Holi Festival 洒红节
March 12, 2025
Chenggang flew to New Delhi from Hanoi, Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines, while Connie arrived on a United Airlines flight from New York City. We both enjoyed some relaxing time in our respective airport lounges before our flights. Connie landed in New Delhi about an hour earlier than Chenggang, and we met at the baggage claim area.
As we stepped out of the arrival gate, we saw a hotel representative holding a sign with our name. Shortly after, we were escorted to our car, and the hotel driver drove us to the hotel.
On the way, the driver mentioned that the next two days would be filled with vibrant Holi celebrations across India. Holi is one of the country’s most joyful and colorful festivals, marking both the arrival of spring and the victory of good over evil. It’s famously known as the “Festival of Colors,” with people joyfully throwing colored powders (gulal) at one another in celebration.
March 13, 2025
This morning, we set out to explore Delhi on our own, without a guide. The hotel driver dropped us off at Aerocity Mall, but since most shops hadn’t opened yet, we decided to head to the nearby metro station. To our surprise, the newly built station wasn’t directly connected to the mall as we had expected—we had to circle around the mall to reach the entrance.
Once inside, we found the Delhi Metro to be a pleasant surprise: modern, clean, and nearly empty. We took the train to a stop near Connaught Placeand Central Park, but as we exited the station, we were quickly overwhelmed by large crowds on the streets—and even saw monkeys roaming freely, which was both surprising and a bit amusing.
As we made our way toward Central Park, a man approached us, claiming the park was closed and recommending a “nice shopping mall” nearby instead. Believing he might be referring to Connaught Place—our intended destination—we hesitated. A second man then joined the conversation and offered to walk with us. Though he may have meant well, we started to feel uneasy, especially as we walked into a neighborhood that didn’t feel particularly safe or clean.
About 10 minutes later, we arrived at Dilli Haat, an indoor handicraft market. While the market was interesting and featured a variety of local crafts, it wasn’t quite what we were looking for—we hadn’t planned to shop for souvenirs or clothes. Overall, it was a disappointing start to our day and not the experience we had hoped for.
After just a brief look around, we left and decided to trust Google Mapsinstead of unsolicited advice from strangers. That turned out to be the right call.
Contrary to what we’d been told, Central Park and Connaught Place were both open. We strolled around the famous circular market area, though nothing in particular caught our interest. So we returned to Aerocity for a simple lunch at the mall’s food court. The hotel driver picked us up afterward and brought us back to the hotel.
In the afternoon, we were invited to join the Radisson Blu hotel staff for their Holi celebration. From the moment we arrived, they made us feel welcome—handing us cheerful “Happy Holi” white t-shirts and playfully smearing colorful powders on our faces.
They had prepared a spectacular buffet of Indian cuisine, along with an open bar, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric. With music playing, people dancing, and laughter all around, we found ourselves fully immersed in the festive spirit. We danced, laughed, and joined in the celebration with total spontaneity.
It was a truly unforgettable afternoon, filled with warmth, joy, and cultural connection—one of the most unexpected yet delightful moments of our trip. Holi turned out to be not just a festival of colors, but also a celebration of community, generosity, and the beauty of shared experiences.
洒红节
当我们于2025年3月12日抵达新德里时，接我们的酒店司机告诉我们，接下来的两天将是印度充满欢乐的洒红节。洒红节是一个充满活力的节日，象征着春天的到来和正义战胜邪恶。它也被称为“色彩节”，因为人们会互相抛洒彩色粉末来庆祝。
3月13日，我们与Radisson Blu酒店的员工一起参加了洒红节的庆祝活动。他们热情地为我们提供了白色T恤，并在我们的脸上涂上了五彩斑斓的颜料。此外，他们还准备了丰盛的印度美食和开放式酒吧，款待大家。现场气氛热烈，我们随着音乐起舞，欢声笑语不断，尽情享受着印度美食和节日的狂欢。这个下午充满了惊喜与欢乐，让我们沉浸在这场意想不到的文化体验之中。