Holi, known as the ‘festival
of colors’ is celebrated on the full moon day falling in the month of Phalguna
(Feb-Mar). Various colors and water are thrown on each other, amidst loud
music, drums etc to celebrate Holi. Like many other festivals in India, Holi
also signifies a victory of good over evil. As per ancient mythology, there is
a legend of King Hiranyakashipu with who Holi is associated.
History
of Holi
Hiranyakashipu was a king in ancient
India who was like a demon. He wanted to take revenge for the death of his
younger brother who was killed by Lord Vishnu. So to gain power, the king
prayed for years.
He was finally granted a boon. But with this
Hiranyakashipu started considering himself God and asked his people to
worship him like God. The cruel king has a young son named Prahalad, who was a
great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Prahalad had never obeyed his father’s order and
kept on worshiping Lord Vishnu. The King was so hard hearted and
decided to kill his own son, because he refused to worship him. He asked his
sister ‘Holika’, who was immune to fire, to sit on a pyre of fire with Prahalad
in her lap. Their plan was to burn Prahalad. But their plan did not go through
as Prahalad who was reciting the name of Lord Vishnu throughout was safe, but
Holika got burnt to ashes. The defeat of Holika signifies the burning of all
that is bad. After this, Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyakashipu. But it is actually
the death of Holika that is associated with Holi. Because of this, in some
states of India like Bihar , a pyre in the form of bonfire is lit on the day
before Holi day to remember the death of evil.
But how did colors become part of
Holi? This dates back to the period of Lord Krishna (reincarnation of
Lord Vishnu . It is believed that Lord Krishna used to celebrate holi
with colors and hence popularized the same. He used to play holi with his
friends at Vrindavan and Gokul. They used to play pranks all across the village
and thus made this a community event. That is why till date Holi celebrations
at Vrindavan are unmatched.
Holi is a spring festival to say
goodbye to winters. In some parts the celebrations are also associated with
spring harvest. Farmers after seeing their stores being refilled with new crops
celebrate Holi as a part of their happiness. Because of this, Holi is also
known as ‘Vasant Mahotsava’ and ‘Kama Mahotsava’.
Holi is
an ancient festival
Holi is one
of the oldest Hindu festivals and it had probably started several centuries
before the birth of Christ. Based of this is, Holi is mention in ancient
religious books like, Jaimini’s Purvamimamsa-Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutra.
Even the
temples of ancient India have sculptures of Holi on walls. One of this is a
temple from the 16th century in Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagar. The temple
has many scenes from Holi sculpted on its walls showing princes and princesses
along with their maids holding pichkaris to squirt water on royals.
Many
medieval paintings such as a 16th century Ahmednagar painting, Mewar painting
(circa 1755), Bundi miniature all depicts Holi celebrations in one way or the
other.
Holi
colors
Earlier,
Holi colors used to be made from flowers of ‘tesu’ or ‘palash’ tree and known
as gulal. The colors used to be very good for skin as no chemicals were used to
make these. But amidst of all definitions of festivals, the definition of
colors for sure have changed with time. Today people have started using harsh
colors made from chemicals. Even fast colors are used to play Holi, which are
bad and that is why many people avoid celebrating this festival. We should
enjoy this age old festival with the true spirit of festivity.
Holi
celebrations
Also, Holi
is not a one day festival as celebrated in most of the states in India, but it
is celebrated for three days.
Day 1 – On full moon day (Holi Purnima) colored powder
and water are arranged in small brass pots on a thali. The celebration begins
with the eldest male member who sprinkles color on the members of his family.
Day 2- This is also known as ‘Puno’. On this day
Holika’s images are burnt and people even light bonfires to remember the story
of Holika and Prahalad. Mothers with their babies take five rounds of the bon-
fire in a clockwise direction to seek the blessing of the God of fire.
Day 3- This day is known as ‘Parva’ and this is the
last and final day of Holi celebrations. On this day colored powder and water is
poured on each other.The deities of Radha and Krishna
are worshipped and smeared with colors
Daub in
Colours with the famous “Lath Mar” Holi Festival in Mathura!
India is a country of boundless customs and
traditions that form the cultural backbone of the nation. As Holi is just round
the corner, there is one such tradition that struck my mind. As amusing and
playful as it sounds, it is the tradition of “Lath Mar Holi”, which is
mirthfully followed in the town of Barsana near Mathura. Barsana is the village
of Radha Rani and the only place in India which has her temple. For Mathura and
Vrindavan, Holi is one of the most important festivals.
Every big and small tradition in India has its own story of inception.
The unusual custom of the “Lath Mar Holi” also has a story attached. Legend has
it that on visiting his beloved on this day, Lord Krishna had playfully teased
Radha Rani and her friends. Having taken offence at this, the women chased him
away. Since then, this ritual has been candidly followed by the people of Lord
Krishna’s village Nandgaon. Men from Nandgaon visit Barsana to play holi with
the women of that village and the women are supposed to chase them away with
sticks.
Mathura and Vrindavan are the quintessence of the festival of Holi,
which marks the end of winters and the outset of the spring season. The
jubilation experienced in these places during the festival is incomparable. The
grand celebration attracts people from all over the country, making it one of
the most important festivals of India. The vibrant picture of thousands of
people daubed in vivid colours, blissfully dancing and singing in joy, is
something worth experiencing yourself!
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