Have you ever heard about the Holi color festival?
What do you know about it? If you’re a fan of colors and like to learn more about this colorful festival, stay tuned
So, every year, in many parts of the world, in many countries, people celebrate the colors, which are called the festival of colors. and also one of the most famous color festivals is the Holi festival of colors. Even western people celebrate this festival. So, we can say it is a universal event.
In the following, we will talk more about this mesmerizing festival.
What is the Holi festival colors?
The word Holi comes from the word “hola” which means to offer prayers to the gods for good harvest. it’s an ancient celebration in which people celebrate the colors. It goes by several names like the festival of love, the festival of colors, the festival of spring. This festival originally comes from India. However, it has spread to other parts of the world as well, such as some regions of Asia and western countries. this festival celebrates the infinite and sacred love of Radha Krishna (Hindu god).
Holi color festival also shows the triumph of good over bad. The good always wins.
Festival of spring
This festival also celebrates the beginning of spring and the blossoming of the trees and flowers.
The ceremony goes on for one day and one night, and it starts on the evening of the Purnima (the fool moon day). On the other hand, in some other parts it lasts more than two days. For example, in the Braj region the festival goes on for sixteen day. Therefore, people also show their gratitude to God for the good harvest of the spring.
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Rangwali
Rangwali is in fact the second day of the festival and the colorful part starts. During rangwali people march through the streets and throw color powder and water bombs at each other. So, it gives people a chance to have fun, sing, and dance together.
What happens at the Holi festival of colors?
It starts with firing up huge piles of wood. People tend to show the destruction of the bad and evil spirits by lighting pyres. During this holiday, people throw color powder at each other, and the streets turn colorful.
Colors in the Holi
People use different colors for this celebration. Like red, yellow, green, and blue. Each of these colors convey a meaning. Red symbolizes love and fertility, yellow is the color of turmeric which is a powder used as a natural remedy., green represents the spring and fresh starts, and finally, blue is the color of Indian God, Krishna. So, all of this makes a connection between the colors and the reasons why people use these colors.
Blue, the color of Krishna
People in India believe that Krishna had blue skin and was in love with Radha. But radha had a different skin color and that made krishna sad. Therefore, Krishna’s mother suggested that they paint Radha with paint, and that led to the color celebration.
What is the moral of the Holi color festival?
The moral point of this festival is that good always destroys evil. To signify it, people burn large bonfires and throw dry leaves and wood into the fire. In some parts of India, and also it’s customary to burn a dummy of Holika on the fire.
What is the history of the Holi color festival?
Holi celebrates the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad. Hiranyakashipu, the evil king who had extraordinary powers. It’s believed that those powers made him almost invincible. Thus, being the evil king, he demanded everyone in his kingdom to admire and worship him.
What do the myth say?
Legends record that Lord Vishnu was the murderer of the demon lord, Hiranyakashipu, younger brother. The revenge and the motive of ruling the earth and heaven drove the demon lord to defeat Vishnu. The invincible king ordered his kingdom to worship him, but his son, Prahalad, wouldn’t. He insisted on maintaining his deity to none but Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu, the evil king, decided to kill Prahalad with his sister’s help, Holika. Holika was immune to fire. They tried to kill Prahalad on a burning pyre but the fire didn’t kill him. He came out of the fire unhurt though Holika was burned to the ashes. In the end, Vishnu killed Hiranyakashipu too. So, based on this story, people light up pyres to eradicate the evil, moral of the story.
In the end
To wrap it up, the Holi celebration connotes the triumph of good and innocence over bad and evil.
How to celebrate the Holi?
At this festival, people gather together and spend time with each other. They throw colorful powder at each other to celebrate the colors, love, and happiness. There are two types of powder: dry and mixed with water. The dry powder color is called Gulal, and the one mixed with water is called Rang. families and friends set up tables, color powder, water balloons, and water blasters, and play Bollywood kinds of music and celebrate it.
What do people eat on Holi?
In many parts of the world, it is a tradition to make and eat special food on special occasions. Holi is no exception. So, on this very special occasion Indian people make some special food to make it more spicy than it already it.
Here are ten foods that people mostly eat during the Holi:
- Barfi
2. Dahi Vada
3.Dhuska
4. Ladoos
5. Kachori
6. Gujiya
7. Lassi
8.Malpua
9. Thandai
10. Namak para
What do people wear for this Holi festival?
What you wear doesn’t really matter. You can simply go with a T-shirt and pants, or a long dress. But you need to know that your clothes are not going to be the same color they were. There’s going to be color stains on all of your clothes.
Where are the best spots to celebrate Holi in India?
If you’re heading to India and you’re going to be there during Holi, then don’t miss these places:
- Braj ki Holi – UP
- Laddoo ki Holi – Mathura
- Phoolon ki Holi (Holi of Flowers) – Vrindavan & Pushkar
- Lathmar Holi – Mathura
- Eleholi – Jaipur
- Holi at Shantiniketan – Kolkata
- Holi in Maharashtra – Mumbai
- Holi in Manipur
Conclusion
To sum it up the Holi color festival is a great opportunity to celebrate the beauty of colors and the joy of being together. It’s also a reminder that no matter what, the good and purity always wins over bad and evil. All the customs and traditions are there to make this celebration even more interesting. Holi color festival gathers people, families, and friends together to remind them that there’s still so much beauty and happiness to celebrate and honor in this world. So, get ready for next year’s festival and enjoy as much as you can.
If you’re interested in colors and history and you would like to read more about colors in historical events, then check out inside colors blog: