How will India celebrate Holi this year

Holi is one the most popular festivals in India rivaled only by Diwali. In terms of fun, however, it is by far the best festival as the emphasis on Pooja and rituals, is minimal. Baggout.com recently conducted a survey amongst its users to understand “How India plan to celebrate Holi this year”.

Summary of the Results is as given below –

1.89% of the respondents plan to celebrate Holi

It means that almost everybody is planning to celebrate Holi. Also, the survey was conducted on a pan-India basis with decent participation from all parts of country which means that the festival is not just popular in Northern parts of the country.

2.Majority of the people feel that Holi is a day to have fun and to forgive people

Over 80% people feel that Holi is a day to have a lot of fun and to forgive others. Only 8% people feel that it is just another holiday while for 5% people it is a nightmare day. These people are scared of colors and remain indoor to escape from being drenched.

3.People celebrate Holi with Family, Friends, neighbors and in Holi Parties

Majority of the people (64%) celebrate Holi in a private affair with family and friends. However, there is still a significant proportion of people (27%) who celebrate in Holi parties or in SocityHoli functions.

4.Majority of the people prefer Gulal and Organic colors

The demand for pakka colors has been declining in last few years with reported incidents of adultration of color with toxic chemicals. This has resulted in over 80% respondents planning to use only Gulal/organic colors. However, 8% people still prefer to use Pakka colors.

5.23% people use Bhang on Holi

Bhang is an integral part of Holi without which Holi cannot be imagined in India. On Holi, Bhang is taken in a variety of ways including Pakodas, Milk and Kulfi etc. In the survey, 23% respondents have clearly stated that they use Bhang on Holi; however, we feel that the actual number might be higher as a section of the respondents might not be comfortable in divulging this fact.

6.Over 60% respondents feel that Indian Pichkaris and colors are better than Chinese items

In the past few years, Indian market has been flooded with items manufactured in China irrespective of the product category. Holi items are not an exception with highly innovative and cheap stuff available from China. However, 60% respondents feel that Indian manufactured items are better than Chinese ones. 20% feel that Chinese items are better while the remaining don’t care about the manufacturing country.

7.Over 60% people feel that mischievous elements create nuisance on Holi in the form of breaking traffic rules, teasing girls and getting into unnecessary brawls

Over 60% respondents feel that Holi is used as an occasion by some elements to create nuisance such as teasing unsuspecting girls, creating nuisance on Holi by breaking traffic rules and by getting into fights in an inebriated condition.

The survey was responded to by over 1800 Baggout users with the following demographics

Gender – Male (75%) and Female (25%)

Age – Less than 18 (3%), 18-25 years (45%), 25-35 (40%), 35-45 (9%) and 45+ yrs (3%)

Geography – North (37%), West (16%), East (14%), South (25%) and Central India (8%)