Holi is one of the most popular festivals in India. Filled with colours, sweets and love, it signifies the triumph of good over evil and is also associated with the eternal bond of love between Sri Krishna and Radha. Read further to know all about the festival of colors and understand why is Holi celebrated.
The origin:
According to the Hindu text Narad Purana, the origin of Holi is related to Lord Vishnu, his pure-hearted devotee Prahlad, and Prahlad’s demonic father and aunt, namely Hirnayakashyap and Holika.
Hiranyakashyap was a king who belonged to the demonic clan. He wanted his people to worship him exclusively. He was totally against the idea of anyone worshipping any other form, especially god. However, he failed to apply this rule to his own son Prahlad, who didn’t pay heed to his father’s rules. Prahlad was a true devotee of Lord Vishnu and worshipped only the Lord.
In order to control the situation, Hiranyakashyap planned to kill his son on many occasions. However, he failed at each attempt due to Lord Vishnu’s blessings on Prahlad. Lastly, he sought help from his sister Holika, who also was a demon. Holika was blessed to be immune to fire, which means that fire could not burn her.
In order to help her brother and kill her nephew, Holika forced Prahlad to sit with him inside the flames of a burning fire. Prahlad continued to recite Lord Vishnu’s name and miraculously came out from the fire unharmed. Holika on the other hand was burnt to ashes as her blessing became nullified the moment she tried to use it against the Lord’s devotee.
Celebration:
Celebrations of the festival begin the night before by lighting up a bonfire and performing religious rituals. This ritual is known as the ‘Holika dahan’, which signifies the burning of the demon Holika. At the same time, it marks the end of the Winter season and the beginning of Spring. On this following day, people throw colours at each other to celebrate the essence of life, which is colourful.
Celebrations of the festival begin the night before by lighting up a bonfire and performing religious rituals. This ritual is known as the ‘Holika dahan’, which signifies the burning of the demon Holika. At the same time, it marks the end of the Winter season and the beginning of Spring. On this following day, people throw colours at each other to celebrate the essence of life, which is colourful.
Water guns and water-filled balloons are also used to colour each other. The beauty of this festival is that anyone and everyone is involved in this colourful celebration. Friend, foe or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children, and elders, all forget the differences and throw colours at each other. This is why this festival has a famous tagline ‘bura na mano holi hai’. This literally translates to ‘Don’t be grumpy, it’s Holi’. This beautiful festival is also well known to hug and forget past differences.
The famous sweet ‘Gujhiya’ is prepared in many houses or brought from stores this day.
Want to know more?
Here, you can refer to the beautiful presentation prepared by an Indian auxiliar, Jhanvi.
Liked what you read? You may also like: Spain – India: Differences and Similarities
Also, if you are an upcoming language assistant from India you should definitely take a look at Auxiliar de conversación – The Ultimate Guide For Indians. This is a short book I wrote to provide a detailed step-by-step guide that answers all your questions (asked and unasked) and also helps you prepare to adjust to the new environment – culturally and professionally and much more!!!
