Lathmar Holi (लट्ठमार होली) is a festival that takes place in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश). In Uttar Pradesh there is a small town called Barsana (बरसाना). Every year in a festival called Lathmar Holi, wives beat their husbands with sticks called Lathi (लाठी). The only protection that the husbands have is this tiny shield on top of their heads. This tradition mimics the time when Krishna (कृष्ण) visited his sweetheart Radha (राधा). He teased her and she and her friends retaliated by driving him out of town.

Now this is just unfair. (Watch the video below) This is like ten women beating on one man. The man is outnumbered and taking it like a trooper. This is one of the few festivals that women relish because they get to take out all their aggression and stress out on their husbands. Indian society is a patriarchal society, so when festivals come around, it’s mostly the women that cook the food and take care of the clean up after the festival ends. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into making a festival successful, and it’s only fair that women get to enjoy the festivals too.

One of the other delights of this festival is a drink called thandai. Thandai is a cold drink made with almonds, fennel seeds, saffron, milk, sugar and cardamom. The drink is slightly laced with bhang (भांग), which is made from the leaves of cannabis. Lathmar Holi is a day where the normal routine is broken. This is a day where women get to wield power over their husbands and it is exacerbated by the thandai drink. In short, it’s a really fun festival. Here is a drink showing you how to make thandai (minus the cannabis):