We make a record of participation with nearly 4,000 people at the Benidorm Holi Festival

Elephant Petita celebrated her 45th birthday with a fruit offering and a big battle of colors with more than 150 kilos of colorful powder.
The nature and animal park Terra Natura Benidorm has commemorated the date with a record of participation of the previous editions of the meeting. On this occasion, about 4,000 people came to participate in the great battle of colors of the Benidorm Holi Festival, where more than 150 kilos of powder were thrown.

This celebration is the only one in the world that is organized for the birthday of an Asian elephant. The zookeepers of the elephant have decorated Petita inspired by an Indian dancer. Before dressing up, the two elephants have received their daily bath and the pedicure was done. It took two days to paint the elephants.

The Holi festival has started at 11 am with the arrival of visitors to Terra Natura Benidorm, where they have been given the typical bindi (also called tilak) on the forehead. This red spot is placed, in both women and men, on the forehead at the height of the sixth chakra symbolizing wisdom. Bindi is considered as a symbol of protective energy in Hindu culture.

The party has continued with a parade of musicians and dancers dressed in sharis – traditional costume from India – who have walked from the amphitheater to the elephant meadow. Once there, they have offered Petita and Kaiso a special offering of fruits and vegetables to celebrate the birthday of Petita, the elephant that was discriminated by its herd to be considered ugly according to the beauty canons established in this species.

After singing the ‘happy birthday’ song to the elephant, dancers and the other participants went to the village of Namastepur, where the battle of water and colored powders was carried out. Terra Natura Benidorm team have prepared bottles with water tinted with food colors of eight different colors, and have used more than 150 kilos of colored powder.

The battle of colors has been livened up with Bollywood songs and choreographies performed by dancers, who were dressed in original Indian costumes by the designer and model Bengali Bibi Russell. The Holi Hindu festival brings together the family to forget the problems and transfer the joy of colors to the population. With the organization of this event is intended to honor the emotional friendship of these elephants that allowed to overcome the situation of discrimination of the rest of the members of the herd.

The fun will continue in the afternoon at the Aqua Natura water park with live music by DJ Juanjo Cerceda, bouncy castle and colorful foam party.

The story of Petita

The history of discrimination suffered by this Asian elephant from Terra Natura Benidorm goes back a few years, when her low weight led her to be repudiated by the other elephants of her herd, who saw her unattractive. With the help of her friend Kaiso she was able to integrate into the elephant herd that lived in the zoo and to be finally accepted by her companions.