Hinduism & Holi Festival in London
Referred to the latest census results London has 8.2 million residents today (Office for National Statistics, 2012). With estimated 500 thousand inhabitants belonging to the Indian community the Indian population builds the largest ethnic minority group in England’s capital (Office for National Statistics, 2011). The majority of them are Hindu.
Thus there is a high presence of Hinduism in the UK’s capital what makes it interesting to take a look at the way the Holi Festival is celebrated in this particular city.
Are there any similarities and differences? Do only Indians participate or are English people and other nations also involved? Are there different meanings for different participants? To what extend does the Holi Festival help to mix cultures, to make people understand more about Hinduism? Is it possible to preserve the traditional characteristics of this festival far away from its roots? These questions will be discussed. For a better understanding we first provide you with some background information.
BRIEF HISTORY: IMMIGRATION OF INDIANS IN BRITAIN
The first time Indians came to Britain was in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Sailors who worked for the British government built up a life in the UK, Indian citizens who considered the value of the Western education immigrated and with them some so called gurus who tried to explain people what Hinduism means. But the first time that an organised migration of people of Indian origin to Britain took place was after the Second World War when the chances to find good jobs were much higher in the UK than in their native country. Since London is the most important city in economic terms throughout Britain it is obvious that many Indian immigrants settled down in the capital.
HINDUS LIVING IN LONDON TODAY
People who immigrate into another country always face the same difficulty: To find the balance between becoming familiar with a new culture and at the same time preserving tradition of their native county.
Most of London’s citizens are Christians. Since there are some differences between Hinduism and Christianity, Hindus who settled down in Britain also had to deal with this topic. It is difficult to point out the exact differences because Hinduism is a religion with several faces and people throughout India often interpret it in many different ways with different beliefs, traditions and rituals. What can be said in general is that every form of Hinduism arose on the Southeast-Asian subcontinent and is characterized by polytheism: There is neither one founder of the religion nor only one god people believe in nor a certain date when Hinduism came into existence. Besides Hindus believe in rebirth (they call it samsara) in contrast to Christians what also leads to a different way a funeral takes place. But what caused certainly the most difficulties for Hindus when it came to integrating into the Western World was the fact that they used to live and think in a caste system. Although the Indian constitution does not acknowledge the caste system it continues being a dominant part in the daily life of Indians. They internalized its rules over many generations so that it is impossible to expect Indians to change their way to look at society immediately. The caste in which a child is born determines its social position. Every caste has different rules in terms of laws and duties, education, marriage, reproduction and the way to behave in society. This contributes to the Ideal of the so called “modern society” in which everybody can lead a self-determined life, has the same rights and chances to improve his social position.
A strict role allocation also belongs to the caste system. In general men are in a higher position than women. They are supposed to earn money while women are responsible for children and housekeeping. In the Western World the understanding of the male and female role in society has changed a lot over the last decades so that nowadays men and women are supposed to be on the same level.
Those differences in the way Indian and British people used to think of the question how a society works best had an impact on Hindus who settled down in the UK. On the one hand it is possible that the connection to a religion is strengthened when people are separated from their roots as Uncle Ram, who is Hindu himself, claims: “When you think of losing something than you try to grab it hard” (Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj, 2003). But on the other hand the consequence could be that people start to internalize the norms and values of the new society they are part of. In 1997 Malory Nye did a survey with Hindus living in Britain in order to find out how they see the future of Hinduism in the UK and received some interesting answers. Most considered the Westernisation to have a bad influence on the Hindu culture. They were afraid that in future –especially when new generations will have to keep their traditions alive- Hinduism would slowly lose its importance, since its rules are difficult to follow if you live or if you are even raised in a “modern society”. There are statements of Hindus thinking that the new generation wont be able to understand the origin of Hinduism far away from India, that they will not even be interested in the religion of their parents anymore. Others claim that the tolerance of society for –for example- alcohol and sex will make people forget about Hindu values and traditions. But there is also one answer of an Indian man who has a child with a British woman what reveals that already in 1997 there were Hindus who did not stick to the rules of their religion as Hinduism would not allow people to start a multicultural family. And although he seems to be sad about the fact that his daughter “will not know anything about her own culture” he will not do anything against it. So regarding the fact that Hindus immigrated in a larger number the first time after the Second World War the western way of life had in a short time quite a strong impact on the strictness with which Hindus are following the rules of their religion.
