Happy Holi - Keep Calm & Look Like A Tropical Bird

Gulal - red, green, yellow and countless.

A day's canvas - a riot of colors.

Lively crowd running hither and thither,

Rainbow of colors, dashing from every nook and corner.

Disregarding their woe and despair fervent folks,

rejoicing at the marvel of colors.

A day filled with luster and gaiety,

A day to smear our dreams-

With a splash of vibrant frenzy colors.

Holi Hai! A spring of unbounded fun and frolic!


Spring is here and it's time we smeared our loved ones with the colours of happiness. Get ready with your pichkaaris & fill those water balloons, yes it's that time of the year again when nobody cares their clothes being ruined with those yellows & pinks! 😉



Holi is an ancient Hindu festival with its cultural rituals. It is mentioned in the Puranas, Dasakumara Charita, and by Kalidasa during Chandragupta II's reign in the 4th century. The celebration of Holi is also mentioned in the 7th century Sanskrit drama,'Ratnavali'. This colourful festival was earlier known as 'Holika'. It is to be believed that Holi was celebrated by all Aryans specially in the Eastern part of India.

The meaning of the festival is believed to have changed over the years, earlier it was a special rite performed by married women for the happiness and well-being of their families and the full moon (Raka) was worshiped.

Apart from having a detailed description in the Vedas and Puranassuch as Narad Purana and Bhavishya Purana, the festival of Holi also finds a place in Jaimini Mimansa. Holikotsav has a mention on a stone inscription belonging to 300 BC, found at Ramgarh in the province of Vindhya. There is also a mention of Holikotsav in King Harsha's Ratnavali written in the 7th century.

Holi, the most colorful festival of the country, has witnessed many legends. The legends that shows power of a true devotee, victory of virtue over vice and gives us many wise messages to cherish.



The Legend of Prahlad

Prahlad was the son of the evil king Hiranyakashap, who commanded his people to worship him over God. But, Prahlad being an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu refused to obey his father's order. Infuriated by this mutiny, Hiranyakashap tried to kill Prahlad multiple times but was saved by Lord Vishnu.
Ultimately, he asked his sister, Holika, to sit on the pyre with Prahlad. Holika was immune to fire as she had recieved a boon, according to which, she could enter the fire unscathed.Unfortunately, Holika wasn't aware that the boon would work only if she is alone. Holika was burnt to death but Prahlad, who was chanting the name of Lord Vishnu, was saved. Thus, Holi is the celebration of the victory of virtue over evil.


The Legend of Kamdev and Lord Shiva

After the death of Sati, Lord Shiva was grief-stricken and he renounced his worldly duties, and chose to go in deep meditation. This made all the Gods concerned, as several troubles had the world tangled. Meanwhile, Parvati started meditating to acquire Shiva as her husband. The Gods asked Lord Kamdev, the God of love and passion, to bring Lord Shiva back to his original self. Kamdev, despite knowing the consequences, aimed an arrow at Lord Shiva.This made Shiva furious and he opened his third eye, reducing Kamdev to ashes.

However, the Gods were successful in bringing Lord Shiva back to his original self and he married Parvati. After their marriage, Rati, wife of Lord Kamdev, pleaded Lord Shiva to forgive her husband and revive him. Lord Shiva accepted and revived Kamdev to his real self.



The Legend of Radha Krishna

Lord Krishna in his youth is said to be very mischievous. As a child, he was very jealous of Radha's light complexion. He went to his mother Yashoda and asked her about the injustice done to him. To pacify Krishna, she asked him to color Radha's face in the color which pleased him.
In his mischievous mood, Krishna applied color on Radha's face making her look like him. Because of this, Holi is extended in Vrindavan and Mathura. The devotees of Lord Krishna celebrate the festival in a cheerful way, as it is considered to be an imitation of Krishna's Holi celebrations with Gopis.



Cultural

Celebration of these legends associated with Holi reassure the people the power of the truth as the moral of all these legends is the ultimate victory of good over evil. The legend of Hiranyakashyap and Prahlad also points to the fact that extreme devotion to God pays, as god always takes his true devotee in his shelter.

All the legends help us to follow a good conduct in our lives and believe in the virtue of being truthful. This is extremely important in the modern society where certain people resort to evil practices for petty gains and torture the honest. Holi helps us to believe in the virtue of being truthful and honest and also to fight the vile.

Besides, holi is celebrated at that time of the year when the fields are in full bloom and people are expecting a prosperous harvest. This gives the people a good reason to rejoice, make merry and submerge themselves in the spirit of the occasion.


Social

Holi helps to bring the society together and strengthen the secular fabric of our country. For, the festival is celebrated by non-Hindus also as everybody likes to be a part of such a vibrant and joyous festival.

Also, the tradition of the Holi is that even the enemies turn friends and forget any feeling of hardship that may be present. Apart from that, on this day people do not differentiate between the rich and poor as everybody celebrates the festival together with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood.

In the evening people visit friends and relatives and exchange gifts, sweets and greetings, while the elders shower their blessings. This helps in revitalizing relationships and strengthening emotional bonds between people.


Biological

The way Holi is celebrated in the South, the festival also promotes good health. The day after the burning of Holika people put ash (Vibhuti) on their forehead and they would mix Chandan (Sandal paste) with the young leaves and flowers of the Mango tree and consume it to promote good health.