Holi, a Hindu water festival celebrated in northern India on the full moon day of Phalguna (February-March). The participants throw colored water and powder on each other and, on this day only, permission is given for classification of caste, gender, rank and age to be rotated.
In the streets, the ceremony is often characterized by ribald language and behavior, but at their conclusion, when everyone washes, wears clean white clothes and visits friends, teachers and relatives, a repeating the model of society in order.
Holi festival in India marks the arrival of spring, the end of winter, forgetting and forgiveness and helps rebuild broken relationships. Holi begins on the evening of Purnima (full moon day) and Vikram Samvat (i.e. the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna).
The festival is celebrated in two ways, Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi and Dhuleti, Dhulandi or Phagwah. The festival begins the day before Holi with Holika Dahan where religious ceremonies take place in front of bonfires.
According to tradition, ‘Holika Dahan’ is celebrated on the first night of Holi. In all countries, people light fires by throwing corn, coconut, wood into them. This festival symbolizes the death of Holika, and therefore the victory of good over evil.
There are legends associated with celebrating the Holi holiday. One of the most famous legends is the story of King Hiranyakashipu, his son Prahalad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, and his aunt the demon Holika. According to Indian mythology, Hiranyakashipu attained the boon of not being able to kill humans or animals.
Therefore, he forced people to worship him. When Hiranyakashipu’s son became a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship him, he asked his sister Holika to kill him by sitting on top of a pyre while wearing fire retardant clothes.
Prahlad, on the other hand, prayed to Lord Vishnu for his protection, invoking the storm that carried Holika’s egg to him. Therefore, Holika Dahan is celebrated a day before Holi to commemorate the victory of good over evil.
Another famous story related to the festival is the story of Lord Krishna and Radha. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna has a dark complexion, while Radha has a very fair complexion. Krishna wonders if Radha will accept him because of their different colors and complains to his mother Yashoda.
Yashoda once joked that Krishna should have painted Radha’s face to cover any differences. Krishna took his mother’s advice and smeared gulal on Radha’s face. This is how people started celebrating Holi. Holi is also celebrated as a harvest festival, marking the arrival of spring and the end of winter.
Holi was one of the oldest celebrations that he could begin to centuries before Christ’s birthday. Depending on this, HOO is mentioned in the old age as, Putvamimamams-Sutvamimams-Sutvas of Jaimani in Kathaka – Suthaya. Even temples in ancient India have Holi paintings on the walls.
One of them is the 16th century temple in Hampi, the capital city of Vijayanagar. The temple has many holi scenes sculpted on its walls showing princes and princesses as well as their maids holding Pichkaris to spark the water on the Royals.
Many medieval paintings such as a paint by Ahmednagar from the 16th century, Mewar painting (around 1755), Bundi Miniature depicts all celebrations in one way or another
This festival always takes place in the space between winter and spring, when the world begins to wake up and the colors return to nature after a long sleep. That is why throwing powder, coloring water to make people happy is the main part of the festival.
The festival begins with Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi, which takes place after sunset on the evening of Holi. On this day, people light fires and perform puja, or prayers, dancing and singing around.
The second day is where the real fun begins for many. On this day, known as Rangwali Holi, Dhulandi, Dhulandi, Phagwah or Badi Holi, people (especially children) throw gunpowder at each other, shoot each other with water guns filled with paint water and launch water balloons with powder and water inside.
The temples are decorated with bright colors, people sing, play, dance and make pieces dedicated to the spirit of the festival. Many people share sweets with family and friends or take time to spend with loved ones, as in most holidays. Although traditions vary from region to region of the world, since Holi is celebrated everywhere, it is usually a fun, loud and fun time.
Speaking of channeling Bollywood, don’t forget to stock up on Holi colors. Avoid water fights and choose colors that will be gentle on your skin. In this way, you can increase the taste while reducing the damage to the environment. After all, party days don’t have to involve losing a lot of water.
Holi is also a time when people eat delicious traditional food. Some of the popular dishes include gujiya, mathri, dahi bhalla, thandai and bhang. These dishes are an important part of Holi celebrations and are prepared in every home.
India has a delicious food offering for every festival. The Festival of Colors is no exception. From malpua to kachori, there are so many things to look forward to it will be difficult to choose. If you have to start with something, maybe the gujiyas are almost synonymous with the festival itself.
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