Holi is the festival of colours. It is also referred to as the festival of love and compassion. Celebrations are typically marked by the smearing of colours on family and friends. The splashing of colours and other such activities are mainly done among friends and siblings.
Story of Holi
Holi is a not just a game of colours but it symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated over two days. On the day before Holi known as Chhoti Holi, a bright bonfire is lit. There is a legend associated with it.
Hiranyakashipu a demonic Asuras’ own son, Prahlada refused to worship him and choose to worship Lord Vishnu and as a result, Hiranyakashipu tried several times to kill Prahlada until her sister Holika came out with a plan.
Holika, Prahlada’s evil aunt, asked Prahlad to sit on a pyre with her. With the boon from Brahma Holika was immune to fire. But the trick misfired as she misused the boon and as a result, Holika got burned in the fire and died. In other versions, it is also said that Holika was wearing a fire-resistant robe.
The Holika bonfire is ignited the night before the Holi, bringing people gathered together for an evening
The main celebration follows the next day. People are in a happy mood. They sprinkle coloured water on another. They smear their faces with coloured powders. Children spray coloured water on the passers-by. After playing Holi, many people get together again in the evening to celebrate the occasion with delicious food and desserts.
Celebration across the Countries
India, being a country of diversity different ways of the celebration of the festival can be found. Like Lath Maar Holi of Barsana Man from Nandgaon (Lord Krishna’s village) visits Brasana (Radha’s Village).Here women from Brasana uses bamboo stick known as lath to beat up the men who come from Nandgaon from who shield themselves from the beating of lath.In Mathura and Brindavan. Holi celebrations begin a week in advance.
In Shantiniketan, Bolpur, artisans display their work of art and sings and dance to traditional music. Dol Jatra is the ritualistic festival of swings. Idols of Krishna and Radha are placed on the swings and worshipped. There are different ways of celebrating the festivals in the different part of the country.
And in cities, nowadays many organizers organize holiday party with DJs, artists and food
Conclusion
Like an easy in my childhood about Holi, I would like to say that time has now changed. Many cities are facing water crisis so maybe a dry Holi would be a better option. The best way to prevent any powder from sticking to your skin is to moisturize well beforehand. People also oil their hair so that the powder is easier to remove. Using a herbal colour is much safe but these are a bit expensive.
Holi is festival of colour celebrate with fun and joy
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi
- https://www.ndtv.com/food/holi-2018-heres-how-holi-is-celebrated-across-different-regions-in-the-country-1818171
- https://www.makemytrip.com/blog/the-colours-of-india-this-holi
About Author
Prosenjit Banerjee is a digital marketer. He likes exploring new places and enjoys pursuing hobbies of photography, vlogging and blogging. When it comes to entertainment, he prefers watching sitcoms, watching movies of the rom-com, sci-fi, fantasy genres. He is also an avid fan of soccer end enjoys playing it on his play station.
