Sprinkles of Vibrant Colors – Holi Festival!
This year Holi marks on the 9th of March and 10th of March.
Welcome it with the splashes and sprinkles of ecstasy!
HOLI CELEBRATION IN INDIA: While India has been celebrating several festivals, some festivals would bring us joy and merriment even before its arrival. This is one of the unusual festivals of India where all the people come together to celebrate irrespective of their religious slants. The festival of colors or festival of love has not only been celebrating in different parts of Asia but also captivates other continents as well. The word Holi is obtained from the word “Holika”, the demonic sister of King Hiranyakashipu. It has been celebrated to remark the killing of Evil by God on this day. One of the legends is that young Krishna playing with Radha and other young girls turned out to be the celebration of Holi. However, Holi symbolizes the ending of winter and the starting of spring and it is celebrated after the full moon in the month of “Phalguna” which is between February and March. People would gather before the night of the festival and begin a bonfire. The very next day people start playing with the Holi powder/color and chase each other with the ecstasy of celebration and temples are embellished well during Holi. It has been officially a day off for cleanliness!
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FESTIVAL: Though Holi has been the festival of joy, it has been associated with several significances. The mythological significance goes with the legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakshap, the devil king. As his son Prahlad is devoted to Lord Vishnu, he asked his sister Holika to enter the fire with his child. While Holika had a boon to enter the fire unharmed, she took him along with her. But she was burned in the fire and Prahlad was saved as his too devoted to Lord Vishnu. Apart from these, Holi has been associated with multiple mythologies. As Holi is celebrated by everyone in the country regardless of religion, it creates the brotherhood and sisterhood amidst people. Holi has the power to turn enemies into friends with its all flamboyance.
Holi is the time when we welcome the spring season with its warmness. People might feel tardiness because of the alteration of cold to heat in the atmosphere. And so people sing and dance and chase to sprinkle colorful powders to overcome the lazy-delayed feel. These acts, in general, would instill a human body with complete revitalization. Even applying colors could positively impact your health and your body as well.
HOLI CELEBRATIONS ABROAD: Holi is the only festival that has been celebrated all over the world. It breaks the boundaries with the sprinkles of vibrant colors. While India had been celebrating the festival of love with all the traditions and rituals, other countries of the world have also been no limited in expressing their fondness for the festival. To list a few – Singapore, USA, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Germany, etc. Even Germany goes to the extent of an open-air celebration on the day of Holi. As so many Indians are living out there in foreign countries, the festival has been incorporated in its enthusiastic way. For example, the USA has its way of celebration by organizing Holi parades as it has a large number of Indian migrants associated with dance. So, it would literally proffer the Indian ambiance of celebrating the festival of colors.
FESTIVALS RELATED TO HOLI: Being an Indian festival, Holi comes with its different traditions and rituals according to different states of the Country. So, the type of celebration changes as per the state and the people. For example, in the state of Punjab, men celebrate the festival as a golden opportunity to portray their bravery and dare-devil skills. But in Rajasthan, it is women who take the lead. However, West Bengal too involves in celebrating the occasion in an enormously charming way. Some of the Holi related festivals are Gangaur, Dolyatra, Basant Utsav and Hola Mohalla.
DIFFERENT CELEBRATIONS OF HOLI: As already mentioned about the different cultures and traditions of Holi, the different types of celebrations are infused with this flabbergasting festival. In Uttar Pradesh, women chase away the men with lathis but it does not mean beating the session. This sounds crazy, isn’t it? In West Bengal, people go on procession with the idols of Radha and Krishna and men start to sprinkle water and colors during the procession. In Assam, on the first day, people burn clay huts and the next day they play with colors like others. Unlike others, Maharashtra celebrates in a most amazing and fun-filled way. Maharashtrians celebrate the color festival on the 5th day of Holika Dahan which is known as Ranga Panchami. In Kerala, Holi is named Manjal Kuli which is celebrated in the Konkani temple of Gosripuram Thirumala. Being the Southern part of India, Kerala has been celebrating it in their way. Even other different states celebrate in different ways which would be colorfully splashing enough.