Just to be clear, Holi is a very regionally specific North Indian festival. Celebrate it but don't make it about 'British Hindus', still less 'British Indians.'

@PriyamvadaGopal You should visit a Cardiff Holi celebration - deeply syncretic, the distinct, united reality of contemporary British Indian and Hindu experience. Always more in common than that which divides 💛

@PriyamvadaGopal Agreeable but Holi has become a pan-diaspora thing, not limited to particular ethnicities, at least in the US. That doesn't mean hegemonies should go unchallenged but who cares about these tokenist attempts at inclusion ...

@PriyamvadaGopal no wonder rang se pehle rakshasni jalate hai

@PriyamvadaGopal Yes, Holi is solely North Indian - archeological evidence proves it. Seen below are carvings showing holi festivities from the 12th Century Chennakeshava Temple at Belur, Karnataka, situated far North of North India.

Probably you need to educate yourself about Holi. It’s not regional specific & not specifically as a North Indian festival. People in east also play Holi & so as west. Jagannath temple celebrates it as Dola Purnima. South of India in Karnataka it is celebrated as “Bedara Vesha”. So don’t set your divisive narrative of South & North.

@PriyamvadaGopal I'm a South Indian, and Holi is a festival for all Hindus, including those in the South. Just because some tamil lemurs choose to convert doesn’t make it a ‘North festival.’ Also, not all of South India is Tamil Nadu, and not all South Indians follow Tamil culture. So, fuck off

@PriyamvadaGopal and absolutely the last thing britain needs rn is to import the very north indian ‘bura na mano..’ model of ignoring (lack of) consent as part of Holi cultural practices

@PriyamvadaGopal x.com/BawliBooch5/st…

It is an Ancient Indian festival that wears a different, equally authentic garment in every state it inhabits. ​Nicolo Conti (1420–1421): This Italian merchant visited the Vijayanagara Empire and described nine major festivals. He specifically noted a three-day spring festival where people of all classes—men and women alike—sprinkled each other with saffron-colored water and powders, accompanied by much laughter and singing. ​Duarte Barbosa (Early 16th Century): A Portuguese official who lived in Kochi and visited Vijayanagara, Barbosa described the "Feast of the Full Moon" in the South. He noted how the King and his people celebrated with great joy, using "syringes" (early pichkaris) to spray colored water on one another. These accounts are backed by stone reliefs on the Hazara Rama Temple in Hampi, which clearly depict noblemen and women playing with water squirts, proving Holi was a royal and public celebration in 15th-century Karnataka. ​Pietro Della Valle (1623): An Italian traveler who journeyed from Surat down to Calicut. He described the "Holi" or "Holika" festival as a time of social upheaval, comparing it to the Roman Saturnalia. He observed people dancing around bonfires and singing satirical songs, noting that the festival was a moment where normal social hierarchies were temporarily suspended. ​Niccolao Manucci (17th Century): An Italian who lived in India for over 50 years. He described Holi as a "vibrant and somewhat chaotic" sport. Crucially, he noted that the festival was so infectious that even Muslims joined in the play, highlighting that the festival transcended strictly religious boundaries even in the 1600s. ​François Bernier (1658–1667): A French physician who spent years at the Mughal court. While he often viewed Indian customs through a critical European lens, he documented the sheer scale of the festival, describing the "red powder" (Gulal) that covered everyone and the "extraordinary" amount of colored water thrown in the streets of various cities he visited during his travels. West Bengal : The centerpiece is the Dol, a decorated palanquin. Idols of Radha and Krishna are placed inside, smeared with Abir (colored powder), and carried in a procession through the streets while devotees sing devotional songs (Bhajans and Kirtans. Odisha: Similar to Bengal, village deities (specifically Krishna/Gopinath) are placed in beautifully carved wooden palanquins called Vimans. People offer Abira (dry powder) to the deities first, and then to elders as a sign of respect. Unlike the North, the use of water and wet colors was historically less common, with the focus being on the "dry play" with aromatic powders. Assam, the festival is called Doul Utsav or Phakuwa. The celebration here is legendary and can last up to 5 days. It is centered around the worship of Lord Krishna (Doul Govinda).Assam has a rich tradition of Holi Geets-ancient devotional songs composed specifically for this festival. The idols are taken out in grand palanquins (Doul), and the "color play" is seen as a divine sport (Leela) of the deity. Tripura: Celebrated as Holi or Phagwah, it is a major event for the Bengali and Tripuri communities. In Agartala, traditional processions and the use of Abir (dry powder) are common. In Manipur, Holi is known as Yaosang. Instead of a simple bonfire, a small straw hut (Yaosang) is built and burnt on the first day, symbolizing the victory of good over evil. Devotional songs (Sankirtana) are performed at the Shree Govindajee Temple in Imphal, where devotees play with Gulal in a deeply spiritual atmosphere. ​Holi is not merely a color festival; it is the celebration of the Spring Equinox and the Phalguna Purnima. Whether it commemorates the burning of Kamadeva (South), the swings of Radha-Krishna (East), the victory of Prahlad (North/West), or the culture of the Meitei people (Northeast), the underlying astronomical and spiritual significance remains a unifying thread across the Indian landscape.

