Holi:
Holi is one of the greatest festivals that is hugely popular in India; people celebrate it across the country. It is also referred to as the festival of love because on this day people lose whatever animosity they harbor against each other. The most significant Indian festival begins in the evening of Purnima, the whole moon day in the month of Falgun, and lasts for a whole day and night. Holika Dahan, also known as Choti Holi, is celebrated on the first evening of the festival; Holi is celebrated on the next day.. It goes by several names, depending on where in the region you live. As the festival of colors, Holi is a day to celebrate the brilliance of color, which fills our lives with a lot of positivity. India celebrates the well-known Hindu festival Holi with great delight and fervor throughout the country. One day prior to Holi, the ritual begins with lighting a bonfire, which represents the victory of good over evil. People play with color with their friends and family on Holi 2025, and in the evening, they honor and show affection to their loved ones.
Why do we celebrate Holi?
One of the many myths and stories surrounding the Holi Festival is derived from Hindu mythology. One of the deities of Hinduism, Krishna, is mischievous and enjoys covering the shepherdess in coloured powder. Following the myth’s century of dissemination, it gave rise to a distinctive regional tradition in India.
According to a different legend, a tyrant once stopped his people from believing in Vishnu, but his son defied him and persisted in believing. Then, on a night of full moon, the tyrant gave his sister Holika the order to burn the prince. By the grace of Lord Vishnu, they found him unharmed when the people hurried to bring water containers to him the following morning. Holika, on the other hand, had become ashes.Since Holika is the epitome of evil, people celebrate Holika Dahan each year by burning effigies of her. They then hurl coloured powder at one another to commemorate the triumph of good over evil.
Celebrations of Holi
Holika Dahan: The Prelude to Holi
The first day is referred to as Jalane Wali Holi, or the day the Holi fire is put out. Other names for this day are Chhoti Holi and Holika Dahan.The term Kama Dahanam refers to Holika Dahan in South India. On the eve of the full moon in spring, people burn bonfires as a way to celebrate. The locals will toss the grass, wood, or paper Holika sculptures into the fire and burn them. Known as Holika Dahan, it symbolizes Holika’s demise in the fire.You can also join Mathura’s beautiful paradise, which stretches from Vishram Ghat to the Holi Gate, from 3 p.m. to night for a livelier atmosphere.
The main day of Holi
Rangwali Holi, or the second day, is when people play with coloured powder and coloured water. Dhulandi, or Dhulandi (धुलण्डी), is another name for Rangwali Holi, the major Holi day. The other, less common ways to pronounce Dhulandi are Dhuleti and Dhulheti. The people perform traditional Indian music during their “color battle” on this particular day. People chant “Happy Holi,” dance, and give each other hugs as they celebrate.Individuals of all ages, both male and female, congregate in the streets to sprinkle coloured powder on each other’s foreheads as a way of offering blessings. Some just take the powder and give themselves a full-body spray. The world is amazing and vibrant wherever the powder ends up.Naughty children will even mix the color powder with water and shoot everybody they come across with a water polo ball or water gun.
Stories of Holi:
The Holi Festival is the subject of numerous legends and myths, one of which is based on Hindu mythology. One of the protectors of Hinduism, Krishna, is mischievous and enjoys dousing the shepherdess in coloured powder.
Hiranyakashipu and his son Prahlad
A mythology found in the Vishnu and Bhagavata Purana states that Hiranyakashipu, also known as the King of Demons, forbade his son Prahlada from paying homage to Lord Vishnu. Despite the warnings, Prahlada persisted in her unrestricted allegiance and earnest devotion to the divine. Later, a furious Hiranyakashipu harassed Prahlada to such an unbearable degree that he attempted to kill his son. For eight days, from Ashtami to Purnima in the Hindu month of Phalgun, he mistreated Prahlada, yet he was unable to hurt him. We celebrate Holashtak on these eight days. Hiranyakashipu gave his sister, Holika, the task of killing Prahlada. The gift that Holika had from birth was that fire would never hurt or kill her. With the purpose of killing him, she mistreated, and grabbed Prahlada to sit on her lap while she sat on fire. But due to Prahlada’s sheer commitment and loyalty which he had for his teacher, Lord Vishnu once again offered him shelter. Thus, Holika the demon was burnt to ashes, and he himself was unscathed. Following this day, which is called Holika Dahan, there is a festival of Holi, also called Rangwali Holi
Tale of Lord Krishna:
Another tale has it that a young Krishna became jealous of Radha’s skin tone. He asked Yashodha, his foster mother, why Radha had a light complexion while he had dark skin. Yashoda responded by jokingly asking him to paint Radha in his favorite colors. After hearing this, Krishna was so happy that he painted her face with different colors, starting the Holi celebration.
Tale of Lord shiva and Parvati:
A tradition from the Shiv Puran states that shortly after Sati accepted death by fire, Lord Shiva entered a meditational trance. She later took on a new life as the goddess Parvati and made a marriage proposal to Lord Shiva, but he rejected her. Lord Kama Deva, the Lord of Love and Carnal Desires, was invited to awaken passion in Lord Shiva. He shot Lord Shiva with his flowery arrows on Phalgun Ashtami Day in an attempt to evoke strong emotions in him, upsetting Lord Shiva as he was meditating. He became so enraged by this that he burned Kama Deva to ashes by opening his third eye. Rati, the wife of Lord Kama Deva, appealed to Lord Vishnu and asked him to revive her husband.Lord Shiva felt sorry for her, so much so that he raised her from the dead. We celebrate this day as Holika Dahan, and the day following is the
Regional Holi Celebrations
States all throughout the nation celebrate Holi in different ways. These are eight distinct Holi customs that are subject to various states.
1. Lathmar Holi: The Holi of Sticks in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, is a celebration of violence, as the name suggests. Women greet men with sticks on this day, asking them to work hard and support their women. Men are also encouraged to dress femininely and dance in the Holi mood.
2. Dhulandi: Holi is known as Dhulandi Holi in Haryana, when the brother’s wife, Bhabi, makes their brothers-in-law pay for the pranks they had played on them all year.
3. Rangpanchami: In Maharashtra, Holi is known as Rangpanchami which is observed in the month of March. This celebration is known as Shimga, or Shimgo, in Maharashtra and Goa. Indeed, the fifth day entails people playing with colors on, and dancing, making music and other forms of merrymaking.
4. Basant Utsav: Before the advent of spring, people of West Bengal celebrate Basant Utsav which like Holi includes colors, dance, music, and pious hymning.
5. Dol Purnima : Holi is also called Dol Purnima in West Bengal where it is celebrated through songs’ and dances’ and dignified prayer offered to Krishna and Radha. Students wear garlands atop confiscated clothes that are a shade of saffron.
6. Hola Mohalla: Hola Mohalla is an event that is celebrated after seventy days of harvest in Punjab and involves the Sikhs engaging in feats that are a bit dangerous for a period of three days.
7. Kaman Pandigai: Tamil Nadu: Holi called Kaman Pondigal to honor the effort of Lord Kama Deva on the festival.
8. Phagu Purnima: The above traditional celebration of Phagu Purnima is celebrated in Kathmandu. Phagu is symbolic to sacred red powder and Purnima stands for Full Moon Day.
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