HOLI, festival of colours (08.03.2023)
-Rohit Kumar Parmar [1]
Pic HOL 01 Colours of Holi
Holi, the festival of colours celebrates the end of winter and arrival of spring, [2] with a tall and visible Rabi (mustard, wheat) crop ripening and ready for harvest. Holi celebrations begin in February with prayers in temples, and end with grand Mathura Holi (normally in March) in Brij Bhoomi (western Uttar Pradesh along the banks of river Yamuna) in Barsana, Gokul, Mathura, Nandgaon, Vrindavan, (places associated with God Krishna’s childhood), and in other parts of India, Nepal and by the diaspora.
Holi celebrations start on the evening of Purnima (Full Moon) in Phalguna (corresponding to March) with Holika Dahan (burning of an effigy of Holika) when people gather, perform rituals encircling the bonfire, and pray that their internal evils (anger, envy, greed, jealousy) be destroyed. Holika, the sister of king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in a fire, in a failed attempt to immolate Bhakt Prahlad, who was a devotee of Vishnu and the son of Hiranyakashipu.
Pic HOL 02 Gujiya, favourite sweet of holi
The following morning is celebrated as Holi, Dhulandi, Dhuleti, Phaguwah, or Rangwali Holi.
In Assam, Odisha, West Bengal and Bangladesh, it is called Dola Jatra, Dola Purnima, Doul Utsav or Deul. The word Dol means swing (Jhula). According to a legend, it was on this day (Phalguna Poornima), that Krishna first expressed his love for Radha by throwing 'Phag' (powdered colour - gulaal) on her face while she played on a swing with her 'sakhis'. In the celebrations, after applying colour, the sakhis (सखी) celebrate the moment of union by carrying Radha and Krishna, on a palki (palanquin) - called jatra (journey). Even today, traditional Bengali Dol Jatra is played with dry colours. The day also marks the last festival of the year as per the Bengali calendar.
Holi is a free-for-all festival of colours, where people apply dry and wet colour and drench each other with coloured/water. Traditionally Gulal (dry pink, with red, green, yellow and blue colours) is applied. After applying colour people say `बुरा ना मानो होली है’ (bura na maano holi hai, don’t mind, it is Holi)’ Children use water guns and water-filled balloons to celebrate Holi, starting a few days before Holi. At work place and in educational institutions on the last evening before Holi, dry colour is applied to friends, colleagues and others.
Some of the colours used are toxic/strong chemical base and there is a need to avoid them and preferably play with natural/safe colours. There is need for elders to guide children/others to respect people, especially women and people moving for work, who don’t want to play Holi.
Pic HOL 03 Vendor selling Dhols close to Holi
टोलिस (Groups) beat the ढोल (drum) and play musical instruments, moving from place to place, singing and dancing and saying `होली है (It’s Holi)’ and receive sweets and money. Customary intoxicating drink ठंडाई made from bhang (hemp/cannabis) base, is also taken as prasad. Bhang pakodas are also prepared as a namkeen (savoury) dish, alongwith चाट, दही भल्ला, समोसा, कचौड़ी. गुझिया (Gujiya) mithai/variants are an important sweet prepared on Holi. Other sweets include मालपुआ (malpua), मटका कुल्फी (matka kulfi).
Pic HOL 04 Thandai, Bhang Plant and Bhang Pakodas
Several Indian movies have songs on Holi, where there is singing, dancing and playing Holi. True to Indian cinema, it continues to focus on social, economic and other issues, and in one song, Holi is played with a widow, which was otherwise taboo. [3]
Legends associated with Holi
There are several legends associated with Holi, some of which relate to incarnations of God Vishnu (अवतार , avatars) and other Gods.
Krishna avatar legend
In Braj Bhoomi where Krishna grew up, Holi is celebrated till Rang Panchami (fifth day of the lunar month, Phalguna) in commemoration of the love of Radha and Krishna.
