Holi Festival Information

 

Holi

Holi is an ancient Hindu festival that welcomes the arrival of spring after a long winter.  It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and is celebrated as a day of joy and love. Although Holi is known all over the country as a festival of colors, its significance is different in Maharashtra. There is a tradition behind the festival known as Shimga in rural areas.

Happy Holi 2022

The Origins of the Holi Festival

In the past, there was a demon named  Hiranyakashyapu in the demon family. He considered himself superior. The king of the demonic Asuras, he had earned a boon that granted him five special abilities: he could not be killed by a human or an animal, nor could he be killed by astra (projectile weapons) or any shastra (handheld weapons), nor could he be killed on land, water, or air. He. He had a son named Pralhad. Pralhad was a devotee of  Lord Vishnu (Narayana) since childhood. Pralhad used to recite the name of Vishnu day and night. This is exactly what Hiranyakashyapu did not agree with. Hiranyakashyapu became arrogant, believing himself to be God, and demanded that everyone praise only him. However, Hiranyakashyapu's own son, Pralhad, opposed. So he tried to dissuade Pralhad from it. But, every time he failed.

Eventually, Hiranyakashyapu decided to kill his own son. He enlisted the help of his sister. Her name was Holika. She was monstrous and cruel. She was not afraid of  fire. She was immune to fire, So Hiranyakashyapu made a wooden bonfire. Holika was placed on it and placed Pralhad on her lap. But the opposite happened as the bonfire lit, Pralhad's devotion to Lord Vishnu  god helped him to escape safely and Holika burnt in bonfire into ashes  and Nothing bad happened to Pralhad because he was a Lord Vishnu's devotee. Pleased with his devotion, Vishnu killed Hiranyakashyapu in the form of  Narasimha - a creature that is half human and half lion (which is neither a human nor an animal) as the sun sets (when it was neither day nor night), he came out from the pillar and Hiranyakashyapu was taken to a house's doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), He put him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then used his lion claws to destroy and kill the king (which were neither a handheld nor a launched weapon).

In short, since Holika has a bad disposition, her end was burnt in a bad way. Therefore, the purpose of celebrating Holi is to dispel bad thoughts and burn the bad thoughts in our minds like Holi.

On this day, give up bad things and resolve for good so that your whole year will be full of happiness and contentment.

How to Celebrate Holi

 Every year Holi is celebrated with great enthusiasm as it is the pure full moon day of  Falgun (March). This ancient custom celebrates the victory of good over evil at the end of the winter season. Bonfires are lit, Coloured powder called gulal is thrown, sweets are eaten, and traditional folk music is played. Holi is mostly thought of as a time for people to get together and have fun. It is said to be a time when friends, relatives, and communities can gather without regard for caste or race, however how accurate this is in practice is controversial. However, some religious organisations take the religious aspects of it more carefully than others. 

On Holi, entire streets and towns are painted red, green, and yellow as people throw coloured powder into the air and shower it on others. Each colour has an own meaning. Red, for example, represents love and fertility, whilst green represents new beginnings. In addition, as a form of celebration, they throw water on one another. Water guns are used to spray water, and coloured water balloons are thrown from houses. Later in the day, families assemble for festive meals. It is also customary to share sweets with family and neighbors.

                Even in Maharashtra, Holi is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. Wood and tree branches are collected for Holi Dahan from the previous day. In some places, the timber is smuggled in. Pieces of colorful cloth are tied on it. Everyone ties a piece of cloth to that branch of the tree. The branch is completely covered with pieces of cloth, then buried in a public place. Grass, dried wood, grass, bananas, other fruits are stacked on it. as the Holi is worshiped and Puranpoli's Naivaidya is mainly performed. Holi is then burnt. During the bonfire, the slogan 'Holi Re Holi Puranachi Poli ...' is chanted in Marathi Language.

Rangpanchami is another Festival that is followed by Holi

                The festival of 'Rangpanchami' falls on Falgun Krishna Panchami, on this day all the people play with colors. They paint on each other's bodies used to spray different colors and paint in a very different color in celebration of this festival. 

Happy Holi-2022

Color .. indeed every color has a meaning. Every color has a teaching. White is the color of peace, red is the color of sacrifice, green is the color of prosperity. Colors also make our lives colorful. The 'Rangpanchami'  celebrated by the Gopis with Lord Krishna in Gokul had a color of devotion. The color of the blood that our freedom fighters, revolutionaries, patriots sacrificed for our freedom was the color of sacrifice. At sunset, the sky is ablaze with various colors.

 Rangpanchami Or Dhulivandan

The blue color of the sky, the green color of the farm, the white color of the rushing water, the color of the colorful flowers blooming on the branches, the color of the beetles buzzing around the flowers, the color of the flickering butterflies in the garden. Your mind is captivated.

                 If there is no love in human life, if there is no affection, then life does not become colorful. Rangpanchami festivals and the colors in them teach us a lot. We want to paint our life with those colors. The world of color gives a new meaning to living life.

                When playing ‘Rangpanchami’, while painting another, you have to see that the person in front of you will be happy and happy with your action. Natural colors should play.  It is important to understand that new market chemicals are dangerous to play with. Chemical dyes cause itchy eyes, burning skin, and damaged skin. So isn't it right not to use such colors?

 We all have our favorite hobbies, Arts, Crafts, etc. The message behind 'Rangpanchami' is to make our life colorful by filling it with amazing colors. The color of devotion, the color of love, the color of sacrifice, the color of oneness are all colors we should fill in our lives. Rangpanchami means Holi is such that it removes the animosity and makes the colorful life . The real joy is in making life more colorful and attractive.

Holi-The Festival of Colors