Muted Holi just as bright, colourful for Indian expats in UAE

Dubai - Usually, the famous Indian spring festival is a community affair, where people would come together to play with colours and enjoy traditional food.

For the second year in a row, Indian expatriates observed muted Holi celebrations on Sunday.

Usually, the famous Indian spring festival is a community affair, where people would come together to play with colours and enjoy traditional food. However, due to the pandemic, celebrations have primarily become an intimate, family-only affair — but still, the spirit of the festival remained just as vibrant.

Residents chose to celebrate with their closest friends and family members while being mindful of social distancing norms. Madhulika Chatterjee, an Indian expatriate and a Dubai-based freelancer, said, “It has been a year of no festivities. We haven’t been going out either, except for when it is necessary. So, the Holi festivities, even though they were muted, were a pleasant experience.”

She said her family and friends were mindful of the Covid-19 regulations, and even throwing colours were limited to a brief moment. “We sat apart from each other and enjoyed traditional food and beverages and played with colours for a while,” she added.

Priya Awatramani, a resident of Arabian Ranches, said, “We kept the number of people attending well under 10 people, and we arranged everything in the backyard of our home. Except when we’re taking pictures, we had our masks on all the time.”

Awatramani also ensured that all attendees had received jabs. “We had a two-metre distance maintained between the guests as well,” she added.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com