Most Hindus living in the UK today are also “British, and now very much part of contemporary British life” and usually they are “employed in positions where their ‘Hindu-ness’ is far less important than most other aspects of their social identities” (Malory Nye, 1997).
Thus they often also become participants in Non-Indian communities in their private life.
Nevertheless Hindus managed it to establish parts of their culture in London. As Hinduism is the fourth most popular religion in London (Official National Statistics, 2001) there are many communities in town that still enable followers to practice a Hindu Way of Life as many people in their native country do.
Besides places of worships in many homes of Hindu families several Hindu temples have been built in London, among them the biggest Hindu Temple outside of India - the Neasden Temple. The temples are also popular among tourists but not every Londoner is happy with them as a study of Naylor Rayon in 1998 reveals: There are citizens who “seemed threatened by the development and felt that local amenities such as parking and traffic restriction were inadequate to cope” (Lily Kong, 2001). This example shows that it is not only dependent on people who immigrate into a new country to what extend they can integrate into another society without giving up their traditions but also on the tolerance of locals.
However, those temples and communities help Hindus in London to find coreligionists, to stick to traditional ceremonies, to celebrate their spiritual beliefs together and of course they also organize artistic and cultural events or festivals. One of those festivals is the Holi Festival and in the following I would like to reveal to what extend the English version resembles the original festival and where differences can be found.
HOLI FESTIVAL IN LONDON
The Holi Festival in London is an event having its roots in a “Non-Western-World” world and being brought to the “Western-World”. For Indians celebrating it in the British capital it is an attempt to keep traditions and a connection to their native country, culture and religion alive. For example there has been one in the Northwick Park which is presented by a student from the University of Westminster called Varala Maraj:
Thus there is a high presence of Hinduism in the UK’s capital what makes it interesting to take a look at the way the Holi Festival is celebrated in this particular city.
Are there any similarities and differences? Do only Indians participate or are English people and other nations also involved? Are there different meanings for different participants? To what extend does the Holi Festival help to mix cultures, to make people understand more about Hinduism? Is it possible to preserve the traditional characteristics of this festival far away from its roots? These questions will be discussed. For a better understanding we first provide you with some background information.
BRIEF HISTORY: IMMIGRATION OF INDIANS IN BRITAIN
The first time Indians came to Britain was in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Sailors who worked for the British government built up a life in the UK, Indian citizens who considered the value of the Western education immigrated and with them some so called gurus who tried to explain people what Hinduism means. But the first time that an organised migration of people of Indian origin to Britain took place was after the Second World War when the chances to find good jobs were much higher in the UK than in their native country. Since London is the most important city in economic terms throughout Britain it is obvious that many Indian immigrants settled down in the capital.
HINDUS LIVING IN LONDON TODAY
People who immigrate into another country always face the same difficulty: To find the balance between becoming familiar with a new culture and at the same time preserving tradition of their native county.
Most of London’s citizens are Christians. Since there are some differences between Hinduism and Christianity, Hindus who settled down in Britain also had to deal with this topic. It is difficult to point out the exact differences because Hinduism is a religion with several faces and people throughout India often interpret it in many different ways with different beliefs, traditions and rituals. What can be said in general is that every form of Hinduism arose on the Southeast-Asian subcontinent and is characterized by polytheism: There is neither one founder of the religion nor only one god people believe in nor a certain date when Hinduism came into existence. Besides Hindus believe in rebirth (they call it samsara) in contrast to Christians what also leads to a different way a funeral takes place. But what caused certainly the most difficulties for Hindus when it came to integrating into the Western World was the fact that they used to live and think in a caste system. Although the Indian constitution does not acknowledge the caste system it continues being a dominant part in the daily life of Indians. They internalized its rules over many generations so that it is impossible to expect Indians to change their way to look at society immediately. The caste in which a child is born determines its social position. Every caste has different rules in terms of laws and duties, education, marriage, reproduction and the way to behave in society. This contributes to the Ideal of the so called “modern society” in which everybody can lead a self-determined life, has the same rights and chances to improve his social position.
