Festival of holi and reasons why holi is celebrated
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Holi is usually celebrated after the full moon day of March every year. Festival of holi is celebrated for many reasons like victory of good over evil, a community festival, a carnival of colors, celebrating lord krishna love and following ancient tradtion of celebrating spring season.Holi is celebrated all over india with high spirit without any diffrences of color,caste, status, creed, race or sex.Sprinkling colored water or colored powder ('gulal') on relatives or friends on this ocaasion breaks all discriminative barriers so everyone leave in pease, prosperity and brotherhood. Although everyone knows why holy is celebrated but very few can give the correct answer of why it is celebrated by colors
There are many reasons to celebrate but the main reason of celebration is lord Vishnu and its supreme avatar lord Krishna. Let me go by lord Krishna first and others later on.
Love of Krishna and Radha
Evergreen love of Radha and krishna is remembered in holi. Being black, Krishna always showed jealousy to Radha fair color and frequently asked reasons forher fairness to mother Yashoda. Mother yashoda tried to explain him by giving many reasons (there is even a song with those reasons) still lord krishna was not convinced and demanded for more satisfactory answers. Then mother yashoda said jokingly that if you are so jealous of radha fair color, then you change her complexion according to the color you want. Naughty young Krishna always waiting for a prank did exactly as his mother suggested. Along with his other friends, he smeared color on radha face and when radha’s friend (Gopis) came, they color on them too. Since then, the tradition of applying color to relatives and friend is followed to show love, brotherhood and unity.
Krishna devotees celebrate this festival for two weeks. Grand events are held at Mathura,Vrindavan,Nandgaon and Barsnar.
Lord Krishna, his friends , radha and gopis playing holi
Crowd playing holi at lord Krishna birth place (Vrindavan-Mathura).
Burning of holika and prahlad
First day of holi is celebrated according to the legendary tale of Hollika. According to ancient scriptures,there was a cruel demon named Hiranyakashipu who ordered everyone to worship him as God and not Lord Vishnu. However,Prahlada, his younger son refused to follow his order and continued worshipping the almighty Lord Vishnu. His father made many attempts to kill him but he was saved everytime by Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu sister Holika had a boon of remaining unscathed in fire, so without any haste she agreed to her brothers wish of burning prahlad alive . However, Since holika used her boon for sinful act, her boon didn't work and she was burnt alive, while Prahlad was untouched by fire. This was the start of holi which is still celeberated to mark the truimph of good over evil. Image and puppet of holika is burned on the night before Holi to mark the victory of devotee prahlada.. This legend of Prahlad and his creuel father Hiranyakashyap also gives the conclusion that god always provide shelter to his true devotee. such legends encourage people to become honest,virtue and follow good conduct which is extremely essential in today's society to protect ourselves from evil practices of materialistic gains and illusions. Holi makes people believe in virtue of honesty and truth to fight against the evil.
Burning of holika and prahlad
Burning of bonfire and puppet figure of holika followed today
Welcoming spring reason
Word 'Holi' is derived from the term 'hola', meaning to offer prayer to Almighty god for good harvest.
Holi is also called as 'Phagwah' which refers to the Hindu month 'Phalgun',on the full moon of which holi is celebrated.. 'Phagwah' is celebrated to welcome the harvest spring season in India. Phalgun starts the spring season in india. This is the time when flowers blooms, seeds sprout and the fields are abundant with green crops.
Social Significance of Holi
Holi strengthens the secular democracy of india by brings the whole society together for the celebration of festive season. Non-Hindus also celebrated this festival by participating in this joyous and colouful festival. In holi, there is a custom of enemies forgietting enmity and becomes friends to forget their hateful and unpleasant past to start the new beginning. There is no poor or rich, low caste or high caste ion this festival and veryone comes together to celebrate this joyous festival.
Holi played by Indian muslims(javed akhtar, farhan akhtar and shabana azmi)
Holi across street of india
Girls playing holi
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