Essay on Holi-The Festival of colours

 Essay on Holi-The Festival of colours

Holi is a celebration of liberation and letting go of inhibitions in a land of many languages, cultures, and traditions. If Diwali is a celebration of lights that thrills young and old alike, Holi is a festival of colours that thrills all ages. Hindus celebrate Holi during the month of March. Holi is known as the festival of colors since people color each other's faces with colored powders. It is mostly celebrated in India by those of Hindu religious background. 

Holi has been celebrated since ancient times in every corner of the country, and is celebrated for sixteen days in Mathura and Vrindavan, where even Lord Krishan celebrated this festival with a lot of zeal.

Holi, also known as Holika, is one of the oldest festivals of India. The festival has been depicted in numerous scriptures for almost 3,000 years, including Jaimini's Purvamimamsa-Sutra and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutra with even detailed descriptions in ancient texts like the Narad Purana and Bhavishyad Purana.

History of Holi

Legendary stories connect this festival to Lord Krishna's killing his evil uncle Kansa and freeing the people from Kansa's atrocities. Some saints suggest that this festival is celebrated because the common people have been freed from their dire situation by Krishna's deeds. 

The festival of colours commenced when Hiranyakashyap was killed. Hiranyakashyap was a very cruel and ambitious king. He became so self-centered that he ordered the people in his kingdom to pray and worship him over the celebration of colours. He had been a violent, over-ambitious king. He had gotten the blessing from Brahma that no man could kill him. He tortured people who disobeyed him. His only son Prahlad was a devoted devotee of Lord Narayana. By going against his father's wishes, he made Hiranyakashyap very angry, for which Hiranyakashayap decided to kill his own son. As Holika had boon of not getting burned in the fire, the evil king ordered her to burn him in the fire. Holika was able to perform the evil act without getting burnt. Taking Prahlad on her lap, she sat on the pile of woods. Lighting the fire, an unexpected thing happened. As a result of Prahlad's tremendous faith and devotion to Lord Narayana, Holika was burned to ashes. Lord Vishnu (represented by Narsingh, half animal and half man) took Hiranyakashyap on his lap and ripped Hiranyakashyap's stomach apart with his claws, then he was killed. Since this was a day of victory over evil, it was celebrated as Holi with great joy. 

Celebration of Holi

Everyone gathers to enjoy and celebrate the festival of colors at this crowded and exuberant festival, which attracts people of all ages, genders, families, friends, and everyone - poor or rich.

During Holi, people do a ritual called 'Holika Dahan' one day before the festival, which is a religious celebration of the festival of colors. This ritual involves burning heaps of wood in public spaces to symbolize the burning of evil forces. It is based on Holika and King Hiranyakashyap's tale. 

On the day of Holi, Children play with water baloons and play with water guns, and people dance to Holi songs in parties hosted by their neighbors. Holi is celebrated by splashing water and smearing colors on each other. Some people also consume some mouthwatering sweets like Gujiya, a traditional sweet made on Holi, and Thandai, a milk-based drink for Holi. Bhang, which is a blend of cannabis and thandai, is also drunk on Holi. People also consume bhang during Holi since it is intoxicating.

Rituals of Festival of color-Holi:

1. Colouring each other with 'Gulal'.
2. Making Human Pyramid and breaking of Matka Pot.
3. Lathmar, meaning 'beatings with sticks', is primarily celebrated in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, also known as 'the land of young Kirshna'.
4. Holika Dahan

Conclusion

Holi promotes forgiveness and peace. It is the festival of love and brotherhood. Holi symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It unites people and removes all kinds of negativity from their lives.

FAQs

1.Why is Holi celebrated?

Ans. The festival of colours commenced when Hiranyakashyap was killed. And it is the festival of Victory over evil.

2. Why are colour used in Holi?

Ans. The ancient Indians who played Holi used plants such as Neem, Haldi, Bilva, Palash etc. as their colour sources. The playful throwing and pouring of these powders promotes healing and rejuvenation.

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