Holi

Holi

Winter is long gone and spring is setting in. Birds are chirping and flowers are in full bloom. And the nation is getting ready to celebrate it with a splash of colours. Yes! This is Holi! The festival of many colours. Hindus, and in fact all Indians across the country await this day eagerly. It is a day of fun, adventure and laughter. It is a day to let down their hair and forget about social rules and regulations. As a matter of fact, Holi is celebrated over two days. On the first day, people gather together and light bonfires. But on the second day, all the merriment actually begins. Young and old people gather in the streets, splashing each other with coloured water. It does not just end here though. A special drink called “Thandai” or “Bhang” made from the extracts of the cannabis plant is consumed as well. People invite friends and relatives to their homes and the fun and entertainment often go on long till late night. But what is this celebration about? Is it just a celebration to mark the onset of spring? Or is there more to it?

Well, the answer is definitely more. There are many lores and myths as to why people celebrate this festival. According to Hindu mythology, Holi originated from the burning of Holika, who was the wicked sister of Hiranyakashipu, the king of demons. Hiranyakashipu and Holika both had special powers.

Hiranyakashipu was invincible and no one could kill him, while his wicked sister possessed a special shawl that prevented her from getting burnt. Together these two demons wrecked havoc on the earth. Hiranyakashipu had a son called Prahlad. The son was the complete opposite of his father. Prahlad was a sincere devotee of Lord Vishnu. This infuriated Hiranyakashipu and he tried to kill Prahlad many times. But all his attempts went in vain as Lord Vishnu protected the boy.

In a final desperate attempt, Hiranyakashipu sought the help of his sister, Holika. Together they decided to burn Prahlad. It was agreed that Holika would sit on the pyre with Prahlad in her lap so that the boy couldn't escape. Hearing this, Prahlad prayed to Lord Vishnu to save him from his evil aunt.

And so when Holika, wrapped in her special shawl, dragged Prahlad to the burning pyre, the shawl flew from her and enveloped the boy safely as he stood amid the dancing flames. And the evil Holika was burnt to ashes completely! This is why on the first day of Holi people light bonfires. Representing the burning of all evil spirits and the triumph of good over evil.

The second day, the more colourful side of Holi is linked to another legend involving Lord Krishna. In his childhood, Lord Krishna was a very mischievous boy. He was always playing some prank or the other on the maids in his village.

His favourite game was to splash coloured water on the girls. In the beginning, the girls were angry but their anger did not last too long with this mischievous little boy. Soon, they too joined in the fun of splashing water and colour on each other, and thus it became a sport in his village. In the later years, when Lord Krishna was courting the young and beautiful Radha, he complained to his mother that he was quite dark and Radha, his love, was fair of skin.

His mother advised him to rub coloured powder on Radha's face and then watch the change in her colour. And so Krishna going along with his mother's advise did just that!

And so today, when people celebrate Holi, they do it with colours in remembrance of Lord Krishna and his endearing pranks -

Holi is unlike any other festival celebrated in India. It is not a sombre occasion or a very religious one either.

Unlike the other festivals, there is no veneration of a particular deity. And therefore, although Holi is a Hindu festival, today in modern India it has gained popularity among all religions.

It has become a celebration of joy, of triumph of good over evil and of enjoying life at its fullest. Holi is indeed holy and it springs in spring when all the earth is bursting with vibrant colours and richness. Indeed, this is the time to celebrate life in all its splendid colours.