A strict role allocation also belongs to the caste system. In general men are in a higher position than women. They are supposed to earn money while women are responsible for children and housekeeping. In the Western World the understanding of the male and female role in society has changed a lot over the last decades so that nowadays men and women are supposed to be on the same level.
Those differences in the way Indian and British people used to think of the question how a society works best had an impact on Hindus who settled down in the UK. On the one hand it is possible that the connection to a religion is strengthened when people are separated from their roots as Uncle Ram, who is Hindu himself, claims: “When you think of losing something than you try to grab it hard” (Dhooleka Sarhadi Raj, 2003). But on the other hand the consequence could be that people start to internalize the norms and values of the new society they are part of. In 1997 Malory Nye did a survey with Hindus living in Britain in order to find out how they see the future of Hinduism in the UK and received some interesting answers. Most considered the Westernisation to have a bad influence on the Hindu culture. They were afraid that in future –especially when new generations will have to keep their traditions alive- Hinduism would slowly lose its importance, since its rules are difficult to follow if you live or if you are even raised in a “modern society”. There are statements of Hindus thinking that the new generation wont be able to understand the origin of Hinduism far away from India, that they will not even be interested in the religion of their parents anymore. Others claim that the tolerance of society for –for example- alcohol and sex will make people forget about Hindu values and traditions. But there is also one answer of an Indian man who has a child with a British woman what reveals that already in 1997 there were Hindus who did not stick to the rules of their religion as Hinduism would not allow people to start a multicultural family. And although he seems to be sad about the fact that his daughter “will not know anything about her own culture” he will not do anything against it. So regarding the fact that Hindus immigrated in a larger number the first time after the Second World War the western way of life had in a short time quite a strong impact on the strictness with which Hindus are following the rules of their religion.
Most Hindus living in the UK today are also “British, and now very much part of contemporary British life” and usually they are “employed in positions where their ‘Hindu-ness’ is far less important than most other aspects of their social identities” (Malory Nye, 1997).
Thus they often also become participants in Non-Indian communities in their private life.
Nevertheless Hindus managed it to establish parts of their culture in London. As Hinduism is the fourth most popular religion in London (Official National Statistics, 2001) there are many communities in town that still enable followers to practice a Hindu Way of Life as many people in their native country do.
Besides places of worships in many homes of Hindu families several Hindu temples have been built in London, among them the biggest Hindu Temple outside of India - the Neasden Temple. The temples are also popular among tourists but not every Londoner is happy with them as a study of Naylor Rayon in 1998 reveals: There are citizens who “seemed threatened by the development and felt that local amenities such as parking and traffic restriction were inadequate to cope” (Lily Kong, 2001). This example shows that it is not only dependent on people who immigrate into a new country to what extend they can integrate into another society without giving up their traditions but also on the tolerance of locals.
However, those temples and communities help Hindus in London to find coreligionists, to stick to traditional ceremonies, to celebrate their spiritual beliefs together and of course they also organize artistic and cultural events or festivals. One of those festivals is the Holi Festival and in the following I would like to reveal to what extend the English version resembles the original festival and where differences can be found.
HOLI FESTIVAL IN LONDON
The Holi Festival in London is an event having its roots in a “Non-Western-World” world and being brought to the “Western-World”. For Indians celebrating it in the British capital it is an attempt to keep traditions and a connection to their native country, culture and religion alive. For example there has been one in the Northwick Park which is presented by a student from the University of Westminster called Varala Maraj:
In this videoclip Varala Maraj interviews various participants in order to find out how they experience the celebration. She talks with both Indians and people of other origins. Especially the statements of the Danish visitor Kirsty and the Indian participant Divya are interesting to compare. While Kirsty associates Holi with the attributes colourful and fun Divya sees the deeper sense. Of course Holi is fun for her too but she also explains the meaning of Holi right away and is happy to see that Indian communities and cultures can also exist in London. In the end of the clip also the presenter herself who grew up as a Hindu states that she appreciate the event “from a cultural, religious aspect as well”.
