India and the Festival of Color.
By andy77e
@andy77e (5156)
United States
March 18, 2012 4:45pm CST
Ok, so you dash color all over yourselves. I get that part.
But I just read this link:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/news-in-pictures-6584677.html?action=gallery&ino=13
In this picture you see a guy being beaten with a stick by a lady.
The caption reads:
A man shields himself from a woman playfully beating him with a bamboo stick during "Lathmar Holi" at Barsana in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In a Holi tradition unique to Barsana, men sing provocative songs to gain the attention of women, who then "beat" them with bamboo sticks called "lathis".
Now... can anyone explain this to me? You walk around painted with color, and sing a song to provoke women to attack you? How is this good?
Is there some 'meaning' or purpose being this I'm not getting?
2 responses
@honest_efforts100 (1607)
• India
29 Jun 12
Yes, there are meanings behind them. But it is a lot better not to question the past rituals and ceremonies that have been going around for years. It might be from an event that happened in the past or something that the people do every year. If you want to learn about it, you can probably search it up.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
18 Mar 12
Wow, that's stupid. I thought of the song as some kind of a mating call, but it turns out, women will beat you with a stick if you sing to them. Singing to a woman here means courtship, which dates back to the 1800s (...or something). I guess culture really is a complicated thing, huh.
