How To Celebrate Holi

Holi is sometimes called the festival of colors and the festival of love. It is called the festival of love, as on this day, people unite forgetting all the differences and bad feelings for each other. 

Holi marks the arrival of the spring season which is the harvest season and the end of winter.

This festival of colors lasts for around a day and a night in the month of Falgun or Phalguna, which starts in the evening of Purnima or Full Moon Day. 

The first evening of this great festival is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi and the following day is called and celebrated as Holi. 

However, it is known by different names in different parts of the country.

How to celebrate Holi and what its its Significance:

As Holi is the festival of colors, it is considered that vibrant colors bring in a lot of positivity to our lives. And it is worth enjoying and celebrating a day to fill our lives with positivity. 

The ritual is started by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and people often throw things like wood, dried leaves, and twigs into bonfires. This process resembles the victory of good over bad.

On the day of Holi people purely enjoy and have fun by splashing colors on each other called Gulal, with their friends and families.

Also, there are a few private parties where people can attend and play Holi together. Holi is a fun-filled festival that can be enjoyed with your friends, neighbors, and your colony members too. 

Children also enjoy the festival by splashing colored water with water guns and water balloons. People also dance and vibe around by playing songs on this festive day. 

In the evening they show love and respect to their close ones with some lip-smacking sweets like Gujiya and a special Holi drink called Thandai.

According to Hindu mythology, demon king Hiranyakashyap was given a boon which gave him the superpower of not being killed by either a man or any animal. 

Hiranyakashyap had bad intentions and wanted to be worshiped by people. On the other hand, his own son Prahalad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. 

As his own son doesn’t worship him, Hiranyakashyap was angry at that fact and asked his sister, demon Holika to sit in a pyre(bonfire) while holding his Prahalad. Both Holika and Prahalad sat on fire. 

But only Holika died, and Prahlad was saved by Lord Vishnu. After saving Prahalad, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Narasimha- a half-human and half-lion and killed the demon king Hiranyakashyap. 

Hence, many locals celebrate the morning bonfire which is Holika Dahan which represents the burning of the demoness Holika. 

The colors with which we play Holi, are also said to have some meaning within them. The color blue symbolizes the color of Lord Krishna, as it was believed that he was born with blue skin. 

The color Green – resembles New beginnings and Rebirth. The red color symbolizes good marital life or fertility. However, yellow is a color that is used on every occasion and is considered to be auspicious.

Although Holi is celebrated in the same way across the country, there are a few places where the celebration is unique. Celebrations of Holi in Vrindavan and Mathura are very famous for their unique celebrations. 

Also, in places like Rajasthan, Barsana, and Uttar Pradesh people celebrate Lathmar Holi. During Lathmar Holi women hit men with sticks(called lath) and the men try to shield themselves. 

So, this Holi makes a point to educate your children about the significance of the festival, enjoy playing Holi with your neighbors or friends and seek the blessings of your elders. Have a happy and safe Holi!