On March 21 this year, hundreds and thousands of widowed women gathered at temples in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh to celebrate the colorful festival of Holi. As they did so, they broke the 400-year old stigma of not celebrating this festival of colours.
Although some of the old traditions related to widows have faded away in the metropolitan cities in India, they are still followed very strictly in several rural parts of the country. And so this iconic move was a moment of celebration for these widows as they broke free and thoroughly enjoyed during the festival.
This is definitely not the first time widows have used colors and enjoyed during the festival but it sure is a sign of bringing a change in society for these women residing in rural areas.
“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, reported The Times of India during the Holi celebrations in Vrindavan.
In this special celebrations, it was not just colour that was tossed around. Petals of beautiful flowers like rose, marigolds and daisies. were also thrown as a way to mark the beginning of the festivities. It is for the third time that Sulabh International, an Indian nonprofit group, has helped these wonderful women stage the festivities inside the Meera Sahbhagini Ashram, where they reside.
So, here's to change, to celebrations, to giving a chance, to celebrate each phase of life, to happiness and to the right of living freely.
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