The Colors of Spring: Communal Agency and the Multisensoriality of Holi

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Abstract: The festival of Holi—also called Phaguwa in the Bhojpuri language—is considered the harbinger of spring in parts of Nepal. In this article, I describe the festival of Holi as it is celebrated in Barwa, a village in southern Nepal. While Holi is largely celebrated as a “festival of colors,” I argue that foodways and musical practices add essential intercaste dynamics to the festivities. I discuss how communal agency and reciprocity in the face of sociopolitical neglect brings communities together in a multisensorial celebration, while also highlighting intercaste dynamics. I embrace the poetics and performance of autoethnography as a means of processing memories and recent ethnographic experiences that continue to shape my understanding of this festival, the Terai (southern Nepali plains), and its peoples.