Holi: A Hindu Celebration!

By: Anya Prasanna

(Daniel.tietz@bridgesinternational.com. “Holi: Festival of Colors.” Bridges International, 2 Aug. 2021, www.bridgesinternational.com/holi-festival-of-colors/)

Holi is an Hindu holiday celebrated in India and around the world. It is one of the most vibrant celebrations in the world and involves people having fun by throwing colored water and powder on each other. It marks a time to spend time with friends, and the community, representing the triumph of good over evil. 

There are many stories involving the roots of this holiday that change throughout India’s demographic. One story is the legend of Hiranyakashipu. He was a demon king, who tried to kill his son, Prahlada, a devotee of the god Vishnu. He enlisted his sister, Holika to help him do so. Holika tricked Prahlada into sitting with her on a pyre. She wore a cloak to protect herself from the fire, however, a wind blew, transferring the cloak to Prahlada, causing the demon to be burnt in the flames. This myth symbolizes the triumph of good over the oppression of evil. In many regions of India that believe this story, a large pyre is lit, to commemorate this event. 

In other parts of India, the holiday comes from the story of the Hindu deity, Krishna. He was an avatar of Vishnu. He had fallen in love with Radha who was a milkmaid, however he was embarrassed by his dark blue skin. To solve this issue, he colored her face during a game with her and the other milkmaids. This may be the reason why people throw colored water and powder during the holiday. 

Some parts of this festival are gatherings, music, and food. Some sweets that are eaten are gujiya, which is a dumpling filled with coconut and dried fruit that is deep-fried in sugar syrup, malpua, a type of pancake made with jaggery, cardamom, and milk. Jalebi is commonly eaten, and is a spiral shaped sweet that is made with sugar syrup. Some street food is eaten such as chaat and kachori. People drink lassi, and thandai which is a milk drink with almonds, saffron, poppy seeds, cardamom, and rose petals. 

Holi is celebrated in many different ways around India. In some places the holiday lasts 40 days, while it lasts 2 days in others. The most common custom of this holiday is to light a pyre which represents the demon Holika. This ritual occurs in North India. 

In a region of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, Holi is celebrated with a playful battle between women and men. In this battle, the women represent Radha and are armed with staves while the men represent Krishna and have shields to defend themselves. This practice is called Lathmar Holi. In other regions of India, Holi is celebrated with staves, shields, colors, and flowers in a period of 40 days. and begins on the Basant Panchami, a holiday that celebrates the first day of Spring.

In conclusion, Holi is a colorful holiday. It involves many diverse traditions, customs, and myths. It is a time to celebrate with the family and the community and have fun.