Holi is Celebrated by Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well in countries with large Indian subcontinent diaspora populations such as Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, South Africa, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Mauritius, and Fiji.
Holi is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated with great fervour in India. On this day people smear colours or gulal on each other and so the festival is rightly called βthe festival of coloursβ. Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun and so it also signifies the arrival of spring. Though the festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm across India, the Lathmar Holi celebrated in Barsana, which is the home of goddess Radha, is very famous.
During Lathmar Holi, as the name suggests, women hit men with sticks or Lath, as the men try to shield themselves. The Holi celebrations in other places which are related to Lord Krishna like Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Nandagaon, Gowardhan are very famous too.
Apart from playing with colours, people also prepare traditional sweets and savouries like gujiya, chakri, bhang (made of cannabis) to celebrate Holi. Read on to know more about the date, history and significance of Holi.
Holi is a two-day festival. A day before the main Holi, a community bonfire called Holika Dahan or Choti Holi is made. This year Holika Dahan it will be celebrated on March 28, 2022. On this day a bonfire is lit after sunset and people perform religious rituals. The ritual of Holika Dahan is done in remembrance of the burning of demoness Holika thus signifying the victory of good over evil. The following day people celebrate Holi by playing and smearing each other with colours.
Holi is a two-day festival. A day before the main Holi, a community bonfire called Holika Dahan or Choti Holi is made. This year Holika Dahan it will be celebrated on March 17, 2022. On this day a bonfire is lit after sunset and people perform religious rituals. The ritual of Holika Dahan is done in remembrance of the burning of demoness Holika thus signifying the victory of good over evil. The following day people celebrate Holi by playing and smearing each other with colours
History
There are many legends behind celebrating the festival of coloursβ Holi. As mentioned above, Holika Dahan signifies the victory of good over evil. According to Hindu mythology, the demon King Hiranyakashyap had the boon that he could not be killed by any man or animal. And so, the Demon King wanted people to worship him. But his own son Prahlad, who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, refused to do so. This angered King Hiranyakashyap so much so that he asked his sister demoness Holika to take Prahlad in her arms and sit in a pyre. Holika tried to protect herself from the fire using a cloak, thus leaving Prahlad to be burnt. But as the fire started, the cloak flew away from Holikaβs body and instead it covered Prahlad thus saving him. In the process, Holika got burnt to death. Later Lord Vishnu donned the avatar of Narsimha and killed the demon King Hiranyakashyap.
Another legend associated with Holi is that of Lord Krishna and Radha. Lord Krishna has a bluish skin tone and he often wondered if Radha would like him. So to clear his self-doubts his mother Yashoda asked Krishna to apply any colour on Radha and clear his doubts. Lord Krishnaβs prank of smearing colour of Radha and the gopis soon became an important part of the Holi festivities.