This shows that also when nowadays even in India the religious background becomes less relevant for people you can clearly see the difference in the way Hindus and Non-Hindus experience Holi. Although if the Indians that are part of this video were raised far away from their native country their parents apparently managed to make them internalizing values of Hinduism. This can be linked to the interview I mentioned before. It revealed that there are many Hindus living in London who are afraid that their religion might lose its importance to following generations. In terms of some aspects that are maybe too “old-fashioned” for Indian people being born in a western society they might be right but obviously there also parts of the culture young people want to remember. Nevertheless in case of the Holi Festival in the Northwick Park it did not work to communicate the religious background to foreigners - although it is a small celebration with many Indians.
Another difference between the Holi Festival in India and Britain is the way people are talking about it. As also said by Divya in the videoclip Hindus always use the term to “play Holi”. Thus in India Holi is not characterized as a party but as an event bringing people together in order to make them interact with each other. The fact that the Holi Festival is often rather known as “Festival of Colours” throughout the UK also strengthens the theory that English people do not know much about the background of Holi, as even the word “Holi” that stands for everything that is special about that particular event totally disappears in this name.
What can be seen furthermore is that the celebration of Holi takes place in an area surrounded by fences. This is valid for every Holi Festival in London. Whereas in India people just have to leave their houses to celebrate Holi, it is not possible to do so in a city like London since inhabitants would be worried about dirty streets, cars and houses. “We definitely didn’t like the idea of a cleaning bill from Westminster Council” states a Hindu in his own article (Velan Shakti, 2012).
There are also several Holi Festivals of bigger size in London. Here the differences appear stronger since events of such a size often are commercialized. With around 10.000 visitors the Holi Festival in Twickenham was the largest one in 2012. Although it was organized together with the Ethnic Minorities Advocacy Group the phone company o2 sponsored it, showing that the event is used by big companies to promote themselves. Since the Holi Festival has a deeper meaning and function it should be seen as inappropriate to use it for advertisement.
Moreover people have to pay entrance if they want to participate. At a comparable Holi Festival which had taken place in Hannover the price per ticket amounted to 16 Euro. As a consequence many people are excluded from the celebration since not everyone has money to spend on a festival. This contradicts the intention to make people feel equal, regardless their social standards.
Those and other differences among our society are supposed to be symbolically blown away together with the ashes of a bonfire. But due to the large amount of people playing Holi in one enclosed area it is not possible to light one. Together with the gulal (the coloured powder) the bonfire is the most important symbol used during the Holi Festival.
Another consequence of having a mass-event is that older people will not participate. Although they usually do not join the colour throwing in India either, they are part of the ceremony as well. In Britain that is only possible if they arrange their own little Holi celebration.
Further -not in London but in some other European cities, for example in Germany – the Holi Festival does not even take place in spring but at any day that fits in the calendar of the companies organizing it. Since the reason why Indians play Holi in spring is to celebrate the beginning of the new season, the Holi festival does not fulfil one of its important functions when it takes place at another time of the year.
The fact that Holi is celebrated as an organized event in London and other European cities moreover means that it takes place at a certain date and always lasts just one day. In India people play Holi for at least a couple of days because it is one of the most important events in their culture and therefore deserves attention for a longer period of time. In terms of the communitas this festival creates, for peolple in India the experiences they have during Holi will be more present for a longer time after returning to their everyday life. They lived in a society whose members are regarded as being equal for several days so that the feelings participants have during Holi can be internalized much better and may have a long-lastig influence on their attitudes towards society.
But it has to be mentioned that also in Europe you can find some Indian traditions during the festival. In Twickenham there have been a lot of Indian actors performing on stage. Typical Indian dances and music were presented and people could buy traditional food.
Many Non-Hindus enjoy the event every year, so that a mixture of cultures takes place – one important intention of the Holi Festival. The following video clip illustrates well, that there are both performances supported by Indian music and Indian costumes (the first one) but also acts using non-traditional material, as “Hips don’t lie” from the Columbian singer Shakira, a song that appeals to the mass of people. If you take a closer look you will find both Indian and Non-Indian people in the audience.
