Holi – The Festival of Colors in India

Indian Color Festival Holi‎

About Holi Festival

Holi is one of the most important festivals of Hindus which is steeped in all the colors of the rainbow. It is celebrated in India to welcome the season of spring and end of winters. It is a two-day long festival celebrated with lot of gaiety all over India. On the eve of Holi, people gather to light a huge bonfire of the dried leaves and twigs also known as Holika Dahan. On the morning of the festival, people meet each other to apply dry and wet colors each other, play with water, and eat sweets together

Holika Dahan: The Holi bonfire

The main emphasis of the festival is on the burning of the holy fire or Holika. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of demonesses like Holika, Holaka and Putana who represent evil, or to the burning of Madan according to others. Traditionally a bonfire on the day of Holi, marks the symbolic anhilation of a demoness Holika the sister of demon, Hiranyakashipu, in Hindu mythology, while trying to kill, a devotee, Bhakta Prahlad .

This is akin to other festivals where effigies are burned, like Ravana Dahan on Vijayadashami (Dusshera) day, also in many other religions across the world, signifying end of dark or demonic forces.

 

Dulhendi

The next day this victory is celebrated as the day of Dulhendi.

Principal ingredients of celebration are Abeer and Gulal, in all possible colours. Next comes squirting of coloured water using pichkaris. Coloured water is prepared using Tesu flowers, which are first gathered from the trees, dried in the sun, and then ground up, and later mixed with water to produce orange-yellow coloured water. Another traditional Holi item now rarely seen is a where a red powder enclosed in globes of Lakh, which break instantly and covering the party with the powder. Regional rituals and celebrations

People of Jaipur play this Holi festival with great zest and joy. Holi is celebrated on PhalgunPurnima or Poranmashi (full moon) in the month of March or April. In fact, the Holi played in the pink city is popularly known as Lathmar Holi. It is believed that the adorable Gopies had warned Lord Krishna and his friends not to step into the land of Barsana, their village, on Holi. But Lord Krishna did not listen to their ‘advice’ and entered the village with his friends, for this they were showered with bamboos by the Gopies. That is why Lathmar Holi is celebrated, wherein the womenfolk use bamboo sticks to hit the men. Poor men! It’s all a part of the colourful festival celebrations.

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