Celebrating Holi:
“Holi” one of the most popular Hindu festivals which is celebrated in the spring season. Phalgun purnima is celebrated on the last full moon day of the lunar calendar also called panchang. The festival is widely celebrated with lots of fun and fun not only in India but in all the countries that have the Indian diaspora.
Holi Rituals:
The festival basically starts from ‘falgun purima’ and is celebrated till ‘teras’. On the night of falgun purnima there is a tradition of holika-dahan or fire of bones that symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Its symbolic meaning is to burn the demon inside you and lead a pious life. The festival of colors begins the day after Holi. The next day is called ‘Dhulandi’ which is the festival of colours. From dhulandi to teras, color is played. Among the small festivals like rangpanchmi, rangchhat, sheetla saptmi, auliya ashthami, dashamata poojan, rangteras etc. are also celebrated. Dhulandi, Rangpanchmi, Rang Chat, Rang teras are basically for playing with colors. Sheetla saptami, auliya ashtami are for worshiping sheetla deity and dashamata for worshiping dasha deity which means good conditions. The 16-day Brij-Holi is the most popular. Lathmaar holi de brij is a tourist attraction these days.
Concept and History of Holi:
Holi is related to the mythological story of Prahlad and Holika. Prahlad was the son of the demon Hiranakashyapa who believed himself to be a god, but Prahlad denied accepting him as a god and continued to worship Lord Vishnu, whom Hiranakashyapa believed to be his greatest enemy. To punish Prahlad, Hiranakashyapa and his sister Holika decided to burn Prahlad. As Holika was blessed that she could never get burned, she sat in the fire with Prahlad, but Holika got burned and Prahlad got out safely. The story symbolizes the victory of good over evil and the end of evil.
There are other stories also related to holi about Lord Krishna and the gopis. It is believed that Lord Krishna with his jokes on the gopis popularized this festival in Brij. There is one more story of Kamdev and Rati. Who was destroyed by the wrath of Lord Shiva for disturbing his meditation, but for the sake of his wife Rati, Lord Shiva restored him and to commemorate this event, Holi is celebrated.
Holi is not just the festival to celebrate the victory of good over evil or it is not just the festival of colors but Holi is the festival of hearts. There are no restrictions, there are no differences, just the love to be infected with colors.
