Holy - A Colour Festival

                                                              Holy - A Colour Festival


Holi is a festival of colors, celebrated primarily in India. The festival falls on the last full moon day of Falgun according to Hindu calendar. It is celebrated sometime in the month of March, usually in the latter half of the month. According to mythology, the festival is celebrates the killing Holika, the sister of Hrinyakashyapu. The festival also holds significance with respect to end of winter season and the onset of summer season.
It is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm as it brings feeling of love and closeness among people. Colourful colours are spread out by the people over each other. At this day we meet each other, handshake, hug and apply abeer on the forehead to each other. We sing religious songs (or Fagua geet) with musical instruments like Dholak, Kirtal, etc. At this special day we eat special things like gujhiya, sweets, chips, papad, halwa, pani puri, dahi bade, etc. A day before the colourful holi, Holika Dahan takes place.

HOLI is a spiritual event originating in India which is generally held in early spring and signifies new life, growth and new beginnings. Holi, therefore, reminds us to colour our life with love, faith, and a generous spirit. It calls us to give and receive. And best of all, it’s just great fun! We get lost in colour, forget about our usual identity, and experience life — and each other — from a whole new perspective.

Holi is known as the festival of colors, and the colors overcome the barriers of language and convey true feelings. The colors also convey a message. Green: Compassion and understanding and a symbol of prosperity. Yellow: Optimism. It is also regarded as an auspicious color. The color Yellow is associated with Mother Earth. Red: The color of fire, the source of energy and security. Blue: Loyalty and trust. Pink: Love and compassion
Celebrations
As nature blooms in a celebration of color, the people of India join the celebration with the festival of Holi, one of the most vibrant festivals in the Hindu calendar. People celebrate this festival of colors joyously with friends and relatives, rubbing gulal and throwing colored water on each other. On this day, people come out wearing pure white clothes and gather together in a common place where they play Holi with gay abandon. The magic of playing with color, which begins early in the morning, continues through the day. Traditional delicacies are prepared in advance and served while playing Holi. Families, friends, and neighbors get together to enjoy this festival of colors. The spring air is still cool, the water cold, but revelers make a special punch of an intoxicant called bhang, which is mixed in milk, to add to the festivities.
Rituals
The Holi celebrations match the mood of the nature and the riot of colors matches the flowers in full bloom. Earlier, the colored powders used for playing Holi used to be made from flowers, roots and herbs that worked as softener for the winter-dried skin but now synthetic ingredients are used for the purpose. The bonfire lit on the eve of Holi is said to cleanse the surrounding atmosphere. Special sweets called gujia are made which are very popular. Even though Holi is celebrated differently in different parts of the country, the essential message is the same-victory of good over evil.
In Mathura, the birthplace of Lord Krishna, this day is celebrated with special puja and the traditional custom of worshipping Lord Krishna. Later the usual celebrations take place and pilgrims from all over the country and abroad take part in the celebrations.The breaking of the Matki, an earthen pot, is also an important part of the celebration especially in the northern part of the country.

The festival has many purposes; most prominently, it celebrates the beginning of Spring. In 17th century literature, it was identified as a festival that celebrated agriculture, commemorated good spring harvests and the fertile land. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colours and saying farewell to winter. To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark the beginning of the new year as well as an occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships, end conflicts and rid themselves of accumulated emotional impurities from the past.
It also has a religious purpose, symbolically signified by the legend of Holika. The night before Holi, bonfires are lit in a ceremony known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Little Holi. People gather near fires, sing and dance. The next day, Holi, also known as Dhuli in Sanskrit, or Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated. Children and youth spray coloured powder solutions (gulal) at each other, laugh and celebrate, while adults smear dry coloured powder (abir) on each other's faces. Visitors to homes are first teased with colours, then served with Holi delicacies, desserts and drinks. After playing with colours, and cleaning up, people bathe, put on clean clothes, and visit friends and family


