Holi, one of the very important Hindu festivals, is a lively fiesta that is often associated with India. This is one of the very important festival of Hindus, some are Diwali and Rakshabandhan. Holi celebrates the spirit of life which is happiness and merriment. This festival is about to let go of what has happened and enjoy life with friends and family. Liveliness of spring takes its heights, when the colors and flowers swathe the courtyards and streets across the country. This is a colorful festival celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm all over northern India. The most famous Holi is played in Vrindavan-Mathura region in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Holi is a festival usually celebrated after winters in the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu calendar, 'Holi' is the Thanksgiving feast of India, where people can offer "hola" or prayer to the Almighty for good harvest and an abundant season. Holi has a theme of universal brotherhood and the sacred bonfires that are burned on the previous night to remind us of the value of genuine faith and devotion to God. The romantic teasing of young hearts to remind us of the love of pranks of Radha and Krishna. Holi is one of the noisiest festivals celebrated with full of zeal and enthusiasm.
Mythology of Holi (Hindu)
The legend commemorated by the festival Holi involves an evil king named Hiranyakashipu. He forbade his son Prahlad from the worship of Vishnu, but Radhu continued to offer prayers to God. Getting angry with his son, Hiranyakashipu challenged Prahlad to sit on a bonfire with his wicked aunt Holika who was thought to be immune to fire. (In an alternate version, put herself and Prahlad Holika at the stake on the orders of his brother). Prahlad accepted the challenge and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as Holika burned to death, while Prahlad survived without a scar to show for it. Burning Holika is celebrated as Holi. According to some accounts, Holika begged Prahlad for forgiveness before her demise, and he decreed that she would be remembered every year on Holi.
Festival of Holi is also associated with the persistent love between Lord Krishna (an incarnation of Vishnu) and Radha and Krishna in general. According to legend, the young Krishna complained to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply color on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change. Because of this associated with Krishna, Holi is extended over a longer period in Vrindavan and Mathura, two cities which Krishna is closely affiliated.K Krishna devotees find anywhere special meaning of joy, as general frivolity is considered to be in imitation of Krishna playing with Gopis (wives and daughters of cow-keeper).
Holi rituals and customs
Holi is spread over 2 days (it used to be five, and in some places it is longer). The whole holiday is associated with a loosening of social restrictions normally associated with caste, gender, status and age. Holi thus bridges social gaps and brings people together: Employees and employers, men and women, rich and poor, young and old. Holi is also characterized by the relaxation of social standards of polite behavior and the resulting general atmosphere of licentious festivities and obscene language and behavior . A common saying heard during Holi is “Bura after mano, Holi hai” (do not feel offended , it's Holi ).
On the evening of the first day of Holi is a public bonfire held to commemorate the burning of Holika. Traditional Hindu boys spend the weeks prior to Holi combing the neighborhood for any waste wood they can find the fire. The fire is lit sometime between 10 pm and midnight (at the rise of the moon), generally not in an orderly manner. Everybody gathers in the street for the event, and the air rings with shouts, whistles, curses and general mayhem.
The central ritual of Holi is the throwing and applying of colored water and powders on friends and family, making the holiday its common name "Festival of Colors." "This ritual is said to be based on the above story of Krishna and Radha, and playfully splashed Krishnas of the girls with water, but also celebrates the arrival of spring with its beautiful colors and vibrant life.
In Bengal, Holi is the Dolayatra (Swing Festival), where images of gods are placed on specially decorated platforms and trailers swinging replace them. In the meantime, women dance around and sing special songs as men spray colored water on them.
