Holi—The Festival of Colours

Holi—The Festival of Colours

The Festival of Colours, also known as Holi, is one of the most vibrant and joyous festivals celebrated in India. It is a Hindu spring festival that signifies the arrival of spring, the victory of good over evil and the celebration of love and unity. The Festival of Colours usually takes place on the last full moon day of the lunar month of Phalguna, which typically falls in February or March. The festival lasts for two days, although celebrations may vary in different regions of India. The festival begins with a bonfire known as Holika Dahan on the evening before Holi. This ritual involves the burning of a symbolic bonfire to commemorate the triumph of good over evil. Hindus gather around the bonfire, sing religious songs, and offer prayers to the deities. “In days of yore, there were communities of cannibals in India. They caused much havoc. They threatened the lives of many innocent people. One of them was Holika or Putana. She took immense delight in devouring children. Sri Krishna destroyed her and thus saved the little children. Even today, the effigy or figure of Holika is burnt in the fire. In South India, the clay figure of Cupid is burnt. This is the origin of the great festival of Holi. It begins about ten days before the full moon of the month Phalgun (February-March), but is usually only observed for the last three days, terminating with the full moon. This is the spring festival of the Hindus. In the spring season all the trees are filled with sweet-smelling flowers. They all proclaim the glory and everlasting beauty of God. They inspire you with hope, joy and a new life, and stir you on to find out the creator and the in dweller, who is hiding Himself in these forms. Another legend has it that once upon a time an old woman’s grandchild was to be sacrificed to a female demon named Holika. A Sadhu advised that abuse and foul language would subdue Holika. The old woman collected many children and made them abuse Holika in foul language. The demon fell dead on the ground. The children then made a bonfire of her remains. Connected to this legend of the demon Holika is Bhakta Prahlad’s devotion to Lord Narayana and his subsequent escape from death at the hands of Holika. Prahlad’s father, Hiranyakashipu, punished him in a variety of ways to change his devotional mind and make him worldly-minded. He failed in his attempts. At last, he ordered his sister, Holika, who had a boon to remain unburnt even in fire, to take Prahlad on her lap and enter into the blazing flames. Holika did so. She vanished, but Prahlad remained untouched and laughing. He was not affected by the fire on account of the Grace of Lord Narayana. This same scene is enacted every year to remind people that those who love God shall be saved, and they that torture the devotee of God shall be reduced to ashes. When Holika was burnt, people abused her and sang the glories of the Lord and of His great devotee, Prahlad. In imitation of that, people even today use abusive language, but unfortunately forget to sing the praises of the Lord and His devotee! Huge bundles of wood are gathered and burnt at night, and everywhere one hears shouts of “Holi-ho! Holi-ho!” People stand in the streets and sprinkle coloured water on any man who passes by, be he a rich man or an officer. There is no restriction on this day. It is like the April Fool’s Day of the Europeans. People compose and sing special Holi songs. On the festival day, people clean their homes, remove all dirty articles from around the house and burn them. Disease-breeding bacteria are thereby destroyed. The sanitary condition of the locality is improved. During the festival, boys dance about in the streets. People play practical jokes with passers-by. A bonfire is lit towards the conclusion of the festival. Games representing the frolics of the young Krishna take place joyously around a fire. On the last day of Holi, people take a little fire from this bonfire to their homes. They believe that their homes will be rendered pure, and their bodies free from disease. Festivals like Holi have their own spiritual value. Apart from the various amusements, they create faith in God if properly observed. Hindu festivals always have a spiritual significance. They wean man away from sensual pleasures and take him gradually to the spiritual path and divine communion. People perform havan and offer to the gods the new grains that are harvested. On such holy occasions there should be worship of God, Satsangs, and Kirtan of the Lord’s Names, not merely the sprinkling of coloured water and lighting of bonfires. These functions are to be considered most sacred and spent in devotional prayers, visiting holy places, bathing in sacred waters, and Satsang with great souls. Abundant charity should be done to the poor. Then only can Holi be said to have been properly celebrated. Devotees of the Lord should remember His delightful pastimes on such happy occasions. All great Hindu festivals have religious, social and hygienic elements in them. Holi is no exception. Every season has a festival of its own. Holi is the great spring festival