This shows that also when nowadays even in India the religious background becomes less relevant for people you can clearly see the difference in the way Hindus and Non-Hindus experience Holi. Although if the Indians that are part of this video were raised far away from their native country their parents apparently managed to make them internalizing values of Hinduism. This can be linked to the interview I mentioned before. It revealed that there are many Hindus living in London who are afraid that their religion might lose its importance to following generations. In terms of some aspects that are maybe too “old-fashioned” for Indian people being born in a western society they might be right but obviously there also parts of the culture young people want to remember. Nevertheless in case of the Holi Festival in the Northwick Park it did not work to communicate the religious background to foreigners - although it is a small celebration with many Indians.
Another difference between the Holi Festival in India and Britain is the way people are talking about it. As also said by Divya in the videoclip Hindus always use the term to “play Holi”. Thus in India Holi is not characterized as a party but as an event bringing people together in order to make them interact with each other. The fact that the Holi Festival is often rather known as “Festival of Colours” throughout the UK also strengthens the theory that English people do not know much about the background of Holi, as even the word “Holi” that stands for everything that is special about that particular event totally disappears in this name.
What can be seen furthermore is that the celebration of Holi takes place in an area surrounded by fences. This is valid for every Holi Festival in London. Whereas in India people just have to leave their houses to celebrate Holi, it is not possible to do so in a city like London since inhabitants would be worried about dirty streets, cars and houses. “We definitely didn’t like the idea of a cleaning bill from Westminster Council” states a Hindu in his own article (Velan Shakti, 2012).
There are also several Holi Festivals of bigger size in London. Here the differences appear stronger since events of such a size often are commercialized. With around 10.000 visitors the Holi Festival in Twickenham was the largest one in 2012. Although it was organized together with the Ethnic Minorities Advocacy Group the phone company o2 sponsored it, showing that the event is used by big companies to promote themselves. Since the Holi Festival has a deeper meaning and function it should be seen as inappropriate to use it for advertisement.
Moreover people have to pay entrance if they want to participate. At a comparable Holi Festival which had taken place in Hannover the price per ticket amounted to 16 Euro. As a consequence many people are excluded from the celebration since not everyone has money to spend on a festival. This contradicts the intention to make people feel equal, regardless their social standards.
Those and other differences among our society are supposed to be symbolically blown away together with the ashes of a bonfire. But due to the large amount of people playing Holi in one enclosed area it is not possible to light one. Together with the gulal (the coloured powder) the bonfire is the most important symbol used during the Holi Festival.
Another consequence of having a mass-event is that older people will not participate. Although they usually do not join the colour throwing in India either, they are part of the ceremony as well. In Britain that is only possible if they arrange their own little Holi celebration.
Further -not in London but in some other European cities, for example in Germany – the Holi Festival does not even take place in spring but at any day that fits in the calendar of the companies organizing it. Since the reason why Indians play Holi in spring is to celebrate the beginning of the new season, the Holi festival does not fulfil one of its important functions when it takes place at another time of the year.
The fact that Holi is celebrated as an organized event in London and other European cities moreover means that it takes place at a certain date and always lasts just one day. In India people play Holi for at least a couple of days because it is one of the most important events in their culture and therefore deserves attention for a longer period of time. In terms of the communitas this festival creates, for peolple in India the experiences they have during Holi will be more present for a longer time after returning to their everyday life. They lived in a society whose members are regarded as being equal for several days so that the feelings participants have during Holi can be internalized much better and may have a long-lastig influence on their attitudes towards society.
But it has to be mentioned that also in Europe you can find some Indian traditions during the festival. In Twickenham there have been a lot of Indian actors performing on stage. Typical Indian dances and music were presented and people could buy traditional food.
Many Non-Hindus enjoy the event every year, so that a mixture of cultures takes place – one important intention of the Holi Festival. The following video clip illustrates well, that there are both performances supported by Indian music and Indian costumes (the first one) but also acts using non-traditional material, as “Hips don’t lie” from the Columbian singer Shakira, a song that appeals to the mass of people. If you take a closer look you will find both Indian and Non-Indian people in the audience.
To summarize it can be said that the Holi Festival has become part of the year’s schedule for important events in London.
