Holi Festival
Holi is a festival of colour & is celebrated all over India.
It is also celebrated by Indians residing out of India. This festival
comes on the full moon day of Phagan - a Hindu month. This festival
bring new hope for all the people as it marks the end of chilled
winter days and the beginning of the summer.
People forget their enmity and throw away their worries. Every
nook and corner presents atypically colourful sight.
Everywhere people - young or old are drenched with different colours
and water which comes from everywhere, there are balloons bursting
and long piston squirting coloured water. People in small groups
are seen singing, dancing and throwing colours on each other.
According to legend Hirankashyap was a very powerful Devil. In
his fight against the Gods he had defeated the Gods and because
of this he became very egoistic and had issued an order that no
one should pray to God or even take the name of God. Due to fear
people started praying him. His son Pralhad was a true devotee of
God. He didn't obey his father's order. Hirankashyap got angry on
him and order for the most rigorous punishments to him.
But this did no harm to Pralhad. Hirankashyap had a sister by the
name of Holika. She had been granted a boon that fire will do no
harm to her. Hirankashyap ordered Holika to take Pralhad on her
lap and sit on a bed of fire. Holika was burnt in the fire and Pralhad
survived with no harm done to him. As a remembrance to that event
people celebrate Holi by burning wood and pray to Goddess Holi for
their well being. Holi is also associated with the immortal love
of Krishna and Radha .
Holi is celebrated all over India, but is more predominant in North
India. Celebrations start a week earlier than rest of India. Men
of Nandagaon (place where Lord Krishna grew up) raid Barsana (place
where Radha grew up) with hopes of raising their flag over Shri
Radhikaji's temple. They receive a thunderous welcome as the women
of Barsana greet them with long wooden sticks.
The men are soundly beaten as they attempt to rush through town
to reach the relative safety of Shri Radhikaji's temple. Men are
well padded as they are not allowed to retaliate. In this mock battle
the men try their best not to be captured. Unlucky captives can
be forcefully lead away, thrashed and dressed in female attire before
being made to dance.
In short the celebration of Holi bears witness to a feeling of
oneness and sense of brother-hood and creates a colourful atmosphere
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