Holi festival
The festival of Holi in India fills a lot of happiness and color in everyone's life, due to making people's life colorful, it is commonly called 'Rang Mahotsav'. It brings unity and love among the people. It is also known as "Festival of Love". It is a traditional and cultural Hindu festival, which has been celebrated by the older generations since ancient times and is being followed every year by the new generation.
It is a festival of love and colors which is celebrated every year with joy and enthusiasm by the people of Hindu religion. It is a festival of refreshing the mind, which not only refreshes the mind but also the relationships. This is such a festival which people celebrate by distributing love and affection with their family members and relatives which also strengthens their relationships. It is such a festival that makes people forget their old bad behavior and bind them in a string of relationships.
On this day people use red color and red gulal which is not only red color but also a symbol of love and affection for each other. In fact it not only paints people from outside, but also paints their soul in different colors. It is not appropriate to call it a simple festival because it gives color to the uncolored people. It brings a comma in the normal routine of the busy life of the people.
It is celebrated everywhere by Hindus of Indian origin. However, it is mainly celebrated by the people of India and Nepal. It is a festive ritual, in which all together light the bonfire of Holika, sing and dance with the myth that all the bad habits and evil forces are burnt with Holika and new energy and good habits are added to their lives. Achievements will be made. The next morning brings a lot of happiness to them which they express through coloring and gambling throughout the day.
To play Holi, they use water guns (pichkari) and balloons in open roads, parks and buildings. Some musical instruments are used to sing songs and dance. They spend their whole day colouring, singing, dancing, eating delicious things, drinking, hugging each other, meeting at friends' houses and many other activities.
Holi 2021
The festival of Holi will be celebrated with full enthusiasm by Indians living in India and abroad on 29th March, Monday, 2021.
When is Holi celebrated?
According to the Hindu calendar, the Holi festival is celebrated on an annual basis in the month of March (or sometimes in the month of February) in Falgun Purnima. This festival also signifies the victory of good over the power of evil. It is a festival when people meet each other, laugh, forget problems and forgive each other and revive relationships. It is celebrated with great joy in the lunar month, the last day of the full moon day of Phalguna, the beginning of the summer season and the end of the winter season. It is a festival of lots of fun and frolic activities that bind people in one place. Everyone has a big smile on their face and they wear new clothes to show their happiness.
Why is Holi celebrated?
There are many reasons to celebrate the festival of Holi every year. It is a grand celebration of colours, delicious foods, unity and love. Traditionally, it is celebrated as the victory of good over the power of evil or of evil. It is named as "Phagwah" because it is celebrated in the Hindi month, Falgun.
The word Holi is derived from the word "Hola" which means worship of God to get new and good harvest. Holika Dahan on the festival of Holi indicates that those who are dear to the Lord will be saved like the mythological character Prahlad, while those who are fed up with the people of the Lord will one day be punished like the mythological character Holika.
There are many historical significance and legends (of mythological story in India) behind celebrating the festival of Holi. It is one of the oldest Hindu festivals, celebrated for many years. Various relics related to Holi festival have been found on the walls of ancient Indian temples. Ahmednagar paintings and Mewar paintings are the extant varieties of medieval paintings from the 16th century which represent Holi celebrations during ancient times.
The festival of Holi is different from state to state as in many states of the country, Holi festival is celebrated for three consecutive days whereas, in different states it is a one day festival. People celebrate the first day of Holi (full moon day or Holi Purnima), by showering colored powder on other members of the household. They begin the ceremony by pouring a brass vessel filled with some colored powder and water in a plate. The second day of the festival is called "Puno" which means the main day of the festival, when people light the Holika bonfire according to the Muhurta.
This process is celebrated as the myth of the ancient history of Holika and Prahlad to commemorate the victory of good over evil. The third-day festival is called "Parva" i.e. the last day of the festival, when people come out of their homes, hug each other, apply Gulal on their foreheads, play with colors, dance, sing, share with each other. Meet, eat delicious dishes and do a lot of activities. According to the customs and traditions, Holi is known as 'Lathmar Holi' in Uttar Pradesh, "Phagwah" or "Deol" in Assam, 'Dhol Purnima' in Bengal.
