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Tag: Holi

How to Celebrate Holi

Holi is sometimes called the festival of colors and the festival of love. It is called the festival of love, as on this day, people unite forgetting all the differences and bad feelings for each other. 

Holi marks the arrival of the spring season which is the harvest season and the end of winter.

This festival of colors lasts for around a day and a night in the month of Falgun or Phalguna, which starts in the evening of Purnima or Full Moon Day. 

The first evening of this great festival is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi and the following day is called and celebrated as Holi. 

However, it is known by different names in different parts of the country.

How to celebrate Holi and what its its Significance:

  • As Holi is the festival of colors, it is considered that vibrant colors bring in a lot of positivity to our lives. And it is worth enjoying and celebrating a day to fill our lives with positivity. 
  • The ritual is started by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and people often throw things like wood, dried leaves, and twigs into bonfires. This process resembles the victory of good over bad.
  • On the day of Holi people purely enjoy and have fun by splashing colors on each other called Gulal, with their friends and families.
  • Also, there are a few private parties where people can attend and play Holi together. Holi is a fun-filled festival that can be enjoyed with your friends, neighbors, and your colony members too. 
  • Children also enjoy the festival by splashing colored water with water guns and water balloons. People also dance and vibe around by playing songs on this festive day. 
  • In the evening they show love and respect to their close ones with some lip-smacking sweets like Gujiya and a special Holi drink called Thandai.
  • According to Hindu mythology, demon king Hiranyakashyap was given a boon which gave him the superpower of not being killed by either a man or any animal. 
  • Hiranyakashyap had bad intentions and wanted to be worshiped by people. On the other hand, his own son Prahalad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. 
  • As his own son doesn’t worship him, Hiranyakashyap was angry at that fact and asked his sister, demon Holika to sit in a pyre(bonfire) while holding his Prahalad. Both Holika and Prahalad sat on fire. 
  • But only Holika died, and Prahlad was saved by Lord Vishnu. After saving Prahalad, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Narasimha- a half-human and half-lion and killed the demon king Hiranyakashyap. 
  • Hence, many locals celebrate the morning bonfire which is Holika Dahan which represents the burning of the demoness Holika. 
  • The colors with which we play Holi, are also said to have some meaning within them. The color blue symbolizes the color of Lord Krishna, as it was believed that he was born with blue skin. 
  • The color Green – resembles New beginnings and Rebirth. The red color symbolizes good marital life or fertility. However, yellow is a color that is used on every occasion and is considered to be auspicious.
  • Although Holi is celebrated in the same way across the country, there are a few places where the celebration is unique. Celebrations of Holi in Vrindavan and Mathura are very famous for their unique celebrations. 
  • Also, in places like Rajasthan, Barsana, and Uttar Pradesh people celebrate Lathmar Holi. During Lathmar Holi women hit men with sticks(called lath) and the men try to shield themselves. 
  • So, this Holi makes a point to educate your children about the significance of the festival, enjoy playing Holi with your neighbors or friends and seek the blessings of your elders. Have a happy and safe Holi!

Holi

Holi,  one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India, is celebrated in almost every part of the country. The great Indian festival lasts for a day and a night, which starts in the evening of Purnima or the Full Moon Day in the month of Falgun.  It is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi on the first evening of the festival and the following day is called Holi.

Mythological significance of Holi:
Despite being such a colourful and gay festival, there are various aspects of Holi which make it so significant for Indians. Holi gets us close to our religion and our mythology as it is essentially the celebration of various legends associated with the festival.
  • Foremost is the legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakshyap. The Legend has it that Prahlad was saved for his extreme devotion to the lord while Holika paid a price for her sinister desire. The tradition of burning Holika or the ‘Holika Dahan comes mainly from this legend.
  • Holi also celebrates the legend of Radha and Krishna which describes the extreme delight Krishna took in applying colour on Radha and other gopis.  This prank of Krishna later became a trend and a part of the Holi festivities.
  • Mythology also states that Holi is the celebration of the death of Ogress Pootana who tried to kill an infant, Krishna by feeding poisonous milk to it.

Rituals of Holi:

Rituals of the ancient festival of Holi are religiously followed every year with care and enthusiasm.  Days before Holi, people start gathering wood for the lighting of the bonfire called Holika at the major crossroads of the city. This ritual ensures that at the time of the actual celebration a huge pile of wood is collected.

Holi pooja:

It is believed that all sorts of fear can be conquered by doing Holika Puja on Holi. Holika Puja bestows power, prosperity, and wealth. It is believed that Holika was created to ward off all sorts of fear. Hence Holika, although a Demoness, is worshipped along with Prahlada before Holika Dahan.

The tradition of Thandai:

Thandai is embedded with the tradition of Holi.  A refreshing and healthful drink thandai is savored amid the play of colors when people become a little exhausted by throwing each other in the pool of colored waters. 

The tradition of Bhang:

Culled from the leaves and buds of cannabis – the very intoxicating bhang helps to escalate the spirit of Holi. The tradition of consuming bhang on Holi is particularly rampant in North India where Holi itself is celebrated with a gusto unseen anywhere else.

The colorful festival:

All in all the air is abuzz with fun and excitement. Each Holi color signifies a special emotion that transcends the brightly colored faces of people to a sentiment of community, equality and oneness.

  • Red: Purity
  • Orange: Endurance
  • Purple: Magic
  • Blue: Calmness
  • Green: Vitality
  • Yellow: Happiness
  • Pink: Love

Significance of colours in Holi

India celebrates Holi in all its glory with loud and elaborate revelry.