated with colours and water, but the special delicacies differentiate it from other communities. Hero Bajaj, a Sindhi living in Kubernagar, said that the first Holi of a newly-wed couple is also considered auspicious.
"Sweets in large quantities are sent to the married daughter and her in-laws. This determines the family's status in the society," said Neeta Bajaj, his wife.
On the day of Holi, Sindhis rejoice and relish mawa ka samosa, ghevar of different flavours, namkeens, sindhi papads, paraagdi, sev mithai and other snacks. "Mawa ka samosa and Ghevar are a must during Holi," said Hero.
Songs of Bihar
Rang Barse bheegi chunar wali, Holi khele rukhuveera awadh me and many fun-filled songs are sung while celebrating Holi in Bihar. People usher in the biggest festival of the year with a huge variety of sweets and namkeens. Malpuva, rice kheer and namkeens rule the day.
Not just sweets and namkeens, even thandai is a must on this day in Bihar. Replicating Bihar's festivity in Gujarat, the Bihari Samaj of the city celebrates Holi together.
"People sing Holi songs to the accompaniment of dhols, tables and harmonium, and enjoy the festival together. They also relish Malpuva, pakodas, kheer etc," stated Lal Bihari Jha, a Bihari resident of the city.
Punjab’s Holi maata vrat
Holi is celebrated in Punjab quite differently than the rest of the states. Though there are no special delicacies made on this day, Punjabis do relish a variety of food. People on this day consume cold food (food prepared the previous day).
They believe that nothing should be cooked on the day of Holi. “Delicacies like sweet puri, bhel, custard, pani puri, Aloo paratha, thepla, bhakri, sandwich, etc are prepared the previous day," stated Sumitra Mehndiratta, a Punjabi in the city. Some women even observe ‘Holi maata ka vrat' (fast) on dhuleti.
Puran poli in Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, Holi is celebrated with some of the delicious and mouth-watering sweets. On this day, puran poli (sweet roti) is a must and is made in every Maharashtrian household.
On the day of Holi, people prepare puran poli and offer it to the bonfire in the evening. "Apart from puran poli, other items like pop corn and a chain of 'Haayda' (saakariya) are offered to the bonfire and later consumed as prasad," stated Narayan Bhoite, president of Akhil Gujarat Maharashtrian Mahasangh.
He added that taking rounds (pradakshina) of the bonfire is important for a married couple. He further stated that friends and relatives are invited to Maharastrian homes to relish puran poli together.
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