It is not only about colors but is about fun, frolic, wonder, love, enthusiasm, fervor, Positivity, Energy, Joy, Unity, diversity, Harmony and Brotherhood. India is the country of diverse cultures, traditions, customs, rituals and festivals and in different parts of the country different festivals are celebrated with pomp and show. Holi is one such festival and is rightly called as the festival of colors but is celebrated although in different ways across the length and breadth of India, however the sprinkling of the colors is common to all parts of the country .The festival of Holi fosters the unity and togetherness among the people of the country and therefore this festival of colors has got special importance for national cohesion and unity. The festival of Holi is celebrated to bade goodbye to winter and to welcome the season of spring and thus the Holi symbolizes positivity in life and is celebrated to encourage and have the feeling of positivity which is so important for life of the individual. This festival is celebrated to discourage and shun all negativity in lives of the people.
The important part of Holi is why people celebrate this festival, and they associate with themselves many legends surrounding it. It is, in fact, as already said, celebrated because of the advent of spring and the passing of winter, because of the blossoming of love, and for many as the festive occasion to meet others, play, laugh, forget and forgive, and most of all, mend broken relationships. The springtime festival is also taken as the beginning of good harvests. It generally stretches for a night and day, with beginning on the evening of Purnima-a full moon that comes around in the month of Phalguna, usually falling around mid-March in the Gregorian calendar. The first evening is called Holika Dahan, the burning of Holika the Demoness, or Chhoti Holi, and the next day itself is called Holi. The festival of colours, Holi in India, is the celebration of triumph of good over evil, the burning of the demoness Holika. It is said that the cruel king, Harenyakashap, ordered all to worship him, declaring himself a god; his son, the Vishnu bhakt Prahlad, however, did not accept the order. Therefore, to punish him, Harenyakashyap ordered Holika, who was resistant to fire, to burn her own brother in her lap. But there happened a miracle that Prahlad was not burned, but his aunt Holika was reduced to ashes. Thus Holi is celebrated as the day of the victory of good over evil.
Holi is a very special Hindu festival but is also celebrated by other religions, such as the Sikhs and Jains; it upholds the spirit of oneness and mutual brotherhood, thereby extending strength to tolerance and secularism .Indeed, all important festivals in India are celebrated by all communities in unison; this is the beauty of our land, as well as the principle and practice of unity in diversity, an intrinsic hallmark of India .The Holi festival is observed in various forms and customs across different states, but sprinkling of colors is a common celebration among all states of India .Hence, the Indian states are really diverse in the manner in which they celebrate Holi. In U.P., men and women sing popular songs, shouting chants to Radha and Krishna. In Kanpur, Hon starts for seven days, the last day being a grand fair called Ganga Mela or Holi Mela. In Gorakhpur Holi begins with a special pooja and through the day brotherhood is put into practice among people. In Barsana village, Lathmar Holi is celebrated. According to myths, Holi originated in Barsana and neighboring territories of Vrindavan, Mathura, Nandgaon, and Barsana .Interestingly, Holi here is celebrated not only with colors but also with Lathis. It is said that Krishna, being upset that the children of Mathura teased him over his dark skin, sprinkled colors on them and the Gopis at Yashodhara's command.
It is said that the Ashes of the Demoness Holika were sprinkled on friends and relatives the day after she was burnt and this gradually turned into sprinkling of colors on the people. In different cultural traditions and practices in India, Holi is celebrated in one way or the other but the sprinkling of the colored waters upon people is a common feature to all Holi revelries. People see one another as they pass and throw colors upon each other in revelry, to the beats of the utmost drumming and singing in joy. In Maharashtra, the festival of Holi is celebrated as the Rang panchmi, wherein colors are thrown upon the friends and relatives with grand cheerfulness. Festivals of Holi now imbibe a spirit of trust among communities which cannot be un-leagued together and togetherness is fostered by celebrating the festival through sprinkling the colored water. Hence, boosting pluralism and secularism for the survival of a secular democracy gives the festival of colors a power to unite people of different faiths despite it, being a Hindu festival. In Gorkhpur, people go to their friends, sprinkle colored water over them, sing songs of praise to Lord Krishna and Radha, and unite people. Hence by jointly celebrating this festival, different communities foster a spirit of oneness. With each passing day anticipation grows in the hearts of the people bound to the rejoicings of vishuddhaprakash or Holi; such is a welcome of this festival with open arms, with different colors being put in use, instilled upon friends, relatives, and those on the way. It is great that in the eco-friendly Holi of our time, people are using natural colors so that neither they nor the environment comes to harm. Thus, the festival of Holi exhibits the special quality of unity in diversity and builds on that trait and theme of India. Let us all observe the festival of colors with enthusiasm and spirit, and may this festival usher in a new era of brotherhood and peace among mankind!
The custom has extended in parts of Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, such that lathi-wielding females beat up males. It goes by the title of Lathmar Holi, and the practice continues even to this day. In lusty spirit, the people of India celebrate Holi: the festival of colors. But did you ever think that there are so many splendid differences in how other parts of India celebrate this festival? Holi at Mathura and Vrindavan lasts for a few days with lot of talking. It was here that Krishna spent most of his childhood: these celebrations are held in Uttar Pradesh state in North India and continue for almost a week and more. Each of those major temples which contained the idol of Krishna and Radha had decided to celebrate Holi on different days. Those temples are packed with people who come to soak with the colored waters and to pray through song and gaiety to lord Krishna and Radha. In Punjabi culture, the celebrations arise from the Hola Mohalla ritual initiated by Guru Gobind Singh, aimed at physically displaying martial arts techniques. It represents a warrior celebration of Holi, taking place a day before Holi, called Hola Mohalla. The celebrations then begin at sunrise on Holi itself. People get clad in their Holi dress and prepare with colors and sweets to invite others to love in colorful fun. The Punjab Holi celebrations create a kaleidoscope of color, rhythm, dance, and food of spring. Traditionally, Hola Mohalla, Rishi Holi-like, is essentially a celebration of the camaraderie that warriors share. Holi is an occasion for meeting and mingling with all your friends and relatives in Punjab. It is the occasion to forgive and forget and embrace one and all as the colors signify the binding and mixing with all. In some parts of the Uttar Pradesh the idols of Holika are burnt to remember the victory of good over the evil.
(Vivek Koul)
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