Holi, the festival of colors
by Amy
Posted on Tuesday, March 14th, 2006 at 8:30 am CET
Today is Holi, India’s festival of colors. It is a Hindu festival but is widely celebrated all across India by people of all faiths. The festival marks the beginning of spring time and usually takes place at the end of March or early April, on the full moon of Purnima, according to the Hindu calendar.
On the first day of Holi, today, bonfires are lit at night. Legend says this is to signify the burning of Holika, a mythological Hindu demoness was was killed on Holi, saving her brother Prahlad from their father King Hiranyakashipu.
On the second day of Holi, revelers spend the day throwing colored powders, buckets of colored water, and water balloons at each other. This ritual is where Holi gets its name “the festival of colors”.
Holi is above all a time to let go of social norms. Restrictions usually associated with sex, social status and even age are set aside during Holi, so women participate along with men, and people from different social classes play Holi together.
Other traditions of Holi include the drinking of Thandai, a sweet milk-based drink and Bhang, a milkshake made with marijuana.
Related links:
- Holi from the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India
- Holi from Wikipedia
- Holi Safety Tips
Today is Holi, India’s festival of colors. It is a Hindu festival but is widely celebrated all across India by people of all faiths. The festival marks the beginning of spring time and usually takes place at the end of March or early April, on the full moon of Purnima, according to the Hindu calendar.
On the first day of Holi, today, bonfires are lit at night. Legend says this is to signify the burning of Holika, a mythological Hindu demoness was was killed on Holi, saving her brother Prahlad from their father King Hiranyakashipu.
On the second day of Holi, revelers spend the day throwing colored powders, buckets of colored water, and water balloons at each other. This ritual is where Holi gets its name “the festival of colors”.
Holi is above all a time to let go of social norms. Restrictions usually associated with sex, social status and even age are set aside during Holi, so women participate along with men, and people from different social classes play Holi together.
Other traditions of Holi include the drinking of Thandai, a sweet milk-based drink and Bhang, a milkshake made with marijuana.
Related links:
- Holi from the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India
- Holi from Wikipedia
- Holi Safety Tips
March 28th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
[...] In the month of Phalgun, a day before the festival of Holi, India’s festival of colors, the elephants of Jaipur gather in a show of pomp and pageantry recreating the royal splendour of a bygone area. There is a parade, polo match and tug of war. Here is our report of the Elephant Festival on 13 March. [...]
March 31st, 2006 at 12:10 pm
[...] Two weeks ago we were in Jaipur, India, during Holi, India’s festival of color that marks the beginning of spring. The day before we had attended the wonderful Elephant Festival and we had already bought a few bags of color from a street vendor, so on the morning of 14 March we headed into the city, each armed with bags of colored powder in our pockets. Ready for our first Holi. [...]