Holi - The Great Indian Festival

HOLI RE HOLI

This awesome spring festival of Holi is celebrated at the closure of the winter season on the last full moon day (Purnima) of the lunar month Phalguna (February/March), which generally falls in the later component of February or March. Holi commemoration commences with lighting up of bonfire on the Holi eve. Several legends & stories related with Holi festivity makes the festival more excited and vibrant. People rub colors on each other's and cheer up orally expressing, "Bura Na Maano Holi Hai". (Don't mistake, it is Holi). Holi also offers a great chance to send mystical enchantments and special holi gifts to dear and near.

Holi gets people more proximate to their religion and their mythology as it is fundamentally the celebration of various legends connected with the festival. Holi got its name as the "Festival of Colors" from Lord Krishna, (Lord Vishnu's incarnation), who enjoyed to play pranks on the village girls by soaking them in colors with water. The importance of Holi rituals is on the flaming of the demoness 'Holika'. On the eve of Holi, large bonfires are lit to symbolize the burning the evil spirits.

It is believed that Holi survived several centuries before Christ. But, the construal of the festival is believed to have changed over the years. Earlier it was a special rite carried out by married women for the happiness and salubrity of their families by worshiping the full moon.

In some other cultures even if,the wood and leaves burning ritual on the full moon night already existed, this ritual was to indicate the cessation of winter and beginning of spring. Wood and leaves that had fallen were burnt to mean that it is time for new leaves and flowers. People later soiled their bodies with the burned ash. However, the story of 'Holika Dahan' has been related with this ritual.

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When the festival arrives, the crazes of the people reach its peak. Water of different colors like bright Red, Violet, Magenta, Pink, Green and Blue etc. are prepared. People only take amusement in play and fun. They also throw water and color in the air and also on one another to show great bliss and boniness in the arrival of this Holi festival. Children get pleasure from the festival by bunting water or color filled balloons at one another.

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The literal meaning of the word 'Holi' is 'burning'. There are numerous legends to explicate the construal of this word, most well-known of all is the legend connected with demon king Hiranyakashyap.

Once upon a time there was a demon king, namely Hiranyakashyap, who was very much haughty and egoistical in nature. Hiranyakashyap capture the kingdom of earth and he controlled each one in his kingdom to worship him only. However Hiranyakashyap's wish never satiated as his own son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Narayana. He didn't obey his father's order and refused to worship his father. Consequently, Hiranyakashyap endeavored several ways to execute his son Prahlad but the latter was saved by Lord Vishnu each and every time.

After numerous endeavors, Hiranyakashyap authoritatively mandated his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with his son Prahlad in her lap. She had been awarded a boon by god that fire will do no harm to her. King Hiranyakashyap thought that Holika has a boon and fire couldn't burn her. In spite of the boon Holika was burnt in the fire and Prahlad eluded with no harm done to him. As a result Hiranyakashyap paid a price for his evil desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his great devotion. According to this legend, the Holi festival derives its name from Holika and is observed as a festival of victory of good over evil. Even today, the fable is followed by people in some part of India and they perform the scene of 'Holika's buring to ashes' in their society or town.

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During the weather changes, the spring commence, it is believed to cause viral fever and cold. The frolicsome throwing of natural colored powders has a medical meaning: the colors were traditionally composed of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi, Bilva, and other medicinal herbs approved by Aurvedic medicos.

In place of wet colors, conventional flowers of Palash are boiled and saturated in water over night to composed yellow colored water, which also had medicinal properties. Regrettably the commercial component of festivity has led to an increase in the utilization of Synthetic Colors which, in some cases, may be toxic.

An exclusive drink called Thandai is prepared (normally made out of almonds, pistachios, rose petals, etc.), occasionally containing Bhang (Cannabis indica).

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