Holi Festival in Busan!

The beginning of 2014 brought an unexpected surprise for me. I began taking a Korean class in January, and there I met a kind, interesting, easy-going person named Sagar. We had dinner once, went on a first date two days later, and became a couple two months after that! I feel very lucky to have found someone so special. Sagar is from India, and he has been very patiently teaching me about Indian culture, traditions, food, and celebrations. I heard about an Indian celebration in Busan, and we decided to go and experience our first Indian festival together in Korea! 

Here we are, having lunch just before the festival :)

The celebration is called Holi (The Festival of Colors), and a group called Indians in Korea hosted the event. It was held at Haeundae Beach in Busan on Sunday afternoon. 

When we arrived, we were given packets of "dry colors"--pink, blue, yellow, and green packets of finer-than-chalk powder. After a dramatic countdown, everyone threw handfuls of powder into the air. We were surrounded by a haze of colors!

What I loved about the festival was the community feeling that we had with a bunch of strangers. People walked up to us and rubbed powder on our faces, or patted it onto our shirts, and we did the same to others. Everyone was having so much fun sharing the experience together! 

After the colors had dissipated a bit, Indian and American music was blasted from huge speakers that were set up on the beach. It was a full-on dance party! Some people ran into the ocean to wash the colors off, others laid out on the beach to enjoy the sun, and others danced the whole time. There were delicious samosas, coffee drinks, and soda available to everyone who participated.

Here we are, covered in colors and having a great time! (note the photo-bomber on the right side...)

I'm so glad I got to experience Holi in Korea! There are so many fun experiences to be had here!