Festival
of Holi
India is a land of festivals. Almost every
day there is one festival in one part of India or the other, each having its
own specialty. However, Diwali, Dussehara, Ganesh Chaturthi and Holi are the
major festivals of India which are celebrated all across the length and breadth
of India and even across the globe. Holi is also called the Festival of Colors and Spring Festival –
Vasant Utsav in Hindi as it signals the arrival of spring the season of hope
and joy. The Holi promises a brighter summer ahead as the gloomy winter days
are on its exit path. At this time, the spring season is in full bloom and
nature covers itself with its best flowery clothes. The farmers too wear a
joyous face in anticipation of good harvest.
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| Worshiping Holi Agni |
The
preparations for the festival start well before the scheduled date of Holi. Children
start collecting wood to make a pyre for the Holi quite in advance, the markets
witness large crowds for shopping colors, Gulal, Abeer, innovative Pichkaris to
sprinkle color on each other. The ladies start preparing sweets like gujia,
mathri, papads etc. for the family as well as relatives.
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| Holika with Prahlad on burning pyre |
The
festival of Holi finds a mention in the ancient Vedas and Puranas. The pyre of
Holika is burnt amid chanting of Vedic mantras intended for the destruction of
demonic forces. According to Narad Purana, Holi is celebrated in the memory of
Bhakt Prahlad’s victory over his aunt Holika, the sister of a powerful demon King
Hiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyap demanded in his kingdom that everybody should
worship him as the God. His son Prahlad, a child was a deep devotee of Lord
Vishnu, the Narayana and constantly disobeyed his father. Greatly annoyed with
his son, Hiranyakashyap wanted to kill his son. He adopted many evil designs to
achieve his goal, like killing Prahlad by throwing his down from a mountain
peak, crushing him under the feet of a wild elephant but he failed repeatedly.
Finally, he asked his sister Holika to burn Prahlad in a pyre as it is said
that Holika had a boon that fire would not be able to burn herself. A huge pyre
was prepared for the purpose. Holika sat on the pyre with Prahlad on her lap and
it was put on fire. However, the blazing fire could not harm Bhakt Prahlad and
it is said that the Lord Himself saved him. Holika was charred to death. Since
then, the festival of Holi is celebrated every year by burning a pyre to
commemorate the victory of virtues over evil. The burning of pyre with an effigy
of Holika on the Holi festival is known as Holika Dahan. Children, women and
men assemble around the pyre and offer worship and gratefulness
to Agni, the God of fire They also offer grains & grams to Agni from the
harvest with humility. In villages, women can be seen singing folk songs whole
night sitting around the burning pyre and enjoying the festivities.
There
are other stories which are also attached to Holi celebrations. One is to
celebrate the death of demon woman Pootana who tried to kill infant Lord Krishna
by feeding poisonous milk at the instructions of King Kansa, Krishna’s devil maternal
uncle. Another story tell that in order to revoke the interest of lord Shiva in
worldly affairs, the Kaamdeva, the god of love and passion fires his love
arrow. However, the Lord Shiva who was meditating, got enraged and opens his
third eye which reduces Kaamdeva to ashes. Later, on the request of Kaamdeva’s
wife, Rati Lord Shiva restores Kaamdeva back to life. The name of Lord Krishna is also associated with the coloring
part of the festival. It is said that He was playing his divine “leelas”
with the women folk of Brindavana, a place in north India, near Mathura.
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| Children enjoying colors |
The following day after Holika Dahan comes
with great excitement. From early morning children, boys, men and women can be
seen throwing colors on each other. Children delightedly play with Pichkaris sprinkling
colored water at each other and throwing colored water filled balloons. People
moves in groups applying colors and exchanging Holi greetings. Some people move
around with Dholkis (musical band) and dance on rhythmic Holi songs. There are
many popular Holi songs in Indian films displaying the spirit of love and joy. Sharing
of mouthwatering Holi sweets and other delicacies is enjoyed by one and all
irrespective of his/her religion or faith. Some people also consume Bhang, an intoxication
on the day to enhance the joyous mood. At some places, there are traditions to
offer special titles to people like Murkhadiraj (King of fools) and other funny
ones. After taking bath and removing colors from the face and body, people
enjoy the lunch with Holi special delicacies. The evenings are quite sober when
people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings.
A Counter View:
Many Indian social
reformers like Jyotiba Phule and Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar had disapproved celebrations
of Puranic festivals like Holi. In earlier times, Holi was considered as festival
of Shudras (the lower castes). In ancient times, the fire for the Holika Dahan
used to be brought from a house of a Shudra. Dr. Ambedkar was of
the opinion that the real purpose of Puranic festivals was to mislead the lower
caste masses regarding their aspirations to knowledge, to curb down their
desire for more information and limit their desires to their paltry needs. Jyotiba
questioned the practice scientifically claiming that how the blazing pyre fire
can save a boy, Prahlad while his aunt was charred to death. Jyotiba in his
book “Gulamgiri” (Salvery) claims that the Puranic story of Hiranyakashyap,
Holika and Prahlad were planted to hide conspiracy hatched by another king Narsingh
who wanted to kill Hiranyakashyap in order to capture his kingdom. Narsingh had
in fact manipulated and used Hiranyakashyap’s son, Prahlad as tool in the
purpose making him to revolt against his father. He also says that the story of
Narsingh Avatar, a claimed incarnation of God Vishnu in the form of half man
and half lion appearing from a palace column to kill Hiranyakashyap was fabricated
to keep lower castes people entangled in rituals of such festivals while
keeping them away from the real knowledge, a domain which was considered as reserved
only for the upper caste Brahmins. His claim appears scientific that how a full
grown half man-half lion, Narsingh can incarnate from a palace column without conceiving
in his mother’s womb and taking physical birth. He further says that the
factual matter is that he played a trick by doing make up of a “half man and
half lion” man hiding behind a column to appear at the right moment to kill
Hiranyakashyap.
However, whatever the real story might be
behind, in modern times, the festival of Holi encourages a feeling of oneness,
brotherhood and love among the people, irrespective of their caste and
religion. On this day, it is said that even enemies also turn friends. And
therefore, the Holi festival continues to be celebrated with great enthusiasm,
joys and fun and assumes a important place in the line of Indian festivals.
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