In India, Holi announces the arrival of spring and the passing of winter. The festival breathes an atmosphere of social merriment. Dedicated to spiritual & social harmony, awakening a sense of brotherhood thru ecstatic dance and mantra music. People bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their worries to the wind. Every nook and corner presents a colorful sight. Young and old alike are covered with colors (red, green, yellow, blue, pink, orange, violet, and more). People in small groups are seen singing, dancing and throwing colors on each other.
This ancient tradition marks the triumph of good over evil. Celebrants light bonfires, throw colorful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music. Holi is considered as one of the most revered and celebrated festivals of India and it is celebrated in almost every part of the country. It is also called the “festival of love” as on this day people get to unite together forgetting all resentments and all types of bad feelings towards each other. The great Indian festival lasts for a day and a night, which starts in the evening of Purnima or the Full Moon Day in the month of Falgun. It is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi on the first evening of the festival and the following day is called Holi. In different parts of the country it is known with different names.
Celebrated across India, it’s an ancient festival with the first mentions of it dating all the way back to a 4th century poem. It was even described in detail in a 7th century Sanskrit play called “Ratnavali,” written by the Indian emperor Harsha.
“Witness the beauty of the great cupid festival which excites curiosity as the townsfolk are dancing at the touch of brownish water thrown … Everything is colored yellowish red and rendered dusty by the heaps of scented powder blown all over” wrote Harsha.
Although a Hindu festival, Holi is celebrated by Indians across the country and is a great equalizer. Children can douse elders with water, women splash men with color and the rules of caste and creed are briefly forgotten with everyone taking part. The evenings are spent visiting friends and family.
The roots of the festival lie in the Hindu legend of Holika, a female demon, and the sister of the demon, King Hiranyakashayap. Hiranyakashayap believed he was the ruler of the universe and superior to all the gods. But his son, Prahlad, followed the god Vishnu, the preserver and protector of the universe. Prahlad’s decision to turn his back on his father left Hiranyakashayap with no choice. He hatched a plot with Holika to kill him. It was a seemingly foolproof plan; Holika would take Prahlad onto her lap and straight into a bonfire. Holika would survive because she had an enchanted shawl that would protect her from the flames. But the plan failed. Prahlad was saved by Vishnu and it was Holika who died as she was only immune to fire if she was alone. Soon after, Vishnu killed Hiranyakashayap and Prahlad became king. The moral of the story is that good always triumphs over evil.
In modern day Holi celebrations, Holika’s cremation is often reenacted by lighting bonfires on the night before Holi, known as Holika Dahan. Some Hindus collect the ashes and smear them on their bodies as an act of purification. Rangwali Holi takes place the next day and is an all-day affair where people throw and smear colored powder on each other.
The tradition of throwing colored powder and water is believed to originate from the mythological love story of Radha and Krishna. Krishna, the Hindu god depicted with dark blue skin, is believed to have complained to his mother about Radha’s fair complexion. To ease her son’s sadness, his mother suggests smearing her with paint. It’s believed that this is where the custom of smearing loved ones with color during Holi came from.
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