This morning, I said to my teenage daughter happy Holi. To my surprise her answer was dad what is Holi. Perhaps this is the one question we who lives out of India come across.
I am sure children brought up outside of India have heard the word Holi but they Actually don’t really know what is. Therefore, I thought I might put something on my blog on this matter.
Holi is the Hindu festival that welcomes the Spring and celebrates the new life and energy of the season. Although Holi has religious roots, not much religious activity is involved in its celebration. Holi is the most energetic Indian festival, filled with fun and good humour. Holi is also called 'The Festival of Colours', and people celebrate the festival by smearing each other with paint, and throwing coloured powder and dye around in an atmosphere of great good humour.
The festival is officially celebrated on the day after full moon during the month of Phalunga, which falls in February-March During the evening of the full moon, bonfires are lit in the streets.These bonfires not only purify the air of evil spirits, but mark the story of Holika and Prahalad. The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for jollifications and paint-throwing. Holi Festival is also associated with Lord Krishna and it is said that in his childhood and teenage, Krishna played the festival with Gopis and Gopas in Vrindavan. The Holi of Vrindavan is very famous not only in India but world over.
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