Holi is one of the most biggest, vibrant and colorful festivals of India that is celebrated every spring. Holi, also known as the “Festival of Colors”, celebrates the arrival of spring and the end of winter. It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season. It is celebrated by throwing colorful powder at each other, music, food and dancing. The festival falls on the full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna. The date of the festival falls usually in late February or March of the Gregorian calendar. The celebration of the festival starts a day before with “Holika Dahan” also known as Choti Holi. The festival is celebrated differently in different States, regions and communities.
ORIGINS OF THE FESTIVAL
Holi is a joyous celebration of the triumph of good over evil and the pure love between Radha and Krishna. The festival’s origin is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and there are several legends and stories associated with it. Before, Holi was a ceremony only celebrated by married women for the prosperity of the their new family but now it has evolved into bigger celebration. The festival is mentioned with detailed description in early religious works such as “The Puranas- The “Narada” and “Bhavishya”Purana provide detailed description of Holi. The 7 th Century work by King Harsha, “Ratnavali” mentions the festival as Holikostav. Some other texts that mention Holi are Jaimini’s “Purva Mimamsa Sutras”, “Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras”, “Kamasutra” and Sattasai poems where Holi is mentioned where it is called Phalgunotsava (Spring Festival).
The festival of Holi is also depicted in several sculptures on the walls of ancient temples like the 16 th century panel sculpted in a temple at Hampi, capital of Vijayanagar, shows a joyous scene of celebrating Holi. A 16 th Century Ahmednagar painting is on the theme of Vasanta Ragini – spring song. It shows a royal couple sitting on a grand swing, while maidens are playing music and spraying colors with pichkaris. All of the above mentioned texts and sculptures indicate to the festival’s long history making it one of the oldest Hindu festivals, which is celebrated with joy even today.
LEGENDS AND CELEBRATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HOLI
One of the most popular stories of Holi that has been passed from generation to generation is the story of the demon king Hiranyakashipu who was granted five wishes from Lord Brahma. This boon made him arrogant and he believed he was invincible so he ordered and forced everyone to worship him instead of God. Hiranyakashipu’s son Prahalad was a loyal devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to bow down to his father and continued to worship Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was furious with his son and tried to kill him many times but Prahalad managed to escape unscathed every time. Hiranyakashipu’s sister Holika was granted the boon to be immune from fire so he asked her to place Prahalad on her lap and sit in fire so he can be burned to ashes. A pyre was built and Holika sat in the fire with Prahalad but to everyone’s shock, Holika was burned and Prahalad came out of the fire unharmed. Prahalad’s undeterred devotion to Lord Vishnu saved his life and his survival is seen as the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated as the festival of Holi. This legend is relived even today, where a night before Holi, the pyre is re-lit in the form of a bonfire, which is called “Holika Dahan”. People gather around the bonfire to sing, dance and pray. Families offer fruits, coconuts and other traditional delicacies to the fire. This ritual removes negativity and invites prosperity. “Holika Dahan” symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
Another legend suggests that Lord Krishna is deeply associated with the festival. Lord Krishna was worried about his dark complexion and asked his mother Yashoda, for advice on how to win Radha’s heart. Yashoda playfully suggested that he color Radha is whatever hue he likes so they can look similar and this established the tradition of applying colors during Holi, symbolizing the celebration of love between Radha and Krishna. This legend is also the reason Holi is considered to be a festival of love and togetherness. The region of Braj, where Krishna is believed to have resided, celebrates Holi with a lot of enthusiasm due to this connection with Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha.
Another story associated with Holi is of the Ogress called Dhundhi in the kingdom of Prithu. The female monster used to terrorize the kingdom especially the children who quickly become fed up of her. Dhundhi had received a boon from Lord Shiva that Gods or men could not kill her. She was also to immune to any suffering cause by heat, cold and rain. But she also was cursed by Lord Shiva That she would be vulnerable to the pranks and mischiefs of young boys. A priest knowing this weakness of the ogress suggested that the young boys of the kingdom would be sent out to collect wood and build a fire. Then, the boys would circle the fire laughing, shouting obscenities and insults at her. They also threw colorful powder and water balloons at her, which overwhelmed her. Dhundhi fled the kingdom and never returned.
Our celebration of Holi today is deeply inspired by and rooted in these fascinating legends passed down from generation to generation. The celebration of this festival highlights and showcases the diverse traditions prevalent across our beautiful Motherland. From playful stick-wielding (Lathmar Holi) in Uttar Pradesh to Phool wali Holi (floral celebration) in Vrindavan, Rang Panchami in Maharashtra, Basant Utsav of West Bengal, Manjal Kuli in Kerala where Holi is played with turmeric paste mixed with water to symbolize prosperity to Phaguwa in Bihar and many more. Holi is one of the most vibrant and unique festivals of India and its uniqueness lies in its diverse celebrations as well as joyous and communal nature of Holi.The festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil, fosters a spirit of unity and transcends social barriers because the celebrations involve everyone irrespective of age, caste or social class.
A very happy, safe and joyous Holi to our lovely readers.
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