Holi

Held on : 19th March

Holi is an Ancient, Hindu, Spring Festival of India. Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna (February / March), (Phalgun Purnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March. Apart from India, it is celebrated in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri lanka and countries with large Hindu populations such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, the UK, USA, Mauritius and Fiji. The most celebrated Holi is that of the Braj region, in locations connected to the god Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana. The festivities of Holi  last here to up to sixteen days. It is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other.

History - There are certain Legends related to the origin of Holi. Some of the major one's are :-

Vaishnava Theology - According to the Hindu Tradition of Vaishnavism, Hiranyakashipu, the king of demons was a powerful entity. His younger brother, Hiranyaksha was killed by Varaha, one of the Avatars of Vishnu and angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain magical powers by performing a penance for Lord Brahma. Finally, when Lord Brahma appeared before him he asked for a Boon, according to which he would not be killed 'During day or night; inside the home or outside, not on earth or on sky; neither by a man nor an animal; neither by astra nor by shastra". Consequently, he grew arrogant and attacked the Heavens and the Earth. He demanded that people stop worshipping gods and start praying to him.

Hiranyakashipu had a son named Prahlada, who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu hated this and would often threaten Prahlada to desist from doing so. But Prahlada continued worshipping Lord Vishnu. Angered by his son's diobedience, Hiranyakashipu decided to kill him in a series of events. First, he poisoned him, but the poison turned to nectar in his mouth. Then, he was ordered to be trampled by elephants and yet he remained unharmed. He was put in a room with hungry, poisonous snakes and again he survived. When all of Hiranyakashipu's attempts to kill his son failed, he ordered young Prahlada to sit on a pyre on the lap of his sister, Holika, who could not die by fire by virtue of a shawl which would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it. Prahlada readily accepted his father's orders and prayed to Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire started, everyone watched in amazement as the shawl flew from Holika, who then was burnt to death, while Prahlada survived unharmed, after the shawl moved to cover him. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi, which signifys the victory of Good over Evil.

Vrindavan and Mathura Holi - Young Lord Krishna was Dark Complexioned while Radha, one of his close associate, was Fair Complexioned. Krishna felt jealous and complained to his mother about the contrast between his Dark Complexion and Radha's  Fair Complexion. Krishna's mother decided to apply colour to Radha's face so as to suffice Krishna's cause. Thereby establishing a tradition of applying colour.

Burning of Kamadeva - Kamadeva, god of love, wanted to help Parvati to marry Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva was meditating for penance when Kama released his weapon of love in order to to disrupt his penance. But Lord Shiva opened his third eye, the gaze of which was so powerful that Kama's body was reduced to ashes. For the sake of Kama's wife Rati (passion), Shiva restored him, but only as a mental image, representing the true emotional and spiritual state of love rather than physical lust. The Holi bonfire is believed to be celebrated in commemoration of this event.

Events - Bonfires are lit the day before, also known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). Traditionally, Holi is celebrated with colour and water. People smear each other with colours and throw water with 'Phickaris'. Children enjoy the festival by throwing water filled balloons at passersby. A special drink called thandai is prepared, sometimes containing bhang (Cannabis sativa). For wet colours, traditional flowers of Palash are boiled and soaked in water over night to produced yellow coloured water, which also had medicinal properties.

Holi in different parts of India

• Lath Mar Holi - Barsana, a town district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India is known for it's Famous, Lath mar Holi. It is played in the sprawling compound of the Radha Rani temple. Holi, here is played in a Unique Fun Filled manner. The women play Holi with Men Folk, by beating them with Long Staves called Lathis while men protect themselves with shields. Holi Songs are sung and chants of Sri Radhey or Sri Krishna fill the Fun Filled atmosphere.
• Sixteen Day Holi - In Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna, and in Vrindavan this day is celebrated with special puja and the traditional custom of worshipping Lord Krishna, here the festival last for sixteen days. All over the Braj region and its nearby places like Hathras, Aligarh, Agra the Holi is celebrated in more or less same way as in Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana.
• Holi Milan - In Gorakhpur, the northeast district of Uttar Pradesh, people visit every house and sing holi song and express their gratitude by applying coloured powder known as Abeer
• Phagwa - Phagwa is the Local Bhojpuri Dialect for Holi in Bihar. On the eve of Phalgun Poornima, people light bonfires. They put dung cakes, wood of Araad or Redi tree and Holika tree, grains from the fresh harvest and unwanted wood leaves in the bonfire. Following the tradition people also clean their houses for the day. Next day the festival is celebrated with colours and lot of frolic. Apart from colours, Holi is also played with Mud at some places. Intoxicating products like Liquor, Charas and Bhang are consumed along with delicacies such as pakoras and thandai, which might be added with bhang etc., to enhance the mood of the festival.
• Dol Jatra - In West Bengal Holi is known as Dol Jatra, Dol Purnima or the Swing Festival. The festival is celebrated by placing the idols of Krishna and Radha on a decorated palanquin which is then taken round the main streets of the city or the village. The devotees take turns to swing them while women dance around the swing and sing devotional songs. All this while men keep spraying coloured water and coloured powder, abir, at them. The head of the family, observes fast and prays to Lord Krishna and Agnidev. After all the traditional rituals are over, he smears Krishna's idol with gulal and offers Bhog to both Krishna and Agnidev.
• Buttermilk Holi - In Western India, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a pot of buttermilk is hung high on the streets and young boys try to reach it and break it by making human pyramids while the girls try to stop them by throwing coloured water on them to commemorate the pranks of Krishna and cowherd boys to steal butter and 'gopis' trying to stop them. At this time the men soaked with colours go out in large procession to mock alert people of the Krishna who might come to steal butter in their homes. The boy who finally manages to break the pot is crowned the Holi King of the Year for that community. At some places, there is a custom in the undivided Hindu families that the women of the families beat their brother-in-law with her sari rolled up into a rope in a mock rage as they try to drench them with colours and in turn the brother-in-law bring sweetmeats for her in the evening.
• Six Day Festival - In Northeast India, Manipur, Holi is celebrates for Six Days. The festival commences with the burning of a thatched hut of hay and twigs. Young children go from house to house to collect money as gifts on the first 2 days. The youths at night perform a group folk dance called 'Thaabal Chongba' on the full moon night of Phalgun along with folk songs and rhythmic beats of the indigenous drum. However, this moonlight party now has modern bands and fluorescent lamps. In Krishna temples, devotees sing devotional songs, perform dances and play with 'Gulal' wearing traditional white and yellow turbans. On the last day of the festival, large processions are taken out to the main Krishna temple near Imphal where several cultural programs are organized.

Alternate Names - Dhulheti, Dhulandi, Dhulendi, Festival of Colours, Dolyatra (Doul Jatra), Basanta-Utsab, Spring Festival, Festival of Spring

Holiday Status - It is a Public Holiday in India.