For Hindus it is still of cultural and religious significance and it helps them to remember where their roots are. British people enjoy the Holi Festival as well but usually they do not know the meaning behind it as it is neither communicated by the media nor during the festival. Although some Indian traditions which at least mediate the origin of the Holi festival are part of it there is no clear link to its sense. The performances being presented on stage people usually already know from the Bollywood industry and the food being served is established in London for a long time since there are a lot of Indian resturants.
As the fun-factor is much more important to the participants than learning something about people with different cultures and religions it may happen that over the years the Holi Festival will differ more and more from the way it is celebrated in India. The whole character of the Holi Festival is already very different. In India there are no rules at all during this time of the year. People can do whatever they like, so is for example bhang (cannabis) traditionally consumed at Holi which is illegal in Britain (Velan Shakti, 2012). Due to the fact that the life of Indians is usually ruled by strict norms, they get accordingly wild as soon as these boundaries disappear for a while. In the “civilized” world the “modern society” lives in such behaviour would be misunderstood probably.
Thus it is definately difficult to integrate a festival of deeper sense into another culture without changing its form and loosing its meaning.
However, to a certain extend the Holi Festival in London succeeds in bringing people with different backgrounds together.
It always involves the risk that not all characteristics of a cultural event can be preserved when it becomes popular within other nations. People with different backgrounds consider different norms and values as important so that they tend to focus on the new type of entertainment a foreign event has to offer; instead of the meanings it may bring along. As in the western world the capitalistic system is predominant it is probable that bigger companies will soon take notice of new trends and try to profit from it. In this case the formerly cultural motivated ritual gets an exchange value what transforms it into a commodity. A commodification often leads to an alienation of the original meaning what applies to rituals or events like the Holi Festival but also to sacred places that become a tourist attraction.
In general it seems accordingly difficult to protect elements that are part of a culture from changing their form in other countries.
But if this process necessarily has to be considered negatively depends on what we consider as important when it comes to the question what it means to be a person. According to Morris one possibility to define who a person is, is to regard a person as a cultural category. In this case the difficulty in integrating parts of one's own culture into a foreign one occurs and leads to the problem discussed before.
But Morris also states the possibility to consider human beings as individuals who are apposed to other individuals instead of to people belonging to another culture. It is further a general theory among anthropologists that personalities are products of socialization. This implicates that the cultural background can be regarded as less important whereas the society and its norms and values may have a bigger impact on persons, especially when they are raised in a different country than their parents. Consequently it seems to be impossible to entirely integrate one's culture elsewhere since a different society leads to different persons with own identities.
Arguing this way the loss of cultural characteristics in foreign countries seems to be basically a natural process.
Sources:
Office for National Statistics (2012), Census result shows increase in population of London as it tops 8 million, available:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/mro/news-release/census-result-shows-increase-in-population-of-london-as-it-tops-8-million/censuslondonnr0712.html (10.11.2012)
Office for National Statistics (2011), Resident Population Estimates by Ethnic Group, All Persons, available:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276743&c=london&d=13&e=13&g=325264&i=1001x1003x1004&o=322&m=0&r=1&s=1305747150781&enc=1&dsFamilyId=1809 (10.11.2012)
Sarhadi Raj, D. (2003), Where are you from, available:
http://books.google.de/books?id=HXsAbWxzZSIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=where+are+you+from&hl=de&sa=X&ei=48OKUJ_OC4e00QWbyYGICQ&ved=0CDEQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false (10.11.2012)
Nye, M. (1997), ISKCON and Hindus in Britain: Some Thoughts on a Developing Relationship, ISKCON Communication Journal), available:
http://content.iskcon.org/icj/5_2/5_2nye.html (10.11.2012)
Nye, M. (1995), A Place for Our Gods: The Construction of an Edinburgh Hindu Temple Community, available:
http://books.google.de/books?id=PEtnlcck3l8C&pg=PA194&dq=a+place+for+our+gods&hl=de&sa=X&ei=JsWKUL_7B6_I0AXis4DICw&ved=0CC4Q6wEwAA (10.11.2012)
