Widows break with tradition for Holi
In Vrindavan, also known as India's City of Widows, women have broken with tradition this year to celebrate Holi.
Breaking with tradition
This year's Holi festivities were different for the enthusiastic widows and abandoned women living in Vrindavan.
Breaking the mold
The long ostracized widows of Vrindavan snubbed tradition and celebrated Holi using colored powder and water guns.
Waiting for the end
There are over 20,000 widows living in the holy northern city of Vrindavan. A majority of them are deserted by relatives and society. They move to this town to spend the last days of their lives depending on charity. This Holi, though, they were able to forget their woes.
Cutting loose
In an act of symbolism, the widows hold up scissors and symbolically cut the strings that have bound and shackled them all these years.
A little more color
Often dressed only in white saris to symbolize purity, widows of Vrindavan decided to wear colored saris to defy a patriarchal tradition during Holi.
A new start
As this year's festivities came to a close, one widow from West Bengal told DW, "This is like a dream come true. Today, we feel one with the rest of society." And another said, "It is unbelievable to see so many women here dance and celebrate like this. I hope it gets bigger next year with God’s blessings."