Significance of the Holi Festival:-

There is a great reason behind celebrating the holi festival by the people of Hindu religion. In Vaishnavism, there was a famous demon king named, Hiranyakashyap. He was very strong demon and did a hard ‘Tap’ in order to make happy to Lord Brahma for granting a boon. He was successful in doing so and made sure from the Lord Brahma that he will never be killed by any man, woman or animal, not by astra or shastra, not in a day or night, not inside or outside, not on the earth or in the sky and many more. Lord Brahma was very happy with his hard ‘Tap’ and had given him such type of boon. By getting such a boon, he became very powerful in the whole universe and won the Heaven as well as Earth. He ordered the human beings to stop worshipping Gods otherwise he will kill them. He forced people to start worshipping only him, as he was the only God (according to him).
He had a son, named Prahlada, a devotee of the Lord Vishnu. By seeing the worship of the Prahlad towards Lord Vishnu, Hiranyakashyap became very angry and forced him to not to worship the Lord Vishnu and worship his own father. Prahlad was very daring boy, he never frightened with his father and continued worshipping the Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap had started puzzling his son by poisoning, trampling with elephant, keeping him hungry, biting with the poisonous snake, frying him in the boiled oil, but Prahlada was remained unscratched of those. All the attempts of the Hiranyakashyap were being failed and he became angrier than before.
At last, he ordered his demoness sister named ‘Holika’ to sit in the fire by having Prahlad in her lap. She was booned by the Lord that she will never get damaged from the fire. So, she did what she had ordered by his brother, Hiranyakashyap. Prahlada was continued worshipping the Lord Vishnu even sitting in the fire in the lap of the Holika. How embarrassing that event was, but there happened an amazing scene. Prahlad was completely unharmed by the fire but Hiolika got died by burning with the fire. That day, means the liberation of the Prahlad and fiery of the Holika, is renowned as the Holi festival every year.

After all, Hiranyakashyap was killed by the Narasimha (considered as the embodiment of the Lord Vishnu, not a man or animal) by His nails (not by astra or shastra), at the chaukhat (not inside or outside, not in the sky or earth), in the Godhuli time (not in a day or night).

There is another reason also to celebrate holi in the Hinduism. Mathura, the birth place of the Lord Krishna where he grew up and met with the Radha. The holi festival is enjoyed by the Mathuravasi for 16 days till Rangpanchmi (the fifth full moon day after Panchami) to commemorate the great love of the Radha and Krishna.

Some also celebrate the death of evil minded Pootana. The ogress tried to Lord Krishna as an infant by feeding it poisonous milk while executing the plan of Kansa, Krishna's devil uncle. However, Krishna sucked her blood and brought her end. Some who view the origin of festivals from seasonal cycles believe that Pootana represents winter and her death the cessation and end of winter.
In South India, people worship Kaamadeva- the god of love and passion for his extreme sacrifice. According to a legend, Kaamadeva shot his powerful love arrow on Lord Shiva to revoke his interest in the worldly affairs in the interest of the earth. However, Lord Shiva was enraged as he was in deep mediation and opened his third eye which reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. Though, later on the request of Rati, Kaamadeva's wife, Shiva was pleased to restore him back.

Some more reasons are:-

◾Holi is celebrated to enjoy the occurrence of the new season.
◾Holi is celebrated to enjoy the new harvests as well as the fertile land.
◾People welcome spring season with the colors and say goodbye to the winter.

Holi Songs:-

Holi lowers are generally used to of the holi songs at least 15 days before and 15 days after the main date of the holi. At the day of holi, there is no gap between any age, status, gender as well as caste. Everybody enjoy holi without any strictness and the whole environment become fill with the great enthusiasm, fun and joy. People apply abir to each other on the forehead. Youngers take ashirvaad from the elders.
People, in the Barsana, Uttar Pradesh play a most famous and unique type of holi known as the lath mar holi in a very big compound of the Radha Rani temple. There is a special process in the lath mar holi, men are beaten by the women through sticks and women sing the holi songs as well as shout Sri Radhey or Sri Krishna in between the song. This event takes place in front of the thousands of witness.
People in Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate holi in very traditional custom specially by worshipping the Lord Krishna. They enjoy holi for sixteen days. A Ganga mela and holi mela takes place in Kanpur at the occasion of holi. Holi Milan event performed at the evening of holi in which a group of people visit house of their friends in order to put across their thankfulness by applying abir.
There is a variety of holi with different names which are played in many areas of India. Some of are:
◾Kumauni holi
◾Baithki holi or Nirvan Ki holi
◾Khari holi
◾Mahila holi

