Holi, The Festival of Colors
Holi, one of the most celebrated festivals in India, is when families and friends get together and rejoice the arrival of Spring. Filled with energy and jubilation, the festivities take place over 2 days as people take to the streets and playfully paint one another with colors, setting aside their differences and worries.
On the full moon night of Holi or Holika Dahan, a heap of wood is set afire and turned into a huge bonfire. There is a mythological story associated with this. Once there lived a devil King Hiranyakashayap who proclaimed himself as a God and forced all his people in the kingdom to worship him, and would punish the rebels to death. His young son Prahlada was wise, who had gained knowledge and higher thoughts at very early age. He worshiped Lord Vishnu.
The King, who did not approve of his sons devotion to Lord Vishnu, tried numerous times to kill his son but failed. Once he had called his sister Holika, who had a boon to sustain in the fire without any burns, to take his son Prahlada into the fire. Because of Prahlada’s true worship to Lord Vishnu, he survived with no burns while Holika died. Hence the name ‘Holika Dahan’ came into being, which means “the Burning of Holika”, to signify the burning of evil thoughts in the fire over goodness.
The day after the burning called Dhulivandan in some parts of India is the day of celebration where people play with colors. In other parts of India, it is played on Rangpanchami or the fifth day after Holi.
As a child I was afraid of Holi and of playing with colors, fearful of the strange multi-colored unrecognizable faces coming close to apply color on my face. As I grew older, the fear faded away and I started to look forward to the fun and excitement of Holi.
As children, we prepared for the day by wearing older darker clothes, then by applying oil to our hair and lotions over the body so that the colors do not harm the skin. We would then load our Pichkari (water gun) with colored water to spray it on our friends. When we run out of ammo, we would throw different colored powders at them. Blue, Green, Yellow and especially Gulal (Red) are widely used colors. We would also make small balloons and plastic bags filled with colorful water and throw water bombs at our friends. Soon friendly contests and games will break out with neighborhood kids.
By teenage years, we learned about the harmful effects of balloons and plastics on the environment and some of us consciously abandoned these damaging methods. We were taught in schools about chemically composed colors and their harmful effects on human skin. I remember a time when a Red color didn’t wash away from my face for two days. So we started to use colors made out of natural plants and herbs — Turmeric, Neem, Kumkum, Indigo and many other natural plant-derived colors.
Today Holi has become a much bigger and commercial event than it once was, with the use of excessive water sprays being a major attractions in cities. People rent water tankers with huge spray pipes placed overhead, and hire DJ’s to entertain the community with celebratory pop music.
I think wastage of water must be reduced and I have noticed that this awareness has been growing during the last few years. But I also wonder why we have these environmental awareness drives only with regards to festivals and not otherwise. Reducing the wastage of water and awareness of smart water usage is an everyday issue, not just during festivities. But the celebration of festivals in India is profound, and some of these practices need to be cautioned if not completely abandoned. And when we look at the larger picture for the whole country and the amount of water wastage, it does make a huge difference as the opportunity to save water in a country as large as India where many rural parts face scarcity of water in the summer time.
Holi has other fun aspects to it too. In Northern states of India, I have heard that women playfully hit their husbands with lathi (a thick stick) while their men hold a protective shield. This is to signify that Indian men are culturally expected to accept whatever their women dish out to them, which sounds like a lot of fun… for the women that is.
Every state in India celebrate Holi in their own distinct ways, yet they depict the same fervor.
As Indians, the pride we have for our culture is also showcased in the variety of food we prepare during these festivities. In my house, Holi ends with the Puran Poli, a sweet flat-bread that makes it a perfect way to relax and to reminisce.
Happy Holi!