of India. Being an agricultural country, India’s two big festivals come during the harvest time when the barns and granaries of our farmers are full and they have reason to enjoy the fruits of their hard labour. The harvest season is a festive season all over the world. The religious element in the Holi festival consists of worship of Sri Krishna. In some places it is also called the Dol Yatra. The word dol literally means “a swing”. An image of Sri Krishna as a babe is placed in a little swing-cradle and decorated with flowers and painted with coloured powders. The pure, innocent frolics of little Krishna with the merry milkmaids–the Gopis of Brindavan–are commemorated. Devotees chant the Name of Sri Krishna and sing Holi-songs relating to the frolics of little Krishna with the Gopis. The social element during Holi is the uniting or “embracing” of the great and the small, of the rich and the poor. It is also the uniting of equals. The festival teaches us to “let the dead bury the dead”. We should forget the outgoing year’s ill-feelings and begin the new year with feelings of love, sympathy, co-operation and equality with all. We should try to feel this oneness or unity with the Self also. Holi also means “sacrifice”. Burn all the impurities of the mind, such as egoism, vanity and lust, through the fire of devotion and knowledge. Ignite cosmic love, mercy, generosity, selflessness, truthfulness and purity through the fire of Yogic practice. This is the real spirit of Holi. Rise from the mire of stupidity and absurdity and dive deep into the ocean of divinity. The call of Holi is to always keep ablaze the light of God-love shining in your heart. Inner illumination is the real Holi. The spring season is the manifestation of the Lord, according to the Bhagavad Gita. Holi is said there to be His heart.” Swami Sivananda Holi in Brij Bhoomi---the land of Lord Krishna, known as Brij ki Holi, is celebrated in a unique way primarily immersed in Divine Love purely in Krishna’s Bhakti also follows temple traditions from time immemorial. Lord Krishna used different concepts of colours while playing Holi with Radha. Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari Temple hosts ‘Phoolon Ki Holi’ a spectacle of love and Bhakti. This was carried into the tradition and is followed in Vrindavan to date. The flowers not only represent colours but also a sign of respect and love that Hindus shower on each other. This makes the festival celebrations in Vrindavan even more beautiful and auspicious. In Sri Radha’s land Barsana, Radha Rani Temple is decorated lavishly and we have Latmar Holi all around. Lathmar Holi, is spraying colour powders, playfully hurling sticks by women of Barsana on men of Nandgaon, is a Hindu festival celebrated in the twin towns of Barsana and Nandgaon, also known as the towns of Radha and Krishna respectively. Lord Krishna used to steal butter and other dairy products from everyone’s house and escape when he found people approaching. A very sweet recall of those times is incorporated into the Holi scenes of Maharashtra Rang Panchami. The people of this state celebrate Holi or Rang Panchami on the 5th day preceding Phalgun Purnima. The smaller regions of the state set up matkas with kheer, ghee or other dairy products high up for the men to scale up and break them to get the eatables. Boys form human pyramids smeared in colours to get to the matkas. Females cheer them from around with hooting and music. In the vibrant state of Gujarat, Holi is celebrated for two days. On the evening of first day people lit the bonfire and offer raw coconut and corn to it. The second day is 'Dhuleti' or the festival of colour in which people sprinkle coloured water and apply colours to each other. Dwarka, the famous coastal city of Gujarat celebrates Holi at the Dwarka Dheesh temple with music festivities and comedy programs. Before the forced migration of Hindus from Kashmir, on the day of Holi, Hindus would wake up early in the morning and take a bath before heading out to celebrate. Unlike the rest of India, where Holi is celebrated with coloured powder and water, Hindus in the Kashmir Valley celebrated Holi with flowers. They would gather various types of flowers, including roses, marigolds, and daffodils, and make beautiful garlands and bouquets to exchange with each other. This unique tradition of celebrating Holi with flowers known as Phoolon ki Holi, exactly like in some of the temples and around in Brij Bhoomi. Again, in Uttarakhand, the Kumauni Holi is major musical affair rather than colourful like other states. Here, this festival takes different forms like, the Khari Holi, the Baithki Holi and the Mahila Holi. In the Khari Holi and Baithki Holi, Hindus sing songs with a touch of melody, spiritualism and fun. The songs are based on classical ragas. In Kumaon region, the Holika pyre (which is a bonfire with a green Paiya tree branch in the middle) is known as Cheer, which is custom made in a ceremony known as Cheer Bandhan 15 days before Dulhendi. The colours used on Holi are derived from natural sources. Dulhendi, known as Charadi is made from flower extracts, ash and water, somewhat