Happy Holi
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When is Holi?
The date changes each year depending on the full moon, but it is sometime between the end of February and the middle of March. It lasts a night and a day.?
How do people celebrate?
The night before Holi is called Holika Dahan. People make bonfires which show that it's the end of winter and good is winning over evil. People sing, dance, and do other traditional activities around the fire.
The next day is called Rangwali Holi. In the morning everyone goes into the streets, and people throw colored powders and water at each other. Some people use water pistols and water balloons. After a few hours, everyone is very wet and covered in a rainbow of different colors. Some colors have meanings; for example, red means love and green means a new start. There is also music, and people play the drums. It's a lot of fun!
What do people eat?
In the evening people put on clean clothes, go and visit their friends and family, and eat sweets and other tasty food. One special food is called gujiya, a sweet made with dried fruit and nuts. Lots of people also have thandai, a delicious cold milk drink with nuts and spices.
Holi is a popular and colorful holiday that is now celebrated in many places around the world. All kinds of people can enjoy it together, having fun with both old and new friends. Happy Holi!
What happens during the Holi festival?
The Holi festival takes place over one night and the following day. In the days before the festival begins, people will stock up on supplies, such as food, drinks, pigments, and wood to create an effigy for the bonfire.
The first night is known as Holika Dahan and takes place on the first full moon (Purnima) of Phalguna in the Hindu calendar, which roughly translates to February/March in the Gregorian calendar. This is when people light a bonfire, dance, sing, perform rituals, and burn an effigy.
The next morning is known as Rangwali Holi, or simply as Holi, and is the most famous part of the festival. Throughout the day, street carnivals are held where people celebrate, dance, and throw colorful powder (called gulal) and water at one another! In the evening, they dress up and visit family and friends to share meals and celebrate together.
The Colors of Holi
Traditionally, the colorful powders that are thrown during Holi, or gulal, are made from natural dyes and ingredients such as kumkum, neem, bilva, and halda. These are medicinal herbs to alleviate the symptoms of fever and cold that come with the changing weather during spring. Other colors can be extracted through plant-based sources, such as:
Holi Traditions
Though primarily a festival of fun and celebration, there are several traditions related to Holi:
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Prahlāda and Holika
The first story of Holi is the legend of Prahlāda and Holika. It is part of a series of myths rooted in Hindu mythology and is the main reason why Holi is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil.
The wise and virtuous Prahlāda was the son of a demon king named Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was a wicked king whose greatest desire was to be worshipped and adored by everyone. However, his son Prahlāda – who had taken on the teachings of Vishnu by the divine sage Narada while he was still in the womb – was a devout follower of Vishnu and would not relinquish his devotion and worship his father instead. Hiranyakashipu was so enraged at his son's betrayal that he began to view Vishnu and by association Prahlāda, as an enemy. He tried several times to kill his son, but each time Vishnu stepped in and protected Prahlāda using his mystical powers. During one attempt, Hiranyakashipu called upon the talents of his sister, Holika, to try and end Prahlāda's life once and for all. Holika was an asura, or demoness, who had been granted a magic shawl that prevented her from being burned by fire. She tried to trick her nephew by asking him to sit on her lap while she sat in a pyre, with the promise that he wouldn’t be harmed by the burning flames. The flames suddenly burst forth to kill Prahlāda, and the shawl was thrown from Holika to cover Prahlāda instead! With no shawl to protect her, Holika perished in the very flames she was using to try and kill her nephew. In other versions, Vishnu stepped in to help Prahlāda, or Holika's powers was nullified and turned on her when she used them to try and harm somebody. Because of his faith in Vishnu, Prahlāda survived this attempt on his life and many others. After Hiranyakashipu's eventual demise, Prahlāda took over his father's role and ruled over his people with kindness and virtue. In the end, because of his faith in Vishnu, the good Prahlāda truly did succeed over the evil that was Hiranyakashipu and Holika.
Radha Krishna
The second story of Holi features Radha Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and one of the more recognizable deities in Hindu mythology. In his youth, Krishna worried that the fair-skinned goddess Radha would not like him because of his dark skin. His foster-mother Yashoda told Krishna to ask Radha to paint his face any color she wanted. She did so, and the two became a couple. The painting of Krishna's and Radha's faces became known as the first Holi.
Why Holi is Celebrated?
Holi gets its name from Holika, demon king Hiranyakashyap’s sister. Hiranyakashyap had got a boon from Lord Vishnu that he would not be killed by man or animal, day or night, inside or outside, above or on the ground.
So Hiranyakashyap said that only he should be worshipped, not God. His son, Prahlad continued to worship Lord Vishnu. This made his father angry. He asked Prahlad to jump from a mountain, but he remained unhurt.
Even when Hiranyakashyap made Prahlad jump into a well, he was unharmed.
Hiranyakashyap tried to poison Prahlad. The poison turned to nectar in Prahlad’s mouth.
Then, Hiranyakashya ordered that wild elephants should trample Prahlad, but he was not hurt.
Next, Prahlad was put in a room with poisonous, angry snakes, but still nothing happened to him.
Finally, Hollka made Prahlad sit on a pyre with her. She was protected by a shawl that kept her from being burnt. The shawl flew from her to Prahlad. So, Holika burned, Prahlad was safe.
Lord Vishnu appeared as half-man, half-lion, and killed Hiranyakashyap at dusk, on his porch steps.
A Holika bonfire is lit every year to remind us of the victory of good over evil. Holi is celebrated on the day after the bonfire.