The festival of colors has begun,
Considered to be the second largest festival after Diwali, Holi is celebrated by all irrespective of caste or creed.
Holi is the festival of colors that Indians all over the world look forward to every year because it is not just any other festival, it brings together people from different communities to eat, dance, throw colors and have fun.
Plus, it celebrates spring and the feeling of romance. This is the day when people forgive old mistakes and start anew. In the sacred context, it is said that loving reunions occur when people apply colors to each other and resolve broken relationships.
Holi celebration
Holi is a festival celebrated by Hindus to celebrate the spring. Holi can be described as the festival of colors and the festival of spring.
Holi is celebrated mainly in North India. Holi is now celebrated in South India as well. Gujaratis, Marwaris and Punjabis are the mainstays of Holi, but few in cities like Mumbai and Delhi do not celebrate Holi. People of different castes and religions participate in the Holi celebrations. The belief is that enmity will go away when they paint each other.
Holi falls in late February or early March. Holi is the full moon of the month of Falguna according to the Hindu calendar. Holi begins on the night of the full moon. The next day is the real Holi day.
Holi is associated with many rituals in different parts of India. Holi used to be a farmers' festival. Celebration to get rich harvest and fertilize the soil. But later it became completely part of the Hindu faith.
Holi is inextricably linked to mythical tales featuring warriors, gods, demonesses and asuras. There are at least four legends that are directly associated with the festival of colours: the Holika-Hiranyakashipu-Prahlada episode, Lord Shiva’s killing of Kamadeva, the story of the ogress Dhundhi and Lord Krishna legend. In most of these stories, good defeats the evil forces and Holi is a part of the resulting celebration that follows.
A Wicked Demoness is Burnt Alive
The evolution of the term Holi makes an interesting study in itself. Legend has it that Holi derives its name from Holika, the sister of the mythical megalomaniac king Hiranyakashipu who commanded everyone to worship him. But his little son Prahlada refused to do so as he was a devout follower of Vishnu, the great Preserver of the Universe.
Legends
Holi is based on the story of Prahlad in Hindu mythology. There are other stories. The love story between Krishna and Radha and the story of Cupid's sacrifice. Each story is associated with different celebrations of Holi.
However, most people believe that Holi's story is related to Prahlad. Prahlad's father Hiranyakashyap's sister got the name Holi from Holiga.
The story of Holiga
Holiga was the sister of Prahlad's father Hiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyapa, who conquered all the three worlds, was full of pride and believed that he could conquer even Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap ordered that no one should worship Vishnu and that everyone in the three worlds should worship him. But he could not intimidate his five-year-old son Prahlad alone. Prahlad was a perfect believer in God. Devotee of Vishnu. Prahlad disobeyed his father's orders and continued to worship Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap then ordered the execution of Prahlad. But by the power of Vishnu no one could do anything to him.
Finally, Hiranyakashyap requested the help of his sister Holiga. Holiga was gifted with the gift of not being burned at the stake by the fire god. They took Prahlad in their hands and went down into the fire. But they did not realize that the gift would have power only if it had been set on fire alone. By the grace of Vishnu, Prahlad escaped unscathed. Holiga was burned at the stake. Hiranyakashyap was later killed by Narasimha, an incarnation of Vishnu. There is a burning ceremony associated with Holi to celebrate the victory of good over evil. The ceremony was held on the eve of Holi
Sacrifice of Cupid
There is another story of Holi related to Lord Shiva. Sati was the wife of Shiva, the daughter of Daksha, the son of Brahma. Once, Dakshan performed a great sacrifice in his palace. But her daughter and husband Shiva were not informed about the sacrifice. After hearing about the sacrifice taking place in his father's palace, Sati came to the shrine without the permission of Lord Shiva. But Sati felt that she was insulting her husband there. Sati jumped into the fire and died, as she was humiliated when she reached the shrine without the permission of Lord Shiva. Knowing this, Lord Shiva became angry and sent his demons to destroy the entire altar.
Yet the anger did not subside and Lord Shiva began severe penance. Realizing that the world itself would be destroyed by the power of tapas, the gods approached Kama and asked him to stop Shiva's tapas. Sati's reborn Parvati was taking care of Lord Shiva to please him. When he reached the place where Lord Shiva's penance was taking place, he hid and touched Lord Kama's Kama. An angry Shiva opened his eyes and burned Cupid to ashes. Later, Lord Shiva misunderstood and gave immortality to Cupid. There are many rituals of Holi in memory of Cupid who dedicated his life for the salvation of the world.
Radha-Krishna romance
Another Holi story is about Krishna and Radha, the goddess Ambati. The boy Krishnan asked his foster mother Yashoda how he got the color of the cloud alone. Krishna wanted to know why Radha and the other gopas were white beauties. Yashoda told Krishna a trick. It was about mixing Krishna's favorite colors on Radha's body. Krishna did so. It is believed that the scattering of colors on Holi is related to this story of Krishna.
Madanotsavam
Over time, the festival began to be celebrated in the form of Madanotsava. People from villages and towns gather at one place to perform Kama Deva Pooja. After the pooja, everyone enjoys each other through music, dance and games. The females spray colored water on the outside of the males through a syringe, and the males spray a multi-colored powder on the cheeks of the females. The dancers dance in the costumes of Krishna and Gopis.
Holi Dishes
Gujia is a traditional dessert commonly made during the Holi festival. Thandai is a drink. In every house, housewives prepare Gujia, Thandai and other similar dishes.
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