If one wants to experience the milder religious flavor of the festival of Holi, one must go to the temples in the US. Major US temples celebrate the Holi festival along with a Pooja and the bonfire with all its rituals, devotional music, followed by a play of colors by the devotees. And then follows delicious Indian food.
Holi at the temples is, thus, a blend of both the serious and the light hearted fun part of the festival. However, the fun is usually not wild fun and the food is the prasadam offered to the deities.
ISKCON, NY: New York’s International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple located in Brooklyn celebrates Holi as a vibrant festival of colors, devotion, and community, focusing on spiritual joy, chanting and kirtan, and dancing. The celebration typically includes throwing fragrant, natural colored powders, offering of special prayers to Radha and Krishna, and sharing a festive, vegetarian feast or prasadam. The temple provides an inclusive, family-friendly environment for both dedicated followers and the wider community to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
Ganesh Temple, NY: The Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam (NYC Ganesha Temple) in Flushing celebrates Holi with traditional rituals, including a special, interactive Holi Pooja featuring prayers and aarati. The festivities, which welcome spring and honor Lord Krishna, typically include a community-focused, vibrant atmosphere with color throwing, storytelling, and prasaad. The temple also holds a Kid’s Holi event with aarati, storytelling and interaction. The temple honors the victory of good over evil, referencing the story of Prahlada.
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Vishnu Mandir, Bronx: It celebrates Holi (or Phagwah) by blending traditional rituals with community festivities. The temple traditionally holds a Holika Dahan bonfire to signify the destruction of evil. The celebrations also include devotional singing of bhajans, playing with gulal and dancing at the community gatherings. This is usually followed by a prasaad of traditional sweets.
New Jersey Temples: Several temples in New Jersey hold traditional Holi celebrations with a Holika Dahan bonfire, devotional music and playing with colored powder, and prasaad. Each temple has its own tradition and décor for the festival.
Chief among the temples which celebrate Holi traditionally are the ISKCON NJ temple in Towaco, the Gayatri Chetna Center in Piscataway, Sri Ambaji Mandir in Garfield. These temples draw a large community with their festivities.
The Hanuman Temple in Piscataway also holds community-wide Holi events. Other temples celebrating Holi with cultural programs include the Gajanan Maharaj Temple of North Brunswick, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Edison, the Jalaram Temple at Franklin Park and the Ved Mandir at Milltown.
Across US: Elsewhere in the US, Holi celebrations also draw huge crowds to the temples. Events are sometimes held on different dates to accommodate weekends.
The Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, UT, holds a large festival known as the Festival of Colors attracting Indians and non-Indians for music, dance and color play.
Radha Madhav Dham in Austin, TX, and the Hindu Temple of Colorado in Denver are famous for their authentic, traditional and devotional, community-focused festivities to welcome spring.
Radha Krishna Temple in Dallas, TX, features a week-long celebration including Holika Dahan and traditional bhajans, Here, the play is with flowers, known as Phoolon Ki Holi and not with colored powders.
The Hindu Temple & Cultural Center of the Rockies in Denver, CO, usually holds a large event with live music, food, and color.
While the Hindu Society of North Carolina at Morrisville, NC, features a Temple Holi Mela, the Hindu Temple of Toledo, Ohio, holds traditional celebrations starting with Pooja and aarati before outdoor color-throwing.
Chicago offers distinct ways to celebrate Holi, catering to both the high-energy party crowd and families seeking cultural immersion.