Holi festival
Holi festival is widely known as a festival of colors in India. Holi festival is celebrated in India and other places with Hindu population. The celebration is marked by splashing colors on family and friends. The Holi festival is also known as the color festival is the most entertaining celebration that has since gained popularity among non –Hindu population who refer to it as spring festival or the festival of love and colors. For Hindus, the Holi festival is important as it is celebrated in the month of Fagun. Everyone, including the old and the young, looks forward to this day with enthusiasm.
The origin of this festival comes from the story of Prahlad, a devoted follower of Vishnu. His father Hiranyakashyap did not like Vishnu. He planned to punish his son for constantly chanting prayers to Vishnu. Prahlad’s father tried to kill his son and failed; he eventually asked Prahlad’s sister Holika to enter the fire with his brother Prahlad. Holika’s body was fire proof, ironically, Prahlad came out of the fire safe, and Holika burnt to death. The Holi festival is celebrated to honor Holika. The Holi festival begins during the harvest season when the farmer’s hearts with joy.
Holi festival is celebrated at the beginning of Chaitra, which marks the first month of the year in the Hindu calendar that also marks the start of the spring. The natural beauty during this season makes the festival more colorful from the lovely spring flower with dazzling colors represents the festival mood. Millions of people take to the streets throwing colored powder and soaking everyone with water. Traditionally the festival was marked by drenched with turmeric and flowers extracts smeared with sandalwood paste. Today synthetic powder and colored water are used.
Before the day people collect sticks and straws in the street lying everywhere in the street. As the nightfall, people gather at one particular place and set fire to a huge pile of collected sticks and straws. People sing songs accompanied by drums; they dance and sing with joy until the fire fades out before breaking the festival. The main celebration follows the next day during the day where people are in a celebratory mood, people sprinkle colored water on one another and smear their faces with colored powder, and children equally participate by spraying colored water to anyone passing by during the celebrations.
During the celebrations, people interact freely, dance, sing, and play drums while visiting their friends, families, and neighbors. After the morning celebrations, people gather in the evening to finalize the celebration with delicious food people also wear good clothes during the occasion. The main purpose of the celebration of Holi festivals if to celebrate the triumph of good and evil that stems from in ancient Indian tradition. The Holi festival marks the onset of spring meaning celebrating good harvests or fertility; it represents a new life associated with the season.
This celebration is about love and compassion that is why it has called the festival of love. For Hindus, the Holi festival offers the message of friendship and goodwill. During the occasion, people forget about their disagreement or quarrels and mix freely. There are no boundaries during the celebrations. Holi festival is full of joy, and the spirit of friendship is visible during this period.
