Do me a favour let’s play Holi,
Come let’s sing, dance and laugh all day.
Festival of happiness and joy is here,
And when it’s Holi, everything is fair! Happy Holi
Holi An Ancient Hindu Religious Festival
Holi is an ancient Hindu religious festival of India which has become popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other communities outside Asia.
In recent years the festival has spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of love, frolic, and colours.
The festival has many purposes; most prominently, it celebrates the beginning of Spring. In 17th century literature, it was identified as a festival that celebrated agriculture, commemorated good spring harvests and the fertile land.
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Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring’s abundant colors and saying farewell to winter.
To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark the beginning of the new year as well as an occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships, end conflicts and rid themselves of accumulated emotional impurities from the past.
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Story Behind Holi
Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika Dahan where people gather, perform religious rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil be destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire.
There is a symbolic legend to explain why Holi is celebrated as a festival of colours in the honour of Hindu god Vishnu and his follower Prahlada.
King Hiranyakashipu, according to a legend found in chapter 7 of Bhagavata Purana, was the king of demonic Asuras, and had earned a boonthat gave him five special powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by astra nor by any shastra , and neither on land nor in water or air. Hiranyakashipu grew arrogant, thought he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.
Hiranyakashipu’s own son, Prahlada, however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu.This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika, Prahlada’s evil aunt, tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her.
Holika was wearing a cloak that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada, who survived while Holika burned. Vishnu, the god who appears as an avatar to restore Dharma in Hindu beliefs, took the form of Narasimha – half human and half lion, at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), took Hiranyakashyapu at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placed him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then eviscerated and killed the king with his lion claws (which were neither a handheld weapon nor a launched weapon).
The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, and of the fire that burned Holika.
Dhulandi
The next morning is celebrated asRangwali Holi Or Dhulandi – a free-for-all festival of colours,where people smear each other with colours and drench each other. Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to play and colour each other.
The frolic and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes to throw coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip.Some customary drinks include bhang , which is intoxicating.
In the Braj region of India, where the Hindu deity Krishna grew up, the festival is celebrated until Rangpanchmi in commemoration of the divine love of Radha for Krishna. The festivities officially usher in spring, with Holi celebrated as a festival of love.
Things To Avoid In Holi
Play friendly holi, avoid making it rough and rowdy.
· Discourage the use of eggs, mud, tar or gutter water while playing holi. It’s never safe to play holi with such things.
· Avoid hard drinks like liquor or even bhang.
· Do not apply harmful colours on face of anyone who in not interested.
· Do not run or jump on the wet floors as this can be dangerous.
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· Play holi with known people such as family and friends instead of unknown ones.
· Avoid using a beer as it has high contents of mica, which is very harmful.
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