It’s a new day for thousands of widowed women in India who gathered at temples in the north state of Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the colorful spring festival of Holi of Vrindavan. Celebrated in India and Nepal, Holi is known as the festival of colours or the festival of sharing love.
In celebrating with others, these Indian women violated a 400-year-old archaic Hindu tradition. Itika Sharma Punit with Quartz India reports, “Widowhood in India is often described as a definitive and tragic moment in a woman’s life—one in which her identity is stripped away with the death of her husband.” The tradition basically damns women who lose their husbands.
Orthodox Hinduism demands that women renounce earthly pleasures after the death of their husbands and live out their days in worship. These women often are ostracised by the society and considered cursed. Typically, Holi—like most other festivals and auspicious ceremonies—is forbidden for Hindu widows, as it is believed that their involvement would bring bad luck for others. Widows are expected to dress only in white, and to stay away from the festival of colours.
This newfound freedom is changing the lives of Indian women. One woman expresses the joy she is feeling:
“Times have changed for the good. People no longer look at us as a curse. When I see these young children having no inhibitions in sharing their joys with women like me, I feel very happy,” Rasia, who lost her husband at the age of 17 and is now 65, told The Times of India during the Holi celebrations in Vrindavan.
To learn a bit more about the festival, here is a short YouTube video:
Here’s to more happiness, color, and love for the widows of India. And here’s to an end to a ridiculous religious dogma and social stigma. We all deserve happiness.