Official National Statistics (2001), Religion, available:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do;jsessionid=tCdqQLYJVM46LT8T1tMTGrMYyJNTKv6wln2SFnvdcCn6yMxHMcwL!-1348545637!1351325780867?a=7&b=6059498&c=london&d=81&e=13&g=336453&i=1001x1003x1006&k=religion&o=254&m=0&r=1&s=1351325780867&enc=1&domainId=16&dsFamilyId=95&nsjs=true&nsck=true&nssvg=false&nswid=1366 (10.11.2012)
Kong, L. (2001), Mapping ‘new’ geographies of religion: politics and poetics in modernity, Progress in Human Geography 25,2, p.216, available:
http://www1.geo.ntnu.edu.tw/~moise/Data/Books/Social/01%20religion/mapping%20new%20geographies%20of%20religion.pdf
Shakti, V. (2012), Holi at Dishoom, available:
http://www.dishoom.com/2012/02/holi-at-dishoom/ (10.11.2012)
Michaels, A. (1998), Der Hinduismus: Geschichte und Gegenwart, available:
http://books.google.de/books?hl=de&lr=&id=zzUBiQdToZUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=hindus+und+christen&ots=moUoJ2sQJh&sig=ohTIKfpeEqOXQ8HUExaqjXYjUAg#v=onepage&q=hindus%20und%20christen&f=false (10.11.2012)
Mittal, S. (2009), Special Issue: Temple Publics - Religious Institutions and the Construction of Contemporary Hindu Communities, International Journal of Hindu Studies, Volume 13, Number 3, available:
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Marshall, P. (2012), London's Largest Holi Festival, available:
http://www.demotix.com/news/1100030/londons-largest-holi-festival-london#media-1100026 (10.11.2012)
For Hindus it is still of cultural and religious significance and it helps them to remember where their roots are. British people enjoy the Holi Festival as well but usually they do not know the meaning behind it as it is neither communicated by the media nor during the festival. Although some Indian traditions which at least mediate the origin of the Holi festival are part of it there is no clear link to its sense. The performances being presented on stage people usually already know from the Bollywood industry and the food being served is established in London for a long time since there are a lot of Indian resturants.
As the fun-factor is much more important to the participants than learning something about people with different cultures and religions it may happen that over the years the Holi Festival will differ more and more from the way it is celebrated in India. The whole character of the Holi Festival is already very different. In India there are no rules at all during this time of the year. People can do whatever they like, so is for example bhang (cannabis) traditionally consumed at Holi which is illegal in Britain (Velan Shakti, 2012). Due to the fact that the life of Indians is usually ruled by strict norms, they get accordingly wild as soon as these boundaries disappear for a while. In the “civilized” world the “modern society” lives in such behaviour would be misunderstood probably.
Thus it is definately difficult to integrate a festival of deeper sense into another culture without changing its form and loosing its meaning.
However, to a certain extend the Holi Festival in London succeeds in bringing people with different backgrounds together.
It always involves the risk that not all characteristics of a cultural event can be preserved when it becomes popular within other nations. People with different backgrounds consider different norms and values as important so that they tend to focus on the new type of entertainment a foreign event has to offer; instead of the meanings it may bring along. As in the western world the capitalistic system is predominant it is probable that bigger companies will soon take notice of new trends and try to profit from it. In this case the formerly cultural motivated ritual gets an exchange value what transforms it into a commodity. A commodification often leads to an alienation of the original meaning what applies to rituals or events like the Holi Festival but also to sacred places that become a tourist attraction.
In general it seems accordingly difficult to protect elements that are part of a culture from changing their form in other countries.
But if this process necessarily has to be considered negatively depends on what we consider as important when it comes to the question what it means to be a person. According to Morris one possibility to define who a person is, is to regard a person as a cultural category. In this case the difficulty in integrating parts of one's own culture into a foreign one occurs and leads to the problem discussed before.
But Morris also states the possibility to consider human beings as individuals who are apposed to other individuals instead of to people belonging to another culture. It is further a general theory among anthropologists that personalities are products of socialization. This implicates that the cultural background can be regarded as less important whereas the society and its norms and values may have a bigger impact on persons, especially when they are raised in a different country than their parents. Consequently it seems to be impossible to entirely integrate one's culture elsewhere since a different society leads to different persons with own identities.
Arguing this way the loss of cultural characteristics in foreign countries seems to be basically a natural process.
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