Holi

Holi festival is one of the major festivals of India. And it is largely celebrated across the country. This festival is well known globally as a humongous celebration of colors. There are different types of legends, myths, and folk cultures associated with this festival. 

Therefore, the life of Indians and their culture is incomplete without this vibrant, joyful, and colorful celebration. And in this article, we will give you a detailed guide on Holi and the importance of Holi in the country, and the lifestyle of Indian people.

Holi 

The importance of Holi in Indian culture and tradition is undeniable. And there might not be any Indian who did not celebrate this festive once in their lifetime. It is celebrated during the spring season or at the beginning of summer. Different regions of the country celebrate this festival at different times, from February to March. 

Although the main theme of this festival remains the same in every regional celebration, you can witness several different rituals and ceremonies performed in different regions to celebrate Holi. The festival’s main theme is colour, which can come in different forms as powdered colours to liquid colours, and in some places, this can also be celebrated with colours in the form of flowers (like in Vrindavan). This is why Holi is called the festival of colours.

History of Holi 

There are a lot of different stories and myths associated with the festival that create a diverse and interesting history of Holi in different parts of the country. However, the main and dominant story of Holi is the story of Hiranayakashipu and Prahlad. In this story, Hiranayakashipu was the Asur king who gained a boon that made him the owner of five special powers, and therefore he asked everyone only to worship him. But his son Prahlad refused to worship him and devoted himself to Lord Vishnu instead. Furious Hiranyakashipu called  Prahlad’s aunt Holika to trick him into sitting on a pyre with her. This was planned to punish Prahlad. 

But the fire burnt Holika and Prahlad, left untouched. And therefore, Holi is celebrated to mark the win of good over bad. 

Also, another history of Holi tells about a playful event between the Hindu Deity Krishna and Radha with colours and flowers. 

Importance of Holi

The importance of Holi in Indian culture and tradition is immense. And you cannot think of India without this beautiful and vigorous celebration of Holi. There is a huge significance of this festival in the life of Indians and its exotic traditional values. 

The major influence of this festival is the life and beliefs of people. All the stories related to Holi strengthen the concept of positivity, defeating negativity and the winning of good over evil. Therefore it also makes the natives follow a truthful and honest lifestyle and not get overpowered by negativity. 

This celebration also strengthens the diversity of Indian culture as people of different cultures, religions, classes and caste indulge in the joyful and vibrant celebration of colors. This festival also helps build and maintain a strong bond between people as it is also a celebration of meetings and greetings for every Indian. 

Key aspects of the Holi festival

To get in-depth knowledge of this festival, you must know about the different aspects. Therefore, we will discuss the key aspects of the Holi festival here.

• Holi is a festival that celebrates colors and their influence on our lives. Therefore the celebration of Holi is also known as the festival of colors or the Rang festival of India. 
• According to the Hindu Mythology, the name of this festival came from the Asur king Hiranayakashipu’s sister Holika. In this Myth, Hiranyakashipu asks his sister to convince his own son to sit on a pyre so he can kill his disobedient son for refusing to worship him. But when Holika takes Prahlad to the fire stage, he remains safe, but Holika is burned into ashes. 
• Another legend about this festival tells that when the deity Krishna becomes blue for the poison of Punta, he starts to worry whether Radha and other fair gopis will ever like him. So he coloured Radha with some colours, and she accepted it despite his blue colour.
• According to the Hindu calendar, this festival is celebrated between February and March ( in the month of Phalgun) on a full moon. 

Conclusion

 The celebration of Holi is an integral part of Indian festivity. The importance of the Holi festival is immense in every Indian’s life. This festival is an inclusive celebration of colours that celebrates the diversity of Indian ethnicity. The Holi festival is one of the major festivals of India, which has several local names that include Basant Utsav, Rang Panchami, Dhulivandan etc.