WHY WE CELEBRATE HOLI ?

-

Why do we celebrate Holi? Do you know the legend behind this festival of colours?


Image for representational purposes only
Image for representational purposes only. Photo: Reuters
From smearing each other with colours to enjoying a plate of delicious gujiyas together, the festival of Holi ushers in a carnivalesque mood among people of all age groups, every year.
While the main festival of colours is officially due in a couple of days, a lot of people in the country have already started indulging in merrymaking.
Most of us observe Holi every year, but do you know why we actually celebrate it?
An ancient Hindu festival, which later became popular among non-Hindu communities as well, Holi heralds the arrival of spring after winter. It signifies the victory of good over evil and is celebrated as a day of spreading happiness and love. The festival is also celebrated as thanksgiving for good harvest.
The legend
According to Bhagvata Purana, King Hiranyakashipu--the king of demonic Asuras, who could neither be killed by a man or an animal--grew arrogant and demanded that everybody should worship him as god.
Photo: Reuters
The king's son, Prahlada, disagreed and chose to remain devoted to Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was infuriated and subjected his son to cruel punishments. Finally, Holika, the king's sister, tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her. While Holika protected herself with a cloak, Prahlada remained exposed. As the fire blazed, the cloak flew from Holika's body and encased Prahlada, thus saving his life.
Later, Vishnu appeared in the avatar of Narsimha, half man and half lion, and killed the king. This is why Holi begins with the Holika bonfire, which marks the end of evil.
According to another legend, Lord Krishna had developed a characteristic blue skin colour after Putana, a demon, poisoned him with her breast milk. Krishna worried if the fair-skinned Radha and her companions would ever like him because of his skin colour. Krishna's mother then asked him to approach Radha and smear her face with any colour he wanted. The playful colouring gradually evolved as a tradition and later, as a festival observed as Holi, in the Braj region of India.
Lathmar Holi. Photo: Reuters
The celebration
Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with Holika Dahan, where people perform rituals in front of a bonfire, praying for their inner evil to be destroyed, just as Holika was killed in fire.
The carnival of colours begins the next morning, where people come out on the streets to play with colours, and drench each other in coloured water through water guns or balloons.
Interestingly, different regions in India observe varied customs on this day. In West Bengal and Assam, for instance, Holi is known as Basanta Utsav or spring festival.
Holi in Vrindavan. Photo: Reuters
A popular form of Holi, called Lathmar Holi is celebrated in Barsana, a town near Mathura, in Uttar Pradesh, where women beat up men with sticks, as those on the sidelines chant ''Sri Radhey'' or ''Sri Krishna.''
Again, in Maharashtra, it is the time of Matki Phod (breaking the pot). Men climb on top of each other to form a human pyramid up to the height from which a pot buttermilk is hung. The one who breaks the pot is named the Holi King of the year.
In Vrindavan, widows and estranged women immerse themselves in colours on Holi. Again, in Punjab, Sikhs revel in colours on Hola Mohalla, which is celebrated a day after Holi.
The customs and rituals may be different across regions but what unites them is the spirit of this festival of colours.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

National science day

-
Image
National Science Day 28 th  February is celebrated as   National Science Day (NSD) in India.  NSD is celebrated to commemorate discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, which led to Sir C.V. Raman winning the Noble Prize. When was the day declared as National Science Day? In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) asked the Government of India to designate 28 February as National Science Day which the then Govt. of India accepted and declared the day as National Science Day in 1986. The first National Science Day was celebrated on February 28, 1987   What is raman effect Raman Effect is a phenomenon in spectroscopy discovered by the eminent physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1928.  After two years in 1930, he got Nobel Prize for this remarkable discovery and this was the first Nobel Prize for India in the field of Science. while working in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata
Read more

HAPPY MARATHI LANGUAGE DAY 2020

-
Image
Happy Marathi Language Day 2020:History, Significance and Celebration of Marathi Bhasha Diwas Marathi Bhasha Diwas is celebrated on birthday of eminent Marathi Poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar Every year, February 27 is celebrated as Marathi Language Day in Maharashtra and Goa states in India. It is also known as 'Marathi Bhasha Din' and 'Marathi Bhasha Diwas' in Hindi and Marathi respectively. This day is regulated by the State Government and is also celebrated in some regions of Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. Marathi Language Day is celebrated on birthday of eminent Marathi Poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar. This day is celebrated by Marathi-speaking people in the state to honour the rich history and literature associated with it. On this day, essay competitions and seminars are arranged in Schools and Colleges. Government officials are asked to conduct various events. Related Articles Delhi Assembly Dissolved, New Order to be Issued For Formation of Se
Read more

HAPPY WOMEN INTERNATIONAL DAY

-
Image
                                                                     About International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated annually on March 8. The day has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911. The day is not country, group or organization specific - and belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist  once explained  "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." So make International Women's Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women. What is International Women's Day? International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelera
Read more