Festivals in India- Holi

Holi is a very important festival in India and is regarded as a festival of colors.

People irrespective of their age and social status come together to celebrate this wonderful festival by sprinkling color waters and powders on each other.

Especially in northern and western parts of the country, Holi is celeberated with much fanfare. Unlike Diwali which is celebrated individually at households, Holi is a community festival.

People celebrate holi together in large groups. Like any other Hindu festival, Holi also has some interesting stories behind its celebrations.

According to one story Holi is observed to celibate the destruction of evil demon named Hiranyakashyap by Lord Vishnu in Narashima Avtar. The other story is associated with Lord Krishna’s childhood leelaas at Gokul. Holi starts with bonfire.

Holi comes in the month of March when the chilly weather comes to an end and looking for sunny days. According to the Hindu mythology, King Hiranyakashap was blessed with special boon from Lord Shiva after tough prayers.

As nobody could kill him including the god, King Hiranyakashap became greedy and started to oppose the God. He insisted everybody to worship him only failing which he harassed them mercilessly.

Hiranyakashap’s son, Prahlad was a tough devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to abide his fathers dictate and continued worshipping Lord Vishnu.

The King became angry and started harassing his son in various barbaric methods like throwing him from the top of a cliff, putting him in boiling water, etc. Each time Prahlad escaped with the blessings of Lord Vishnu.

As the Hiranyakashap’s atrocities increased, Lord Vishnu decided to kill him. He took Narashima Avtar as half human being and half lion and finally killed Hiranyakashap.

Some say holi is celeberated to follow the traditions of Lord Krishna’s childhood leelaas at Gokul and Vrindavan. Holi starts with burning bonfire in the first day evening.

During holi children and youngsters are busy collecting fire wood and buying colors for the next day celebrations. In the evening bonfire is set at every street junction and watched with joy.

The next day starts with throwing colors and sprinkling color waters on each other. As the holi is observed as a community celebration, people from all walks of life get together and pour color water on each other.

In the evening people visit temples and conduct pujas and aarthis. They also visit frends and relatives and have get- togethers. Holi symbolizes the sprit of people and serves as a great opportunity to mix with others. It also helps in preserving old customs and traditional values of Hinduism.