Children in India celebrate Holi by throwing dyed water and powder.

February 17, 2011: Going wild with color. That's what Hindus around the world get to do every spring during Holi, the Festival of Colors.

Holi is a very special holiday for children. To herald the coming of spring, family and friends lob buckets of dyed water and colorful powders at one another. The happy result is festive scenes of rainbow-touched chaos, all in good fun.

The celebration occurs annually on the day following the full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. This year’s Holi falls in March. On the first day of Holi, on March 19, people will light bonfires to burn Holika, a mythical female demon. The fire signifies ridding the world of evil and ushering in the good. On day two, March 20, the dousing of color will take place.

Holi is a Special Time for Children

Holi is known by different names in different parts of India, Nepal, and other countries with Hindu populations. The festival is sometimes called Phagwah, Bhojpuri, Dolyatra, or Boshonto Utshob (Spring Festival).

Like other joyful holidays around the world, Holi is a time that families come together to reaffirm the ties that bind them. The festival can therefore be a sad time for children not living with parents or relatives.

With 500 villages in 132 countries, SOS Children’s Villages makes a point of marking Holi and all the local festivals that mean so much to the orphaned and abandoned children under its protection.

SOS Encourages Kids to Let Go on Holi

In SOS Children's Village in Bhopal, India, children and their SOS mothers begin Holi by tossing pails of colored water on each other. They also throw water balloons. At one house, an SOS mother prepares her children’s favorite dish, a sweet made with lentils, rice, sugar, dry fruit, and ghee. The mothers and children then travel from house to house, sharing their homemade dishes with other SOS families.

Children everywhere love to let loose during holidays and do things they’re not normally allowed to do. SOS mothers ensure that Hindu children under their care get to celebrate the Festival of Color, creating memories they will cherish forever.

Please help an Indian child today. Visit www.SOS-India.org for more information on how you can sponsor a child or make a donation to support the work of SOS Children's Villages in India.