when is Holi celebrated
Holi is a festival of colors, which is celebrated every year in the month of Phagun (March) with great pomp by the people of Hindu religion. Holi is the main festival of Indian people celebrated in the spring season. It is a festival of amalgamation of enthusiasm, enthusiasm and spirituality. The festival of Holi is traditionally celebrated for two days. This festival is mainly celebrated in India and Nepal. This festival is also celebrated with great pomp in many other countries of the world where minority Hindu people live.
How is Holi celebrated?
This celebration of Holi starts from the evening of Holika Dahan on the last day of Phagun and the next day is meant to be drenched in colours. Small children eagerly wait for the festival of Holi and before its arrival, they start preparing colors, water cannons, and balloons etc. Also, the practice of Holika Dahan is celebrated by burning a pile of wood, grass, and cow dung at the intersection of the road. Let's fulfill
On the day people forget the social differences and throw colors, abir-gulal etc. on each other, people dance and sing Holi songs by playing drums and express happiness by distributing delicious dishes and sweets from house to house. It is believed that on the day of Holi people forget the old bitterness and hug and become friends again. The phase of coloring each other and singing goes on till noon. After this, after taking bath and resting, wearing new clothes, people visit each other's house in the evening, hug and feed sweets.
History of Holi:
Holi is one of the oldest festivals of India. Holi was also celebrated by the name Holika or Holaka. The festival of Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm in the spring season, hence it is also called Basantotsav and Kama-Mahotsav. Historians believe that Holi was prevalent among Aryans as well, but mostly it was celebrated in Eastern India only. The mention of this festival is also found in ancient manuscripts and texts of Puranas like Narada Purana and Bhavishya Purana.
Why is Holi celebrated?According to popular belief, this festival is celebrated to commemorate the death of Holika, the sister of an ancient king, Hiranyakashyap. It was a long time ago. There used to be a king named Hiranyakashyap. He had a sister named Holika and Holika had a son named Prahlad. Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and worshiped him daily, while his father wanted everyone including Prahlad to worship him. But devotee Prahlad did not mind this and he always worshiped Lord Vishnu. Enraged by this, his father planned to kill him by burning him with fire.
It is mentioned in the Puranas that Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika had a boon from God that fire could not burn her. Then Hiranyakashyap asked his sister Holika to sit in the fire with Prahlad in her lap, by doing so Prahlad would burn in the fire and Holika would be saved. Holika obeyed her brother and sat in the fire, but Prahlad was not harmed by this fire, but Holika herself was burnt to ashes in this fire. Holika didn't even remember that she can bathe in fire alone. Since then the tradition of celebrating this festival started.
According to Shiva Purana, Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya, was doing severe penance to marry Shiva and Shiva was also engaged in penance. Indra also had a hidden interest in Shiva-Parvati marriage that Tadkasur was to be killed by Shiva-Parvati's son. For this reason, Indra sent Kamadeva to break the penance of Shiva, but Shiva got angry and burnt Kamadeva. After Shiva's penance was broken, the deities persuaded Shiva to marry Parvati. Based on this legend, Holi celebrates the victory of true love by symbolically burning the spirit of lust.
Holi of Braj/Barsana:
Braj's Lathmar Holi, played in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, is famous all over the world. This style of showing love in the city which gives the message of love to the world, is no less tempting despite the knocking of sticks. Actually, it is not killing, it is love. This love and love draws tourists from all over the world to Mathura-Vandavan on Holi. Teams of masts reach from different parts of the country to participate in it.
Holi is celebrated for five days in the entire Braj region. When the fever of colors starts descending from the whole country, even then the enthusiasm is at its peak here. The preparation starts a month in advance. Its sound is heard in every street. From ISKCON Temple to Banke Bihari Temple, the event is held on a grand scale. Thousands drenched in colors gather in front of the Banke Bihari temple on the five days of Holi.
Importance of Holi festival:
The festival of Holi is being celebrated since very ancient times because of its cultural and traditional beliefs. It is mentioned in the holy books of India, such as the Puranas, the Dasakumar Charita, the Sanskrit dramas, the Ratnavalis, and many more.
Social Significance of Holi:
The festival of Holi has social significance in itself, on the day of Holi everyone forgets the old discrimination and throws colors, Abir-Gulal etc. at each other. Everyone goes to each other's house and expresses happiness by distributing delicious dishes and sweets. This festival removes all the problems and brings people very close, strengthens their bond.
Scientific Importance of Holi:
Holi is not just a festival, but it is very important for the environment as well as for your health. The festival of Holi comes at such a time in the year when people are lazy due to change in weather. It is natural for the body to feel tired and lethargic as the cold weather takes a warm turn. On the day of Holi everyone sings and dances loudly, which gives new energy to the human body.
This festival has a very beneficial effect on our body and mind. There is a tradition of burning Holika on the festival of Holi. Scientifically it makes the environment safe and clean as the winter and spring season provides the necessary environment for the growth of bacteria. Due to Holika Dahan at various places of the society all over India, the temperature of the atmosphere rises up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which kills bacteria and other harmful insects.
Changing form of Holi festival:
With the changing environment of the time, the form of Holi is also changing in the country. This festival, which has the identity of a community festival, is now slowly dividing into the realm of caste and group. Its ancient traditions are also fast disappearing. Earlier, as soon as the month of Falgun started in Hindi-speaking states, colorful and melodious songs of Holi started floating in the atmosphere. These are called Phag or Fagua songs in the local language, but due to lack of time, changing lifestyle and many other reasons, these traditions are disappearing both in cities and villages. Now the feeling of love is disappearing in people. Most of the people stick to TV and do not even go to meet each other due to mutual discrimination.
From the elderly to the youth used to participate in the group going out from the chaupals of the villages to play Holi. This group used to be an example of social unity, but after the trend of internet, the youth of the country are busy with their mobiles and laptops throughout the day without giving much importance to the festival of Holi. In this way, we can say that the colors of Holi are now fading due to the changing nature of time.