similar to other places of North India. In the state of Punjab, Holi is celebrated with great enthusiasm as the festival coincides with the Sikh festival of Hola Mohalla, a vibrant three-day festival of valour, bravery, and martial arts, starting the day after the traditional Holi. The word ‘Hola’ is a masculine form of the feminine word ‘Holi. In fact, the word Hola Mohalla, itself translates into a mock fight. The celebration is held in the city of Anandpur Sahib which literally means ‘a place of bliss’. This is the place where the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, founded the Khalsa Panth, and where one of the five principal takes of the Sikh faith lies. Guru Gobind Singh, developed on the story of Prahlad to establish this festival. It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh formulated Hola Mohalla in 1680. It is a festival celebrated by many (mostly men) but the day belongs to the Nihang Sikhs performing gatka (martial arts), sword fighting, and horse-riding, showcasing community spirit rather than just colour play only. On the day after Holi, the Nihangs unerringly return to the fields of Gurudwara Holgarh Sahib for the festivities to happen. They perform mock battles, dancing menacingly with their swords and standing astride two running horses while throwing colours at the audience. Dhulandi Festival, also known as the Festival of Colours, is celebrated in Rajasthan a day after Holika Dahan and marks the beginning of Spring. On this auspicious occasion, Hindus play with colours and indulge into vivid celebrations all day long. The highlight of the occasion is various folk-dance performances like Gait and Ghoomer. Dhulandi is celebrated to mark the end of winter and the start of spring, but it also has a connection to Lord Krishna. The Rajasthan Holi history describes that Lord Krishna became blue after drinking demon’s milk, and his mother suggested he colour Radha in the same way. Since then, Hindus have celebrated Holi to remember this event. In Jaipur, temples are decorated, and the entire city is filled with lively colours. Dolchi Holi in Bikaner (Rajasthan) is an ancient tradition that is said to have started over 300 years ago. This celebration involves men throwing water on each other using a water vessel called Dolchi. Dolchi is made from camel skin. The tradition began from a conflict between two communities which was solved when the men started throwing water at each other, and it became a practice since then. Bihar enjoys the festival by celebrating the fertility of Mother Earth. The state being primarily agriculture-based, the inhabitants dance to the beats of folk music while smearing each other with colours. They also use mud to mark the roots of our existence. Hindus play Rang-Gulal in the morning, take a bath, practice meditation in the afternoon, and then wear new clothes. They then visit the Baba Bhuar Nath temple and pay their respects to the deity. After this, people apply Abir-Gulal to the Shivling in the temple and then apply it to each other. In West Bengal location, Holi is referred as "Dol Purnima", "Dol Jatra" or the "Swing Festival". Here, this festival is celebrated by placing the icons of Radha and Krishna on a picturesquely designed palanquin which is later taken round in the main streets of the city or the village. On the Dol Purnima, the devotees take turns to swing them while women dance around the swing and sing devotional songs. During these activities, the men keep drenching coloured water and coloured powder, Abeer, at them. Also, the head of the family observes a fast and prays to Lord Krishna and Agnidev and once the rituals are over, he blobs Krishna's icon with gulal and offers "bhog" to both Krishna and Agnidev praying for the goodwill of the family. Holi is known by the name of Kamadahana in South India, the day on which Cupid was burnt by Lord Shiva. According to a legend, Lord Shiva was in deep meditation. But Goddess Parvati wanted to bring Shiva back into the world and get married to Him, though Shiva does not pay any attention. But if Shiva does not marry, He will father no children and the demon, Taraka, will not be killed. She seeks help from the god of love called Kama. The love god shoots arrows at Shiva. This provokes Shiva who opens his third eye and burns Kama to ashes, upsetting both Kama’s wife Rati (Kamadevi) and Parvati. Rati performs her own meditative asceticism for forty days, upon which Shiva understands, forgives out of compassion and restores the god of love. This return of the god of love is celebrated as Holi. Holi is incomplete without the presence of colours. Each colour has a special symbolism and it denotes: Red is the colour of purity. ue denotes the calmness within us. When resembling vitality, green is the colour. Orange shows the endurance we have among us. The colour of happiness and hope is yellow. Purple encompasses the overall magic of the festival. Pink resembles love and thoughtfulness. Just like the diverse colours, we have diverse traditions in India. But what keeps us together is the feeling of unity among us ! SRI KRISHNA SARANAM MAMA (Compiled by Chaman Lal Gadoo)