Festival Of Colors In India
The Holi Festival of Colors in India is a celebration of the victory of good over
evil, the destruction of the demoness Holika. It is celebrated every year on the
day after the full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna which is early March.
People celebrate the start of spring and other events in the Hindu religion;
they march the streets and spray people with colored powders while dancing
and singing.
Holi Festival India Historical Background
Although it is a Hindu festival, it is popular among non-Hindus. People gather
the night before Holi and perform religious rituals and then pray for the
destruction of their internal evil. The next morning people start the real
carnival traditions and smear each other with colored powders; they
sometimes use water guns and water-filled balloons for more fun. Groups of
people march the streets with drums and other instruments, singing and
dancing. People also gather with their families and friends to color each other
and share Holi delicacies.
The event lasts for a night and day, from the evening of the full moon
(Purnima). Holika Dahan, the burning demon Holika, is the first evening of the
event. On this night, people gather, perform religious rituals on a bonfire and
pray that the evil inside them is destroyed the way Holika was killed in the
fire.
The Original Story behind the Holi of Colors
The festival of Colors is celebrated all over India since ancient times.
Originally, the festival was an agricultural festival, celebrating the arrival of
spring. It represents throwing off the gloom of winter and enjoying the
liveliness of spring. The legend associated with the festival involves an evil
king called Hiranyakashipu. He forbade his son from worshipping Vishnu.
However, Radhu proceeded offering prayers to the gods. Hiranyakashipu
challenged Prahlad to sit on a pyre with his aunt Holika who was to be
immune to fire. When the fire started, Holika was burnt to death whereas
Prahlad survived without a scar. Burning Holika is celebrated as Holi.
The morning after also known as Rangwali Holi is where people smear each
other with colors and enjoy delicious gujiyas together, sharing the love. Water
guns and water-filled balloons are also a part of the celebrations, making
every moment of the event memorable.
The Legend of Holi
The Festival is based on the Hindu legend Holika, the female demon and the
sister of the demon Hiranyakashayap. It is believed that Hiranyakashayap was
the ruler of the universe and also superior to all gods. However,
Hiranyakashayap'sHiranyakashayap's son Prahlad went against his mother by
following Lord Vishnu. This action left his father with no choice but to
collaborate with Holika to kill him.
Prahlad escaped his fate with the saving hand of Vishnu while Holka died in
the flames. But later on, Vishnu killed Prahlad and his mother and became
King. The moral behind the story is that good always wins over evil.
The name festival of colors came from Lord Krishna's childhood antics. Lord
Krishna was a reincarnation of the Lord Vishnu, who enjoyed playing pranks
on girls from the village by drenching them in water and smearing them with
colors.
There are other Hindu Traditions that are linked to this legend. For instance,
Shaivism and Shaktism, where goddess Parvati awaits to bring back Shiva
into the world while seeking help from the Hindu god of love Kamadeva and
Vasant Panchami. However, the god of love shoots arrows at Shiva. This
causes yogi to open his third eye and burn the Kama to ashes. The results of
yogi'syogi's actions not only upset Rati Kama's wife but Parvati as well. Rati
asks for forgiveness from Shiva. Finally, Shiva decides to forgive and restore
the god of love, and on this day, Hindu celebrate it as Holi.
The significance of Holi
The Holi has a huge cultural significance in Hindu Culture. It opens a new
beginning from past error, serving as the end of the conflict, and also a day
when people forget and forgive. In most cases, people pay their debt and also
forgive debts embracing new deals in their lives.