Vasanta Utsava:-

 The festival of Holi is closely associated with the ancient festival called Vasantotsava or Spring rites, since it bears close similarities with the important an age-old tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring. Vasanta Utsav is the celebration of the arrival of spring as it brings with it new life.
After a day of play with colours, people clean up, wash and bathe, sober up and dress up in the evening and greet friends and relatives by visiting them and exchanging sweets. Holi is also a festival of forgiveness and new starts, which ritually aims to generate harmony in the society.
When is Holi
 The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. In India the Spring Festival is called Holi the festival of colors. Celebrated in March or April according to the Hindu calendar. The festival mainly started to welcome the Spring season and win the blessings of Gods for good

Holi in India :-

Holi is famous as Basant Utsav in rural India. It is one of the major festivals in India and is celebrated with extreme enthusiasm and joy. Gulal, abeer and pichkaris are synonymous with the festival. Elaborate plans are made to color the loved ones. Everybody wants to be the first one to color the other. In the ensuing battle of colors, everybody is drowned not just in colors of gulal but also in love and mirth. People love to drench others and themselves in colored water. Gujiyas and other sweets are offered to everyone who comes across to color.
Temples are beautifully decorated at the time of Holi. Idol of Radha is placed on swings and devotees turn the swings singing devotional Holi songs. Now-a-days small plays are organized reflecting the spirit of the festival.
What is remarkably same across the country is the spirit of Holi. Fun, frolic, boisterousness to the extent of buffoonery marks this festival of colors. What more can be expected- when the people get a social sanction to get intoxicated on the bhang, open not just their hearts' out but also their lungs. And viola, nobody is expected to take offense too, as the norm of the day is, 'Bura na mano Holi hai'.

There are many places to observe Holi in India. Since India is such a large country, each city has different cultures and unique ways to observe the Festival of Colors.

•Holi in Malthura is quite different from the festival in other areas of India. The festival in this area begins 40 days before the official start of Holi. This is an ideal location to visit for travelers who are interested in experiencing traditional Holi celebrations. It is believed that Lord Krishna was born in Malthura, so this area is very important to devout Hindus.
•Shantiniketan is suitable for people who would like to learn local dances and participate in cultural events. Since this area has a very active tourism bureau, it attracts many foreigners.
•The Holi celebrations in Peruli are oriented around a folk festival that showcases the traditional arts and music of the area. Since Peruli is a rural location, its festival is completely different from the large Holi celebrations in major Indian cities.
•The Sikh population in Anandpur Sahib celebrate Holi in their own ways. Instead of throwing colors, the people of this area have extravagant martial arts performance and competitions. Wrestling tournaments and acrobatic exhibitions are both common in this area of India.
•For travelers in search of exotic Holi celebrations, Jaipur is a great place to visit. The Festival of Color in this city is centered around elephants and upbeat music.
•Delhi is one of the best places to experience a modern Holi celebration. Festival-goers in Delhi can enjoy the most popular activities, music, and food.
Holi is a vibrant festival that gives Indians the opportunity to participate in fun activities with their friends and family members.
The festivities of Holi begin close to midnight on the night before Holi with bonfires being lit. Prior to the bonfires, it is traditionally the job of men and boys to collect fallen wood and leaves to burn in the bonfires as a part of the symbol of the end of winter. Some of this tradition is changing today with forest trees unfortunately being cut down for burning.

Holi in Andhra Pradesh:-

 Though the celebrations of Holi in South India are not as grand as compared to that in North India. Yet, what is particularly noticeable in Andhra Pradesh as in other Dravidian states is the heightened feeling of communal harmony... more

Holi in Bengal:-

 Their is a particular elan in the way Holi is celebrated in the state of Bengal. The panache is added by the presence of the rich Bengal culture and the existence of Shantiniketan.

Holi in Bhil Tribes of North West India:-

 The Bhils in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have their own special way to mark the festival. It is interesting to note that these tribes have retailed many of their pre-Hindu customs.

Holi in Barsana:-

 Holi of Barsana -a village, 42 kms away from Mathura, UP and the birthplace of Radha is of particular interest. Here, men from Nandgaon-the land of Krishna come to play Holi with the girls of Barsana.

