HOLI..........

Holi is the festival of Colours which is celebrated by Hindus in various parts of the country. Holi is celebrated in various other countries like Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, United Kingdom, wherever Hindu population is present. The festival is celebrated with vibrancy and vigour. It is celebrated on full moon day of lunar month of Phalguna, according to the Hindu calendar. It generally falls in the month of February/March according to modern calendar. The festival has a religious origin but there are no rituals followed while celebrating Holi. However, bon fire is lit up in several parts of the country on the eve of the festival. This is known as Holika Dehan or Dulhendi. There is a mythological story behind the holika dehan.

Prahlad was the son of King Hiranyakashyapa and was an ardent follower of lord Vishnu. But his father didn’t like his son’s devotion towards Vishnu and created several plots to kill Prahlad. But his all efforts proved futile. Then Hiranyakashyapa’s sister, Holika offered to help him in killing Prahlad. She had a natural gift of being resistant to the flames of fire. She took Prahlad in her lap and sat in the fire. But the result astonished everyone. Holika was burnt alive and Prahlad came out without any injury mark or burn. The moral of the story depicts that truth and faith is always powerful. And the good always wins over the evil.

Holi is the most expressive and effervescent festival. People exchange colours in the form of gulaal and abeer and distribute sweets. Squirting water over each other personifies the joy and mirth. This festival also dilutes all boundaries of class, creed or gender. After getting their faces painted by myriad colours and splashes of water, it becomes hard to differentiate the class and cast. Hence it also signifies the equality of being human.

-Sanim amatya