Holi is one the those festivals that has been long associated with flirting and romance, thanks to Hindi cinema. In Hindi songs that involve celebrating Holi, the protagonists are either indulging in some shy eye contact love or ‘accidently’ drinking some bhang to justify uncomfortable flirting while singing a song to a lover or professing feelings that if rejected, can be blamed on feigned amnesia. A (hopefully more consent-driven) version of this idea of Holi seems to have made its way to the young daters today.
In a survey conducted by the dating app, QuackQuack, one out of six participants from metros plan on celebrating Holi together. The survey, conducted on 15,000 users between the ages of 22 and 35 years, showed that Holi is one of the festivals that often turns virtual dates into real-life meetings.
Two buzzwords making rounds during this time are InterCity Dating and WanderLove, which highlight the trend among young daters of travelling to celebrate festivals with their partners. About 23% of participants matched with people from different cities as an opportunity to explore a new place and celebrate this Holi with the new match. Moreover, 12% of the singles found people from their hometowns who are currently based in the same city as them to celebrate the festival together.
Also read: Holi 2023: 5 easy recipes you cannot miss
Responsible celebrations
The survey highlighted high awareness and a sense of responsibility among the youth. To reduce water 23% of young daters will be choosing dry gulaal over watercolours. Opting for eco-friendly celebrations youth will be using organic herbal colours and avoid water balloons to reduce waste and water wastage.
One of the concerns often expressed by animal rights organisations and activists is animal abuse such as smearing colours on them during festivities such as Holi. This time youth from metros and smaller towns will be coming together to raise awareness about this.
Traditional food for the win
The study also shows that daters prefer traditional sweets. Among the participants, 18% of female daters and 14% of males preferred to send classic Indian mithai and snacks such as gujiya and puran poli rather than branded chocolates to their long-distance partners. The thandai with a pinch of bhang remains a popular choice over any other soft drink or hard.
Meeting the parents
For many daters, festivities such as Holi are a good time to meet the parents. About 16% of the couples have decided to introduce their partners to the parents during Holi. Moreover, three out of 10 of these people are travelling to their partner's hometown to meet their parents.
Also read: A 4-point guide to intelligent dating
