HOLI- THE FESTIVAL OF LOVE AND COLORS

Holi is an ancient Hindu festival of colors, It signifies victory of good over the evil. It is a celebration of arrival of Spring, which is celebrated every year on the day after the full moon purnima in the Hindu month of PHALGUNA, which is in early March. 

HOLI  is also the festival of love, where people forget their differences leave the bad deeds behind and start fresh towards the beautiful life. . 

The HOLI festival begins with "HOLIKA-DAHAN" on the night of full moon purnima, where the people get together and perform religious rituals in front of the bonfire to also burn the sculpture of HOLIKA the sister of demon king HIRANYA-KASHIPU , as a sign of the victory of good over evil. As HOLIKA had the boon that she could enter the fire unscathed, so she took PRAHLAD - the son of demon king and made him sit on her lap in the bonfire. As PRAHLAD was the faithful devotee of LORD VISHNU , he was saved by the grace of God and walked out safe from the bonfire, and holika burned down to ashes hence signifying the Victory of good over the evil. The name HOLI is derived from the name HOLIKA.

One of the important story associated with HOLI is the story of GODDESS RADHA and LORD KRISHNA, as blue color represents LORD KRISHNA.

As LORD KRISHNA'S skin turn blue, as a baby when he drank poisonous milk from a demon called PUTNA. When LORD KRISHNA fell in love with GODDESS RADHA he was worried that GODDESS RADHA would not feel the same way because of his skin color. As GODDESS  RADHA  was fair and beautiful, but GODDESS RADHA let LORD KRISHNA apply color to her skin and they became couples. Since then it became a tradition to apply colors to each other in HOLI.

It is also said on this day, that LORD SHIVA opened his third eye TRINETRA and Diminish KAMADEVA to ashes.

HOLI is most awaited Festival as every human being elderly or young, also kids love to play HOLI.

As I am a Hindu-Sindhi, I would like to share the traditional way we celebrate the HOLI.

On the "HOLIKA-DAHAN" day we make small KOKI-BHAKRIS out of wheat flour, ghee and jaggery. We tie the Bhakris with the string and roast them on the dried Cow-Dung. We call the Bhakris as Rotro,but the beauty is the string does not burn in the Bonfire, this signifies what HOLIKA did when she sat in the Bonfire along with PRAHLAD as Bhakt PRAHLAD walked out of the fire safely,same way the string do not burn in the Bonfire due to God's blessings.After the Bhakris-Rotro are roasted on the Cow-Dung, it is distributed as Prasad to everyone present at the time of the rituals of HOLIKA-DAHAN.

As we celebrate HOLI- on the 17th March eve is the "HOLIKA-DAHAN" and on 18th we play HOLI with color powder or organic colors.

As we are still in the middle of Pandemic we need to be more cautious, I am sure the young generation is more responsible, about following the guidelines and celebrating the festival more responsibly.

I wish everyone HAPPY and COLORFUL HOLI.

By Viinod Baherani