India is a culturally rich and diverse country. That is why it is called the land of various religions and festivals.
People around the country celebrate festivals with each other irrespective of caste, creed, religion. That is why we follow the mantra of Unity in diversity and live with peace and harmony.
Due to its cultural and religious diversity, many festivals are celebrated here throughout the year. One of them is the festival of colors Holi.
Holi is one of the popular Indian festivals which is celebrated not only in India but also in some foreign countries where the Hindu population resides.
It is celebrated with full enthusiasm and happiness. Basically, the purpose behind the celebration of this festival is to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
According to the Hindu calendar, it is celebrated in the month of Phalguna and if we go with the Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated in the month of March.
It marks the end of the winter season and the commencement of the Spring season which is also known as the Season of Harvest.
RELATED
10 Best Bollywood Songs on Holi
Happy Holi 2022 Wishes, Images & Quotes
Happy Holi Date & Time
According to the Hindu calendar, it is celebrated in the month of Phalguna and if we go with the Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated in the month of March.
It marks the end of the winter season and the commencement of the Spring season which is also known as the Season of Harvesting.
The celebration starts in the evening of the last full moon of the lunar month of Purnima, which is a day prior to the main Holi, which is called Choti Holi.
According to Purnima tithi, the celebration will commence on Choti Holi on March 17 at 1:29 PM and it will end on main Holi on March 18 at 12:47 PM.
Happy Holi History
The reason to celebrate this beautiful festival of colors is rooted deep in Hindu mythology, according to which Holi marks the victory of good over evil.
It originated from the tale of a demon king, Hiranyakashyap, and his pious son Prahlad, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. The father and son duo represent good and evil.
Hiranyakashyap was against his son worshiping lord Vishnu as he was the great hater of Lord Vishnu. Despite knowing the fact that his father was against Vishnu, Prahlad was adamant about his faith in the Lord.
Being furious, Hiranyakashyap decided to kill his son Prahlad by incineration, with the help of his sister Holika, who was immune to fire.
To do so, Holika sat on a pyre holding Prahlad on her lap, but by the grace of God, the fire even couldn’t touch Prahlad and instead, it engulfed Holika in flames.
To end Hiranyakashyap Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Narsingh (Humar Lion) as Hiranyakashyap was blessed with a divine power not to be killed by a human.
Hence Lord slew the demon king and suppressed his wrath by killing him. To mark the victory of Prahlad’s true devotion toward lord Vishnu and the Lord’s killing the demon, the festival is celebrated with joy and happiness.
Holi Significance & How to Celebrate
Holi has a lot of significance as it is celebrated by people around the world irrespective of their religious and cultural beliefs.
It connects people and lessens the divides between the communities. People come to each other’s places and smear color on each other.
Days before Holi, people collect huge piles of wood, and on the day prior to the main Holi, people light bonfires at their homes and crossroads around the cities.
The best part about the festival is, even if someone is a stranger to you, you can still celebrate it with them by applying colors on the face and no one on this day is gonna complain about that.
People make different kinds of sweet dishes at their homes and exchange these with their friends and family members.
The feasts are organized for relatives and close friends. Only love is spread in the festival and keeping all the differences aside, people enjoy this festival.
This festival is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India. In some parts of Northern India, it marks the love of Lord Krishna and goddess Radha.
The Lathmar Holi is also famous which is celebrated in Banaras, the home of goddess Radha. During this, women hit men with sticks and men try to protect themselves using shields.
