Our beloved festival Holi is known by many nicknames, ‘The festival of colors’, ‘ the festival of love’, and ‘the festival of spring’. Holi is the day we forget about the many stresses of the daily lives and color our own rainbow of life with smiles, colors, and social gatherings. It makes people interact in a less judgmental and playful way; it brings people close.
It is also symbolic of the victory of good over evil. On the evening before the day people play with colors, they gather for Holika Dahan on Phalguna Purnima. A bonfire that represents the burning of the demoness Holika; who was trying to kill her nephew Pralhad on the orders of his father and her brother, King Hiranyakashipu. The king wanted to kill his son because of Pralhad’s devotion to Lord Vishnu. When Holika tries to burn Pralhad along with herself, Lord Vishnu comes there in the form of Narasimha to save his devotee Pralhad and kills King Hiranyakashipu and Holika. Their evil intentions are never fulfilled and the good always wins.
So this festival full of happiness celebrated to honor the love of Radha and Krishna is celebrated in every part of India with sheer joy and enthusiasm. People throw color powder and splash colored water on each other. Everyone takes a break, and all the kids head out with water guns full of water with a variety of colors. It’s like a competition between kids, and whoever colors the others first; wins. They get a whole day to play without the burden of school and homework. What a fun day!
Each color has a specific meaning, Red is the color of love, Green is the color of nature, Yellow is the color of happiness, Gulal the color Gulabi as in pink is the most popular color. Blue, Black, and silver; any and every color is used in this festival. These two days of festivities later, everything is more colorful the streets, the people, their hearts, and lives. With all the colors everywhere and people reveling in joy, it leaves us with more friends, more happiness, and more colorful life.
