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India’s one of the most joyous and vivid festivals, Holi is well-known as the festival of colours. However, the throwing of colour powders, water and water balloons is just a part of this boisterous Holi. Holi is a festival associated with dancing, playing traditional instruments such as Dhol, making delicious food and much more. This year Holi will be celebrated on 24-25 March. If you want to know more about the importance of Holi in Indian culture and more, then keep reading the article.
Also Read: Holi Celebration in Foreign Countries: A Brief for International Students
to Celebrate Holi like NRIs
Table of Contents
Importance of Holi in Indian Culture, Festival of Colours
When asked about Holi your answer will be a festival of colours. However festival of colours is not just enough to describe Holi as Holi is a series of celebrations of about two days marking the end of winter and welcome of the spring season. One day before the festive day a pyre or Holika is set on fire as a tradition or to celebrate victory over evil. However, Indians play with colours, water, and balloons, and meet and greet each other to celebrate the beginning of the new season.
Relevance of Change of Dates of Holi Festival in Indian Culture
Holi is celebrated on different dates each year and the change of dates from year to year is mainly because Holi is celebrated in the twelfth month of Phalguna as per the Hindu calendar. The Hindu Calendar is basically a network of calendars as per lunar and solar cycles. As per the Hindu calendar, there are only 354 days each other, thus dates differ each year to the Gregorian calendar. This year Holi is to be celebrated on the 24th and 25th of March.
History of Rituals of the Holi Festival in Indian Culture
Just like other Indian festivals, there are legends associated with the festival of Holi. These knowledgeable tales recount the history of rituals in Holi. here are some of the popular legends behind Holi in Indian culture;
Also Read: Holi Mela and Fairs
Holika Dahan
Once upon a time, there was a powerful king, Hiranyakashipu. He was well-known across his kingdom and far for his cruelty. Considering himself a God, Hiranyakashipu forced everybody to worship him and as per his orders everybody in the kingdom was bound to worship him. However, his son, Prahlada was an exception as he refused what his father said and was a true devotee of Lord Vishnu. Due to his disobedience, Hiranyakashipu decided to kill his own son.
Despite several attempts to kill Prahlada, he failed. Thus he asked his evil sister Holika who has magical powers of being immune when burnt. So Hiranyakashipu ordered his son to sit with Holika on a pyre. However, as per her evil intentions, her powers did not work and she burnt to ashes. On the other hand, Prahlada was saved again by Lord Vishnu. To symbolize the victory of good over evil, Holika Dahan is celebrated on the first day of Holi.
The Story of Radha and Krishna
In the city of Lord Krishna or the region of Braj in the Uttar Pradesh state of India, Holi is celebrated until Rangpanchmi. This festival is known to commemorate the eternal love of Radha Krishna. However, the story behind this huge festival is associated with Lord Krishna. As per the stories, when Lord Krishna was Born, a devil Bhootna was sent by his uncle Kansa to kill him. Thus to fulfil this evil intention, Bhoota fed Lord Krishna with her poisoned breast milk.
After drinking this milk, Lord Krishna acquired a blue skin colour. However, when he became young he felt sad about his colour as no one in the village liked him because of his inferior complexion including Radha. When Lord Krishna told this to her mother she told him to go and colour the face of Radha with any colour he wanted. After this Lord Krishna did what his mother told him to do, thus Radha and Krishna became a couple. Since then Holi has been played with colours across the globe.
Tips for Hassle-Free Holi
Here are some tips and tricks for playing a safer Holi this year.
- It is highly recommended to coat a thick layer of coconut oil, moisturizer, or Vaseline so that it can prevent direct contact with skin and colours.
- You must also coat your hair with oil and lemon as it helps to prevent infection or dandruff caused by synthetic colours.
- Before playing Holi, drink lots and lots of water to avoid dehydration. Further, be careful while drinking water after playing Holi.
- If you are an alcohol lover, do not consume bhang or alcohol excessively, as it may lead to heart failure or attack.
- Try to cover the top parts of your body with colour cotton clothes as synthetic clothes can be sticky and heavy.
- Avoid wearing contact lenses as most people apply colours to your face immediately or surprisingly, which also leads to contact of colour with the eyes.
- After playing Holi, use besan and milk cream mixture to remove excess colours from your body.
Also Read: Tips and Tricks for a Hassle-Free Holi
FAQs
Holi is a 2-day grand festival of colours that is celebrated to remember the eternal love between Radha and Krishna. It is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil and to give a message that love always prevails.
The story of Holi holds two meanings. The first celebrates the victory of good over evil, linked to the incarnation of Vishnu (Narasimha) defeating the demon king Hiranyakashipu. The second, in the Braj region, honours the playful love between Radha and Krishna. Both the stories signify renewal, love, and the triumph of good.
Holika Dahan, playing with colours, distributing sweets, greeting each other, etc are some of the traditions followed on Holi.
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