Holi in Bihar:-

 The Holi is celebrated with the same fervour and charm in this state as in rest of north India. Here too, the legend of Holika is prevalent. On the eve of Phalgun Poornima, Biharis light bonfires.

Holi in Delhi:-

 Delhi being the capital and the heart of India, celebrates Holi with extreme enthusiasm - even to the extent of boisterousness.

Holi in Goa:-

 Being a metro city, an amalgamation of cultures and traditions can be witnessed here.
Holi in Goa
 The energetic people of Goa do not lag behind the rest of the country when it comes to Holi celebrations. The festival of spring is called Shigmo in Goa. The festival is celebrated mostly by the masses following all religious traditions.

Holi in Gujarat:-

 The vibrant Gujarat reverberates with the chants of the folk song-'Govinda ala re, zara matki sambhal Brijbala..'. People, specially the youth of the state are high on the spirit of the festival.

Holi in Haryana:-

 Holi assumes an entirely new colour in this state and gets its new name, 'Dulandi Holi'.

Holi in Himachal Pradesh:-

 This festival is celebrated in much the same way as rest of North India. They light bonfires-fires called Holika which is symbolic of victory of good over evil.

Holi in Madhya Pradesh:-

 Revelry is no less in this state and same level of enthusiasm can be witness amongst the citizens of this state as in the rest of North.

Tips: Before playing Holi:-

Body :-

It’s also a good idea to apply a thick layer of moisturizer, petroleum jelly or coconut oil on your face and other exposed parts of the body to prevent colours from coming into direct contact with your skin.

Hair:-

 Oil your hair and scalp with olive, coconut or castor oil. Add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent dandruff and infection triggered by the chemical colours.

Clothing:-

 What you choose to wear should cover maximum parts of your body. Wear dark colour-full sleeves cotton clothes. Synthetic cloth would be sticky and denims would be heavy once you have a bucket full of colours/water splashed on you.

Lips and Eyes:-

 Don’t wear lenses. Mostly people are interested in applying surprise colours on your face and you may get your eyes hurt by the lenses. Use a sun glass to protect your eyes from a misfire of colour filled darts or water jets. Apply a lip balm for your lips.

Water:-

 Drink plenty of water before you start playing Holi. This will keep your skin hydrated. Also keep sipping water carefully while playing Holi.

Bhang/Alcohol:-

 Don’t consume bhang if you are a heart patient, excessive intake may lead to heart attack/failure.

Tips: After playing Holi:-

•Do not scrub the colour off with soap. Soaps contain esters that erode the skin layers and often cause rashes. Use a cream-based cleanser or you can even use oil for removing the colours, and then go for a bath. Apply a lot of moisturising cream to keep the skin hydrated.

•If the colours are still left on your skin you can apply besan with milk/milk cream on your body for removing colours.

•Don’t use kerosene, spirit or petrol to clean your face. Try a cream-based cleanser or baby oil.

•Don’t use hot water, it will stick the colour on your body. Use normal water.

•Stay away from sunlight till colour is removed.

•Itching in eye or redness may be normal but if it continues for more than few hours immediately contact with a doctor.

Plant based sources of colours:-

Colour	Sources
Green	Mehendi and dried leaves of Gulmohur tree, leaves of spring crops and herbs, Spinach leaves, rhododendron leaves and pine needles
Yellow	Turmeric (Haldi) powder, Bael fruit, amaltas, species of chrysanthemums, and species of marigold, dandelions, sunflowers, marigolds, daffodils and dahlias, gram flour
Red	Rose or the bark of crab apple trees, Red Sandal wood Powder, feels of Red Pomegranate, flowers of Tesu tree (Palash), fragrant red sandal wood, dried hibiscus flowers, madder tree, radish and pomegranate
Saffron	flowers of Tesu tree (Palash), Mixing lime with turmeric powder creates an alternate source of orange powder, barberry
Blue	Indigo, Indian berries, species of grapes, blue hibiscus and jacaranda flowers
Purple	Beetroot
Brown	Dried Tea leaves, red maple trees, Katha
Black	Some species of grapes, fruit of Gooseberry (Amla)