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@PriyamvadaGopal This seems like quite a mean spirited comment on a well meaning, joyful event

@PriyamvadaGopal PRIYAMVADA GOPAL IS A PURELY SHUDDH 100 % NORTH INDIAN NAME . FOR ALL BRITISHERS ND OTHERS WHO ARE UNAWARE ..

@PriyamvadaGopal Just cos you are embarrassed by your Hindu identity, it doesn't mean the rest of us have to be too.

@PriyamvadaGopal PRIYAMVADA UR NAME IS NORTH INDIA . ENTIRE NAME . OR IS IT REGIONAL OR IS IT INDIAN OR IS IT HINDU . I AS A NORTH INDIAN AM ALLOWING U TO USE OUR GIFT . FREE HAI MAM . JAI SHREE RAM

@PriyamvadaGopal Darling, start by reading the Manasollasa and learn something out of your elite bubble by looking around India.

@PriyamvadaGopal Ummm, from a very south Indian family living and growing up in the south. We celebrated Holi every year with friends and neighbours, albeit smaller. Where’s the issue here? Seems like an odd thing to pick on?

@PriyamvadaGopal Another woke joke tries her best to marginalise specific festivals/celebrations.

@PriyamvadaGopal You know nothing, Jon snow.

@PriyamvadaGopal Lady, give your “well ackshually” coconut-splaining it a rest, will you? Gods, you’re tiresome.

@PriyamvadaGopal B!tch forgets that India is more than just North and South and that western states celebrate Holi too. Who the fu{k made you a spokesperson for those of us from MH and Guj?

@PriyamvadaGopal Holi *is* celebrated in South you ugly ogress.

@PriyamvadaGopal Utter nonsense It has been well documented even by foreign travellers that Holi was a grand festival in Vijayanagara empire Your attempt at spreading lies has failed

@PriyamvadaGopal British Indian? What will u say to the Guyanese r Trinidadian Hindu who celebrate Holi? It's a Holiday in Guyana! And one of the largest Holi celebrations outside of India is in Queens, NYC! We don't know where in India our Ancestors from after 190 years! So what is YOUR Problem?

@PriyamvadaGopal we celebrate it very prominently in NE India as well

@PriyamvadaGopal Laudi! I am from Karnataka. Ever heard of Kamana Habba? STFU, you deracinated ugly hag!

@PriyamvadaGopal We in Karnataka have always celebrated holi...stop your propaganda, please

@PriyamvadaGopal What about Christmas aunty? Why not it is very regionally specific to Syria? Hope Syrians invite you to Pongal.

@PriyamvadaGopal What's the problem with what he said? It highlights the modernising and inclusive tendency of Hindus where they take Holi beyond regional parochialism. Why do you want to limit Holi to just some regions? Why this love for parochialism?

@PriyamvadaGopal DStock who thrives on piecemeal thrown at her by leftists are talking about Hindu festival. Hey Priyamvadai whether it is Holi or Pongal all are Hindu festivals. Just name change. You can change also Priyambhatura instead of Priyamvada

@PriyamvadaGopal welcome to the show .......every Holi needs a Holika ....thanks for making it complete

@PriyamvadaGopal Who said it's North Indian. It's just a different name in different regions like ugadi on different dates in different states. Vasantha panchami etc... Nonsense perpetrator at best.

@PriyamvadaGopal So now a local woman from Mogadishu will decide Holi’s geographical authenticity🙄

@PriyamvadaGopal "British Hindu" is apt to specify here for a British MP celebrating a Hindu festival.

@PriyamvadaGopal Holi is a Festival about Spring and Colors Does the Spring Season not arrive in The West, or does The West not have colors?