While it is still cold here and outside HOLI celebrations are out of question, back home its a party! Preps in India are in full swing and moms/housewives are knee deep in the kitchen making those delicious treats. I become a bit emotional this time around as Holi was my fave festival. It gets messy but thats the beauty of this festival of colors.
I won’t be In DC this Holi, but there was no way I was letting go any chance of celebrating it. I leaped on the opportunity of Mother Nature giving us a bright sunny day last week and did a small pre-holi celebration with my family. It wasn’t as elaborate as it would be if I was celebrating on the actual day, but the food and colors made up for all the under-enthusiasm.
Simple things make this setup festively beautiful. Things that you probably might own in house right now.
- sheer/colorful curtains- you could get these ones ( super affordable ) but you can use old saris, dupattas and satin fabrics if you have some at home.
- mirror umbrellas- nothing screams more Indian festival than mirrored umbrellas. I got mine here and can’t wait to reuse them for other festival setups.
- paper tassels/fans/flowers- this is so reminiscent of my childhood festival days. I always like to bring in an element from the past in my decor and paper fans and tassels are always a hit.
- holi specific swag- things like the happy holi pillows, banners, Photo Booth props always tie up the whole look together. Check out my faves here.
- extras- you can never have enough extras. Wreaths, garlands, chandeliers, candles, trays, plates, flowers, anything colorful will make your decor next level.
- food- I don’t really make too many festive snacks, except for mutton curry and puris on Holi, but Haldiram’s makes festivals home-away-home sweeter. I got those gujiyas, kachoris, samosas from the Indian store and my food tray was a hit! Shop my snack tray HERE.
Some problems I faceD while setting this up
I wanted to build a canopy with those sheer curtains but ran into some problems.
1) The curtain was shorter than I was anticipating. It was a foot shy, so I had to drape it instead of letting it hang loose.
2) Since the curtain wasn’t long enough, I couldn’t run it across the width of the canopy. My vision was to create a tent like structure on the top, bummed I couldn’t make it happen!
3) Even if the drapes were long enough, I wouldn’t be able to hang it atop. I didn’t realize that our extended ladder was broken and I couldn’t afford to risk climbing it.
I am so glad I did it, coz Ms. Riri loved it and we even played with some color at the end. So here’s to HOLI….. Wishing you all a VERY HAPPY AND SAFE HOLI!!!!
Shop my holi decor picks
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