Summary
The joyousness of the event is reflected in images of large groups flinging coloured powder into the air.
Holi has to be one of the most well-known Hindu celebrations in the world.
The joyousness of the event is reflected in images of large groups flinging coloured powder into the air.
But what exactly is it, and how is it commemorated? Everything you need to know is right here.
What exactly is Holi?
Holi is a spring celebration, a festival of love, a festival of colours, and a festival of love.
It is a Hindu celebration that commemorates Radha Krishna’s eternal love for the feminine and male aspects of God, as well as the triumph of virtue over evil.
It’s a joyful occasion that heralds the coming of spring’s bounty and the conclusion of a long winter.
It is said to be a day for reconciliation with loved ones, friends, and family, as well as for forgetting about previous conflicts in order to enjoy unity.
The celebration is tied to a variety of Hindu stories, but the overarching theme is the triumph of virtue over evil.
One of the most prominent legends is of the Hindu god Krishna’s exploits in the northern Indian city of Vrindavan.
He’d get up to all kinds of trouble, pretending to be someone else, stealing butter from cowherd girls, and delighting everyone he met.
He and his milkmaid buddies used to play coloured water games together, bringing pleasure and love while removing greed and wrath.
The narrative tells us about love in its purest form, when selfishness, greed, jealousy, and fury are absent.
“Holi is particularly liked by believers of the deity Krishna,” according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
“Its overall playfulness is thought to be a parody of Krishna’s gopis’ antics” (wives and daughters of cowherds).
“Rituals of reversal culminate in a fight at Vraja (modern Gokul, [near Agra]), in which the ladies of Radha’s natal town pound the men of Krishna’s village with staves, while the men defend themselves with shields.”
When is Holi this year?
Holi happens on Friday, March 18 this year. In India and Nepal, it is a national holiday.
On the final full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it occurs in the month of Phalguna (Purnima).
The first evening is known as Holika Dahan, or Chhoti Holi, and it is when friends and relatives gather around a bonfire to celebrate the triumph of good over evil and to hope that this victory would be reflected within them, destroying any internal evil.
Holi, or Rangwali Holi, is celebrated the next day.
Holi is a Hindu festival that is celebrated in a variety of ways.
Hindus celebrate Holi by mixing colours and lighting bonfires throughout India, Nepal, and other parts of the world.
Holi is known over the world for its habit of tossing coloured powder into the air and over others.
“Participants throw coloured water and powders on one another, and on this one day alone, licence is given for the customary ranks of caste, gender, position, and age to be inverted,” according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
“While the festivities in the streets are frequently distinguished by obscene language and behaviour, when everyone bathes, dons clean white clothing, and visits friends, teachers, and relatives, the orderly structures of society are reasserted and regenerated.”
“In many places, people light a bonfire early in the morning to commemorate the burning of the demon Holika (or Holi), who was engaged by Hiranyakashipu to slay his son Prahlada because of the latter’s unwavering devotion to Vishnu.
“Worshippers are reminded of how Vishnu (in the shape of a lion-man, Narasimha) fought and killed Hiranyakashipu, thereby vindicating both Prahlada and Vishnu.”