There is a mythological story behind Krishna, when as a baby he developed characteristic dark skin colour because demoness Putana, attempted to poison him by breast feeding him, after applying poison to her breasts.
Vishnu/Narasimha (half human and half lion) avatar legend
This is a legend to celebrate triumph of good over evil, in honour of Vishnu and his devotee Bhakta Prahlada.
According to Bhagavata Purana (legend in chapter 7 of Bhagavata Purana), Hiranyakashipu the king of Asuras (demons), grew arrogant after he earned a boon that granted him five wishes. These were - he could be killed by
neither a human, nor an animal;
neither indoors, nor outdoors;
neither at day, nor at night;
neither on land, water or in air; and
neither by astra (projectile/launched weapon), nor by any shastra (handheld weapon).
Hiranyakashipu demanded that everyone worship him but his son, Prahlada, remained a Vishnu devotee. Hiranyakashipu subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, which did not affect his devotion to Vishnu.
Holika, Prahlada's evil bhua (paternal aunt), tricked him into sitting with her on a pyre. Holika was wearing a divine chunni (cloth cloak used by women in India to cover their head and/or breasts) that made her immune to any injury from fire, while Prahlada was not protected. As the fire soared, a storm blew the chunni from Holika and covered Prahlada, who survived while Holika burned to death.
In a related/subsequent incident, Vishnu, appeared as Narasimha avatar – half human and half lion (neither a human nor an animal), at dusk (neither at day, nor at night), took Hiranyakashipu to the doorstep (neither indoors, nor outdoors), made him sit on his lap (neither on land, water or in air), and then disemboweled (removes his internal organs/intestines/guts) and kills him with lion claws (neither by astra projectile/launched weapon, nor by any shastra - handheld weapon).
Kama and Rati legend
Holi is also linked to God Siva who was in deep meditation. Goddess Parvati wanting to bring back Siva to the material world, seeks help from Kamadeva (god of love) on Vasant Panchami. Kamadeva shoots an arrow at Siva. Siva, opens his third eye and burns Kamadeva to ashes. This upsets both Rati (Kamadevi, Kamadev’s wife) and Parvati (Siva’s wife). Rati performs meditation for forty days, upon which Siva realises his mistake and forgives Kamadeva and brings him back to life. This return of Kamadeva is celebrated on the 40th day after Vasant Panchami as Holi. The Kamadeva legend has many variants, especially in South India.
Barsana लट्ठमार (Lathmaar) Holi
लट्ठमार (Lathmar, beating with thick/strong wooden sticks) Holi is a local celebration of Holi, and takes place days before Holi in the towns of Barsana and Nandgaon near Mathura.
The festivities take place at Radha Rani temple in Barsana, possibly the only temple dedicated to Goddess Radha.
The legend linked to Lord Krishna and Radha, is based in Nandagon, when on a visit to Barsana (Radha's town), Krishna teased Radha and her friends, who were offended by his advances and drove him out of Barsana.
So men from Nandagaon visit Barsana every year and are greeted by women striking laths at them. The men try to protect themselves but those who fail and are captured by these women, who then dress them as women and make them dance in public.
In addition to India and Nepal, Holi is celebrated by the diaspora in several countries. Variants of colour festivals are observed in South-East Asia, like Songkran in Thailand.
[1] Author (Free lance, IES Retd, Former Senior Economic Adviser, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) has in posts on his website (https://rohitkparmar.wixsite.com/site), YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@rohitkparmar), twitter (https://twitter.com/rohitkparmar?s=09), facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rohit.parmar.5268750/), Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-kumar-parmar-841b4724) been writing/ sharing varied topics and can be reached at rohitkparmar@yahoo.com. [2] Spring in the Indian sub-continent is different from the west in several respects, most important of which is that all trees in India do not shed all their leaves. [3] Some of these songs shared on Holi, can be viewed on facebook, twitter and YouTube channel of the author.
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