Holi (festival)

Holi, also known as Holaka or Phagwa, is an ancient Hindu festival held to celebrate the arrival of spring. Because the timing of the festival follows the moon phases during the month of Phalgun, the date of the celebration varies each year. It is usually held over two days, starting on the day after the full moon, in late February or early March. Holi is known as the festival of colors because attendees throw colored powders or paints on one another. The colors signify the seasons changing from dark and gray to bright and colorful. Holi festivals celebrate fertility, love, and the triumph of good over evil. Two events, Holika Dahan and Rangwali Holi, make up Holi. Bonfires are burned during Holika Dahan to chase away evil spirits, and colored powders are thrown during the relaxed celebration of Rangwali Holi.

Background

Hinduism is the third largest religion and one of the oldest religions in the world. It has more than nine hundred million followers throughout the world, but it is practiced primarily in India and Nepal. Hinduism is much different from other major religions because it has no single founder, scripture, or official set of teachings. Because of this, Hinduism is considered by some to be more of a "way of life" than a religion.

Most Hindus adhere to a body of sacred texts known as the Veda and follow a set of values known as dharma. They worship three main gods: Brahma, creator of the universe; Vishnu, preserver of the universe; and Shiva, destroyer of the universe. They also believe in numerous deities(gods) who were derived from the main gods.

Hindus accept a cycle of life that begins with birth and continues after death with a rebirth in accordance with karma, the belief that good and bad consequences exist for all deeds in life. Samsara, or reincarnation, can happen to a soul repeatedly. After death, the soul is guided to a new physical body—human, animal, or deity. Hinduism's many varied beliefs and traditions have resulted in more than one thousand Hindu holidays. One of the most important and popular is Holi.

Several mythologies are linked to the origin of Holi. One begins with Krishna, a young boy who was an incarnation of the god Vishnu. The young Krishna was in love with Radha, but he was jealous of her beautiful light skin. Krishna asked his mother, Yashoda, for advice, and she encouraged Krishna to paint Radha's skin dark to match his. Another account details how the mischievous Krishna liked to throw colored water on the gopis, or milkmaids. Because of these stories, the practice of painting the skin and throwing colors evolved into part of the Holi festival tradition.

Holi is also associated with a legend in which good triumphs over evil. The demon king Hiranyakashyap believed that he was more powerful than the gods and considered himself the supreme ruler of the universe. Hiranyakashyap's son, Prahalad, did not believe this; Prahalad, like many others, considered Vishnu the most powerful god. This angered Hiranyakashyap, so he threw Prahalad over a cliff to kill him. Prahalad did not die. The king tried again, and this time, he commanded a herd of elephants to trample Prahalad and snakes to bite him. Prahalad again survived.

Hiranyakashyap was very angry and wanted to make Prahalad pay for his defiance. This time, Hiranyakashyap enlisted the help of his sister, Holika, to get rid of Prahalad. Because Holika was immune to fire, the two devised a plan that would burn Prahalad to death. Holika lured Prahalad to sit on her lap in the middle of a bonfire. However, it did not work. Vishnu intervened and saved Prahalad, turning Holika to ashes. Vishnu later killed Hiranyakashyap and made Prahalad king.

Overview

Holi celebrates love, fertility, and harvest. It is a religious holiday, but it is not marked by prayer or worship. It is considered the least religious of the Hindu holidays. However, certain regions focus on religious elements of Holi more than others do. In the Braj region of India, Holi celebrations can last up to sixteen days. Most people regard Holi celebrations as special time spent with loved ones. Celebrations are filled with much energy and fun. Social restrictions are loosened, and people dance, sing, and overindulge. Participants can be heard uttering the phrase Bura na mano, Holi hai, which means "Don't feel offended, it's Holi."

Holi is celebrated over two days. The first evening is known as Holika Dahan. During this time, people light symbolic bonfires to purify the air of evil spirits. People gather around the fires, and they dance, sing, and shout. The fires serve as homage to the legend of Prahalad and Holika. Some people throw dummy dolls of Holika into the fire to signify the defeat of evil. After the fires burn out, people apply the sacred ashes to their foreheads to protect them from evil.

Rangwali Holi begins the following morning. People gather at town centers and other meeting places to toss colored powder known as gulal and dye at one another. The air quickly fills with clouds of colored dust from the powder. Some participants use water guns or syringes called pichkaris to spray colored water on people, while others toss water balloons. Because everyone is covered in color, ethnicity, class, age, and gender are ignored and everyone is supposed to be seen as equal.

The colors of the dye used at Holi celebrations have special meaning. The dyes used to be natural and made from flowers and herbs, but modern powders use synthetic coloring. Blue symbolizes power and life; the gods Vishnu and Krishna had blue skin. Green represents happiness and nature; Prince Rama, who was exiled to live in the forest, had a green hue to his skin. Yellow symbolizes holiness and healing and is associated with vaisyas, or merchants.

Red is the color of love, romance, and fertility. It is a popular color for ceremonies and festivals, and brides wear it on their wedding day. White represents purity, serenity, and peace and is worn to funeral services to give the soul of the departed peace.

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