Calcutta Zoom.....

HOLI

Holi is a festival of colours which is celebrated in the month of March. The celebration starts with the tradition of burning Holika known as Holika Dahan, which is religiously followed by several states of India specially in north. Just a night before the holi a huge bonfire is lit and people fling cow dungs into the fire and shouts saying “Holi-hai! Holi-hai!”

Holika Dahan

Story behind the Holika Dahan: Holika was sister of king hirankashyap.To become a great man the king worshipped Lord Brahma for many years. After atonement, lord brahma was very impressed and gave him blessings and also granted the wishes of the king.

The wishes was: He will not be killed by human or animal.

He will not die in day or at night.

He will not die by weapons.

He will not die in land, sea or air.

He will not die outside or inside in the house.

Now as his wishes were granted he was saved by the blessings from being killed easily. Taking this as an advantage he started forcing people of his kingdom to preach him as a god. Excepting his own son Prahlad who use to worship Lord Vishnu, everyone other obeyed.

The king was very angry with his son so he decided of killing him. He asked his sister Holika to sit in fire and make prahlad to sit in her lap. Holika was blessed with a gift, that she will not be affected by fire. The king thought that prahlad will be burnt but as he kept on chanting the name of lord Vishnu. He survived and Holika was burnt to death. It signifies the victory of good over evil.

So Holika dahan is celebrated as a success of devotee that anybody however great or powerful, cannot harm a true devotee and who will torture the god’s devotee will be reduced to ashes.

There is also a story of Radha Krishna: Krishna is known to be very powerful and mischievous and playful. As a child one day Krishna goes to her mother Yasodha and ask “why I am dark and radha is fair?” this is injustice to him and he started crying at his high pitch so mother while consoling asked him put colour on radha’s face to make her like him. Now the naughty Krishna heeds towards her beloved Radha and other gopis to apply colour using water jets known as Pichkaris.

Krishna and Radha playing holi

In this way pichkaris got popularity and till now colours and pichkaris are used in holi to express their love and affection towards each other.

Holi is an important festival as on this day people forget about the quarrel and mix with all freely.

Holi have different regional name like Hola Mahalla, Rang panchami, basant utsav, Dol Purnima, Dulandi holi.

children playing with pichkaris.

Holi Celebration: On this day, the enthusiasm of people reaches its peak and the festival is celebrated with a great joy. Children go about the street and throw water balloons and ,water colours with their Pichkaries and hide themselves to save by others balloon attack. Young boys make small parties, sing and dance. Everywhere special Thandai is made without which the holi is incomplete. Thandai is like refreshment drink when people get exhausted throwing each other in the pool of coloured water a glass it offers instant energy and after drinking the bhang thandai the world seems different, some becomes very happy and some turns depressed as hell. One should not over drinking this bhang thandai, it may not prove good.