RANG BARSE ... HOLI ... FESTIVAL OF COLORS, LOVE AND SPRING

 

 


 

 

RANG BARSE   ...   HOLI ... FESTIVAL OF COLORS,  LOVE AND SPRING



Holi celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities of  Radha and  Krishna. 

 

The day signifies the triumph of good over evil,  as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu as well.

 

People across India and the Hindu community around the world celebrate the  "Spring Festival" of India 'Holi'.

 

Holi is a colorful and joyous Hindu festival that is celebrated primarily in India and Nepal.  It is often referred to as the "Festival of Colors" and marks the arrival of spring.  Holi is one of the most popular and vibrant festivals in India and is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fervor.


One of the most recognizable and enjoyable aspects of Holi is the throwing of the colored powders and water at each other.  People of all ages engage in this playful celebration of colors.  Water balloons, colorful water guns (pichkaris), and dry colored powders are used to drench and cover each other in a rainbow of colors. 

 

Traditionally, these colors were derived from plant sources: green from neem and henna leaves; yellow from turmeric and marigold; blue from indigo; and red from pomegranates, the flame of the forest (Butea monosperma), and red sandalwood.   Nowadays, people prefer herbal colors.

 

                     



 

One origin story for Holi’s particular color-throwing festivities comes from a legend in which a young Krishna would often ask his foster mother, Yashoda, why he was dark—Krishna and Vishnu are usually depicted as blue, and Krishna is called by the epithet Shyam (“Dark”)—while his beloved Radha’s skin was fair. When Yashoda playfully suggested to him that he could smear color on Radha to change her complexion to any color he liked, Krishna went on to play with colors with Radha and the gopis (cowherd girls), introducing the festival of Holi.

 

 

On the night before Holi a bonfire is lit to commemorate the victory of good over evil.  This ritual is known as "Holika Dahan" or "Choti Holi".  People gather around the bonfire to sing, dance, and perform religious rituals.  Holi is also a time for special food and sweets.  People prepare and share a variety of traditional snacks, and dishes, such as gujiya (sweet dumplings), lassi, thandai (special spiced milk with almond, saffron, poppy seeds, cardamom, and rose petals), bhang, and other festive delicacies.  Bhang is an edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant originating from the Indian subcontinents.

 

Holi is also a time to break down social barriers and come together in a spirit of unity and joy.   It is a time to forgive and forget, repair relationships, and celebrate with friends and family.  

                      

Holi is a time for merriment and togetherness and is celebrated with great fervor by different communities and backgrounds in India.  It has gained popularity in many other parts of the world as a vibrant and fun-filled cultural celebration of color and love.  


Over the past millennium, many myths have been associated with the celebration of Holi, but the three most commonly recounted ones are of Krishna and Radha, Hiranyakashipu and Prahlada, and Shiva and Kama.

 

Including non-Hindus in Holi festivals, where all divisions are ignored, allow diaspora Hindus to integrate in a joyful way with their wider communities and vice versa.

 

But in conclusion people take bath and put on fresh clothes and visit friends, teachers, and relatives.

 

 There are many Bollywood movie scenes and songs depicting Holi.

                       

                              



I am most delighted about this festival of spring, colors, and love and wish all my Hindu brethren and the one who celebrates a "Happy Holi".

 

 


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