Holi is one of the most awaited and popular festivals celebrated by Hindus across the globe. It is commonly referred to as the festival of colors since celebrating the festival involves considerable use of different types of colors. Like most other Hindu festivals, the Holi festival also celebrates the victory of good over evil and is considered to be a day of new beginnings.
Read on to more about the history and significance of this festival and the various traditions and rituals associated with it.
Holi is a spring festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun and corresponds to the Georgian calendar months of Feb-March. It is one of those rare occasions when even the most devout Hindus immerse in fun and frolic, forgetting their old grudges and extending a hand of friendship to their biggest enemies. Given the timing of the festival, many people also believe that it is celebrated to bid farewell to the gloominess of the winter season and welcome the bright and beautiful summer season with love and joy.
Holi is an ancient Indian festival and there are several legends about how the celebration of the festival was initiated. Even though the festival has evolved considerably across the centuries, the various legends still form an integral part of the celebration. Some of the most popular legends related to the festival include the following.
The Story Of Prahlad And Hiranyakashipu: This is perhaps the most popular and commonly accepted Holi story. The story is included in the ancient Hindu scripture of Bhagwad Purana and reinforces the concept of victory of good over evil. According to legend, there once lived an evil demon king by the name of Hiranyakashapu who considered himself to be more powerful than the Gods. He, therefore, ordered the citizens of his kingdom to worship him in place of God.
However, his son Prahlad turned out to be a devout worshipper of Lord Vishnu and despite numerous warnings and threats from his father refused to worship him. This angered Hiranyakashapu so much that he decided to kill his son. Hiranyakashyapu used several methods including using his soldiers to attack Prahlad, getting him trampled under the feet of an elephant and even throwing him off a cliff.
When none of his tricks worked, the demon king sought the help of his sister Holika. Holika was granted a boon that fire could not burn her and so she agreed to sit in a pyre with Prahlad sitting in his lap. When the pyre was lit, a great miracle happened and Prahlad was left unharmed while Holika burned to ashes. Later the people threw the ashes of the pyre on each other to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
The Story Of Lord Shiva And God Kamdev: Another popular legend associated with Holi celebration is that of Lord Shiva and God Kamdev. As per this legend, demon Takrasura had been granted a boon by Lord Brahma that he can be killed only by the son of Lord Shiva. However, Lord Shiva had entered a yogic penance following the death of their beloved wife Mata Sati.
The gods were constantly tormented by Tarakasura and were fearful that Lord Shiva may never come out of his penance and have a son. So they convinced Kamadev, the God of love, to incite romantic feelings in the heart of Lord Shiva. Although Kamdev was successful in breaking the yogic trance of Lord Shiva, it angered to later to the extent that he burnt him to ashes with his third eye.
Devi Rati, the wife of Kamdev, explained the intentions behind her husband’s actions to Shiva, who then assured her he would be Kamdeva would be restored to life. The day on which Kamdeva was burned to death by Lord Shiva is the same on which Holi is celebrated.
The Story Of Radha And Krishna: Radha and Krishna are worshiped as the epitome of love in Hinduism and share a deep association with the celebration of Holi. It is said that when Krishna was still an infant, his uncle Kansa sent a female demon named Putna to kill him. Putna filled her breasts with poisonous milk and requested Yashoda to feed him. As Krishna drank the poisoned milk, he also sucked out the life force of Putna, thus killing her.
However, drinking the poisoned milk turned Krishna’s skin blue. Later, when Krishna grew up, he met and fell in love with Radha. But he was doubtful if Radha would love him back given his blue-colored skin. So he asked his mother why Radha was fair and his skin was blue. Yashodha was amused by Krishna’s innocent query and advised him to apply color to Radha’s face to change her complexion.
Radha, who was completely devoted to Krishna, was that he would consider the difference in their color to be a hindrance to their love. So she allowed Krishna to apply dye her face with color so that their skin looked the same. It is believed that this incident started the tradition of people applying color to each other as a part of the Holi celebration.
In India, the festival of Holi is celebrated with great zeal and fervor mostly in the northern, western, and central regions. The celebration of the festival begins on the night before Holi, when people burn a bonfire made of wood, cow dung cakes, and straw. It is also common to perform puja before lighting the bonfire and to throw grains from the fresh harvest, puffed rice, and other such items into the fire. This ritual is popularly known as Holika Dehan and is believed to ward off negativity and evil spirits.
On the day following Holika Dehan, people come out for a large community gathering to celebrate the festival. Applying color, drinking bhang, consuming sweets, and having unhindered fun are common aspects of celebrating Holi across all regions and communities. However, there are some areas and communities that celebrate the festival in such a unique manner that countless people come to witness the festivities.
Vrindavan, which is considered to be the abode of Lord Krishna, celebrates Holi most beautifully. People here shower petals of flowers on each other instead of throwing colors. Even though the colorful celebrations last for only 15-30 minutes, the sight is one to behold. The petal shower and the fragrance of the different flowers create a unique sight where the love of God is evident all around.
This unique form of celebrating Holi has been the subject of numerous paintings and pictures. It is predominantly popular in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the villages of Nandgaon and Barsana. In this way of celebrating Holi, the women use bamboo sticks to beat men who cover their heads with a round bamboo shield.
The people of Maharastra have their own unique way of celebrating the festival of Holi. On this day, one can witness large crowds around the pandals set up on every street. The people hang pots of butter at a great height and the youngsters within the locality use human pyramid formations to reach the pots and break them to win a prize. The constant shower of gulal powder and water on the young participants adds color to the celebrations.
The pink city of Jaipur becomes drenched in various colors during Holi celebrations. The primary attraction is the grand ceremony organized by the royal family of the City Palace in their condominium. The local people as well as foreign tourists enjoy the fun of the festivities and the opportunity to smear the members of the royal clan in different colors.
In Bihar, Holi is celebrated with various religious traditions and rituals as it is a celebration of good harvest and fertility of the land. The festival also marks the beginning of the New Year in the state and hence it is customary for people to clean their homes to invite positivity and prosperity. Semaring colors on each other, drinking bhang, singing, and dancing form an integral part of the celebrations.
The celebration of Holi as a festival has evolved considerably over the centuries. In modern times, it has become quite common for people to hold grand holy parties where people enjoy various fun activities in addition to smearing colors on each other. In most cases, the hosts of such parties offer a multicourse meal to the guests besides serving a wide variety of traditional sweets and delicacies. Hiring DJs and dance groups for entertaining guests is also a common phenomenon at these parties. The idea is to enjoy a day of fun in the company of friends and loved ones and share the true Holi spirit.
Holi is more than just another Indian traditional festival. It is a celebration of love and positivity which makes it universally appealing. We wish you a colorful and pure Holi.
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