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Rajasthani holi
Holi Festival
One of the major festivals of India
Holi festival may be celebrated with various names and people of
different states might be following different traditions. But, what makes Holi
so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the
country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated.
Preparations
Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi
celebration. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start
making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer
can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative
and modern design too come up every year to lure the children who wish to
collect them as Holi memorabilia and of course, to drench everybody in the
town.
Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as
they cook loads of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for the
relatives. At some places specially in the north women also make papads and
potato chips at this time.
Season of Bloom
Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is
so gay. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of
spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes as Holi
promises of bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of
Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good
harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom colouring the surroundings and filling
fragrance in the air.
Legends
A Hindu festival, Holi has various legends associated with it. The
foremost is the legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in
his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord
Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika
to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made
he immune to fire. Story goes that Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his
extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked
only when she entered the fire alone.
Since that time, people light a bonfire, called Holika on the eve of
Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the triumph
of devotion to god. Children take special delight in the tradition and this has
another legend attached to it. It says that there was once an ogress Dhundhi
who used to trouble children in the kingdom
of Prithu
Some also celebrate the death of evil minded Pootana. The ogress tried
to Lord Krishna as an infant by feeding it poisonous milk while executing the
plan of Kansa, Krishna 's devil uncle. However,
Krishna sucked her blood and brought her end.
Some who view the origin of festivals from seasonal cycles believe that Pootana
represents winter and her death the cessation and end of winter.
In South India , people worship
Kaamadeva- the god of love and passion for his extreme sacrifice. According to
a legend, Kaamadeva shot his powerful love arrow on Lord Shiva to revoke his
interest in the worldly affairs in the interest of the earth. However, Lord
Shiva was enraged as he was in deep mediation and opened his third eye which
reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. Though, later on the request of Rati, Kaamadeva's
wife, Shiva was pleased to restore him back.
Holika Dahan
On the eve of Holi, called Chhoti or Small Holi people gather at
important crossroads and light huge bonfires, the ceremony is called Holika
Dahan. This tradition is also followed in Gujarat
and Orissa. To render greatfulness to Agni, god of Fire, gram and stalks from
the harvest are also offered to Agni with all humility. Ash left from this
bonfire is also considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads.
People believe that the ash protects them from evil forces.
Play of Colors
Holi FestivalGreat excitement can be seen in people on the next day
when it is actually the time for the play of colours. Shops and offices remain
closed for the day and people get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright
colours of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour
water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one
another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons and passers by. Women
and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying
colours and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and
mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day.
Expression of Love
Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved. This has a popular
legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna
started the trend of playing colours. He applied colour on her beloved Radha to
make her one like him. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the masses. No
wonder, there is no match to the Holi of Mathura ,
Vrindavan and Barsana - the places associated with the birth and childhood of
Radha and Krishna .
Ecstasy of Bhang
There is also a tradition of consuming the very intoxicating bhang on
this day to further enhance the spirit of Holi. It is so much fun to watch the
otherwise sober people making a clown of themselves in full public display.
Some, however, take bhang in excess and spoil the spirit. Caution should
therefore be taken while consuming bhang delicacies.
Sober Evening
After a funfilled and exciting day, the evenings the spent in sobriety
when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings.
It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in
society and even the enemies turn friend on this day. People of all communities
and even religions participate in this joyous and colouful festival and
strenthen the secular fabric of the nation.
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