Holi Hindu Festival. The Festival of Colors - Research Paper Example

Holi Hindu Festival: The festival of colours The Hindu festival of colour also referred to as Holi usually takes place onthe day full moon is spotted in the Indian lunar month of Phalguna. The festival usually begins sometime in February as the month ends and the onset of the month of March (Morrill 27). Although the festival is celebrated across the globe, observation of the festival is intense in areas identified with deity Krishna and regions associated with incarnation of deity Vishnu like Braj within Uttar Pradesh (Melton and Martin 1337). The festival involves people throwing paint and splashing water as neighbours turn on each other using paintballs, squirt guns and buckets, which results in an explosion of colour. Musicians bang on drums in streets in a celebration that ushers the coming of spring while gangs of youth wander the streets with collection of colorants in search of victims. The festival does not even spare foreigners; hence, foreigners don some old clothes during the festival because some dyes are permanent (Friedland 377). Celebrations of Holi occur throughout India, Bangladesh and Nepal as well as the Hindu Diaspora across the globe; although, the celebrations are in the region of Braj where different towns have different traditions (Friedland 377). The countryside lights up with many bonfires in celebrating good over evil by throwing brightly coloured powder and water on everybody around and people exchange gifts. The festival signifies the end of winter and the beginning of summer in Northern India; moreover, the festival is associated with various legends in Hindu mythology. One legend indicate that King Hiranyakashipu became so proud of himself that he considered himself God; however, his son Prahlad defied him, which angered the king and resolved to kill him (Dogra, Urmila and Vijay 26). His sister was endowed with a blessing that allowed her never to be burn by fire. A bon fire was lit and Prahlad made to sit on Holika’s lap; however, Holika was burnt to ashes while Prahlad remained unhurt on the fire. Hence, the festival is believed to be a celebration of the victory of good over evil and eventually the festival culminates with a midnight bonfire (Dogra, Urmila and Vijay 26). This legend posits that the festival remembers the burning of Holika and eventual killing of Hiranyakashipu by Lord Vishnu (Melton and Martin 1337). Another legend associated with the festival involves an ogress referred to as Dhundhi a female monster that troubled small children who became fed up with her. It was belied was the ogress received a boon from deity Siva, which made her difficult to kill. However, she was vulnerable because she was endangered by boys going around and acting crazily. After the king of the region got influenced by the ogress, he asked local priest on the way forward. The priest answer was that on 15th day of the month of Phalguna, the king should compel the villagers to collect wood and grass and set them on fire with mantras. Moreover, as the fire burned, the villagers were to clap their hands, circle the fire three times and make noise through laughter and song because the noise and the fire would dispose of the monster. The legend posits that on the day of Holi, boys united and chased Dhundhi away through their shouts, pranks and abuses; hence, on Holi young boys are allowed to use rude language without elders taking offense while children enjoy burning Holika again (Melton and Martin 1337-8). Another legend concerns the deity Siva’s third eye, represented in many images resting in the middle of the forehead. The story indicates that his wife came from behind and covered his eyesight with her arms, which resulted in the world being covered in darkness. However to save the earth, Siva grew a third eye on his forehead and upon opening the eye, light returned to the world. Thus, Holi festival is believed to be a celebration of the day Siva opened his third eye with the consequence of reducing the god of love, Kamadeva, to ashes (Melton and Martin 1338). The most impressive story associated with the foundation of powder used in Holi involves the accepted Hanuman, who is the monkey god. The story posits that one day Hanuman swallowed the Sun leaving people in darkness; but, the other gods on pitying the dejected people suggested rubbing colour on each other in order to cheer themselves up. To achieve this they mixed colour and water and throwing to each other gleefully. When Hanuman saw the way the other gods were throwing colour on each other, he laughed and accidentally let out the sun again, which returned light and colour to the world. All across India and other places across the world tale these stories among the many that exist to explain the remarkable and joyous Holi powders (Morrill 28-29). The festival is ancient and may have begun before the Common Era because in one early form women celebrated the happiness and well being of their families. However, in a way the celebration left in place various sexual and erotic elements that suggested that Holi could have derived from spring fertility rites (Melton and Martin 1338). Moreover, one of the names for the festival is Kamamahotsava a celebration for the God of love; however, currently the festival is a festival of colour whose main activity involves throwing coloured water to everyone. In recent years, water balloons have been popular; as well, people wear white closes in order for people to see the various colours on each participant. The Holi is considered to be a public holiday in many states within India (Melton and Martin 1338). Although, Holi is celebrated in North India among the Hindus and Sikhs, the celebration is referred to as the festival of colours and has many stories that involve Hindu gods. The festival main theme is the destruction of the demon known as Holika through throwing coloured water and power on one another (Raj 88). During the celebration, everybody splashes coloured water or powder on faces, clothes and everything, which is wonderful since the celebration reflects exactly what is happening in nature at the same time. At the time of the festival, beautiful flowers of various colours begin to blossom and the celebration offers a great feeling of oneness with nature. Similar to other Hindu festivals in India, Holi customs and traditions significantly differ depending on the region, which also impact the duration of the festival. In some parts in India, Holi can last for a week while in Manipur in northeast India, the festival takes six days; however, in many parts of the country the festival takes two days beginning with eve of bonfires and progressing to the next day with the festival of colours (Morrill 27). The night before Holi, celebrants kindle bonfires around street corners as a sign of sending away the cold winter nights and ushering in the spring. During the festival, Hindus perform music and dances and also tell traditional tales around the fires in celebrating the miraculous Prahlada’s survival and death of Holika (Morrill 28). The festival of colours is especially loved by kids since the festival allows Hindus to gather and cover one another in coloured powder and toss water balloons. During the festival, it is very hard on the streets to avoid multicoloured downpour (Morrill 28). In conclusion, the festival of colours allows the Hindu community the opportunity to pass down traditions as well as stories from one generation to the other. The tales for the festival contain the element of good wining over the evil exemplified by Prahlad victory over evil Holika in the Hindu mythology. Works cited Dogra, Ramesh Chander, Urmila Dogra, and Vijay Singhal. Let's Know Hinduism: The Oldest Religion of Infinite Adaptability and Diversity. New Delhi: Star Publications for Hindu Council of Australia Ltd, 2004. Print. Friedland, Lois. Frommer's 500 Adrenaline Adventures. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2010. Print. Melton, J Gordon, and Martin Baumann. Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. Morrill, Ann. Easter, Passover, and Other Spring Festivals. New York: Chelsea House, 2009. Print. Raj, Joshua. A Biblical Approach to Indian Traditions and Beliefs. Singapore: Genesis, 2008. Print. Read More