Throwing brightly coloured powder at each other in communal gatherings, watching performances on the street, eating sweets?this is how mom-of-one Saumya Gautam used to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours and one of the biggest Hindu festivals, when she lived in India. Holi is a festival that signifies the victory of good over evil while also welcoming Spring. It’s also a tradition this Toronto mom wanted to pass on to her two-and-a-half-year-old son Yohan. She took Yohan to India for his first celebration in 2015, but wanted to give him that same experience in Canada, despite the weather and the fact that there aren’t many huge celebrations for it here. 
That’s when the idea struck, just before Holi in 2016: She would bring the festival to Yohan’s daycare as a way to not only teach him about it, but teach the other kids as well. Gautam and her husband François, who is Québécois, try their best to pass down their cultural traditions, whether it’s celebrating Diwali (Indian Festival of Lights) or a Quebec holiday like St-Jean-Baptiste Day. However, Gautam knew she couldn’t bring brightly coloured homemade powder to the daycare because, among other things, some kids have allergies and sensory sensitivities. Her workaround: soft coloured paper shredded to bits that kids can throw at each other instead. Genius! The shredded paper made to resemble the coloured powder used at Holi celebrations. Photo: Saumya Gautam
The kids went ab...