data-page-url= '' In Hinduism Holi is an annual festival celebrated on the day after the full moon in the in the Hindu month of early March. Holi is the least religious of Hindu holidays. During Holi, Hindus attend a public bonfire, spray friends and family with colored powders and water and generally go a bit wild in the streets.The central ritual of Holi is the throwing and applying of colored water and powders on friends and family, which gives the holiday its common name “Festival of Colors”. This ritual is based on the story of Krishna and Radha as well as on Krishna’s playful splashing of the maids with water, but most of all it celebrates the coming of spring with all its beautiful colors and vibrant life.The function is celebrated all over India since ancient times, Holi’s precise form and purpose display great variety. Originally Holi was an agricultural festival celebrating the arrival of spring. Holi also commemorates various events in Hindu Mythology, but for most Hindus it provides a temporary opportunity for Hindus to disregard social norms, indulge in merrymaking and generally let loose.Holi is spread out for two days. Holi bridges social gaps and brings people together, employers and employees, men and women, rich and poor, young and old. In Bengal, Holi features the swing festival in which images of the Gods are placed on specially decorated platforms and devotees take turns swinging them. In the meantime, women dance around and sing special songs as men spray colored water at them. Have a colorful day.
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Hot on the web& Holi Festival
| February 2nd, 2012
Holi , or the Festival of Colors, is a religious spring festival celebrated by the Hindus. It is observed in India, Nepal and Pakistan, and in countries with large Indian Diaspora. The most celebrated Holi is in India’s Braj region, in all locations connected to the Lord Krishna. Needless to say that these locations related to the Lord Krishna – Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana – have become major tourist attractions during the Holi Festival.
The festival was traced to ancient Bengal. Back then it was a Gaudiya Vaishnav festival, when people went to the Krishna temples and applied red color to the icon. Then the red color was also distributed to families and kids. The meaning of red is passion and Lord Krishna is the king of desires.
However, the earliest reference to the celebration of Holi is found in the 7th century Sanskrit drama, Ratnavali.
Other names
In some Indian states, Holi is known as Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsav.
When is Holi celebrated?
The festival is celebrated at the end of the winter season on Phalgun Purnima, which falls by the end of February or early March. In 2012, Holi falls on March 8.
What happens during the festival?
The main day, Holi, is celebrated by participants throwing colored powder and colored water at each other. On the eve of the festival, bonfires are lit, also known as Holika Dahan. The reason for this is to celebrate the memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad, which happened when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad escaped without injuries. After the bonfires are lit, prayers are said.
In most areas, Holi lasts for two days. The festival closes the social gaps, bringing all Hindus together, regardless of age, sex or status. The social norms also seem to not exist during Holi, as no one expects polite behavior.
What does Holi Festival mean?
First of all, it celebrates the beginning of a new season (spring). The festival also has a religious purpose, as it commemorates events from the Hindu mythology.
Where to be in India for Holi festival?
Barsana is definitely the place to be for Holi. Here, the Lath Mar holi is played, when women beat men with sticks.
If you want to experience the traditional festival, then in Mathura the day is dedicated to the Lord Krishna. And the festival lasts for 16 days.
In Goa, Holi is part of the festival known as ?igmo.
In Manipur, the festival is celebrated for six days. Young children go from home to home to collect money , as gifts on the first two days of Holi. Music is performed during the night and a large procession takes place near the main Krishna temple on the last day of the festival.
Should you want to participate, you can learn
how to make natural colors.
Photo credit :Rituals of Holi,Holi Rituals,Hindu Holi,Holi Festival Rituals
Celebrate Holi on 13th March 2017
& Rituals of Holi
Rituals of Holi
Rituals of the ancient festival of Holi are religiously followed every year with care and enthusiasm.
Preparations
Days before the festival people start gathering wood for the lighting of the bonfire called Holika at the major crossroads of the city. This ensures that at the time of the actual celebration a huge pile of wood is collected.
Holika Dahan Celebrations
Then on the eve of Holi, Holika Dahan takes place. Effigy of Holika, the devil minded sister of demon King Hiranyakashyap is placed in the wood and burnt. For, Holika tried to kill Hiranyakashyap's son Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. The ritual symbolises the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of a true devotee.
Children also hurl abuses at Holika and pray pranks, as if they still try to chase away Dhundhi who once troubled little ones in the Kingdom of Prithu. Some people also take embers from the fire to their homes to rekindle their own domestic fires.
Play of Colors
Next day, is of course the main day of Holi celebrations. The day is called Dhuleti
and it is on this day that the actual play of colours take place. There is no tradition of holding puja and is meant for pure enjoyment.
The tradition of playing colours is particularly rampant in north India and even in that region, there can be no comparison to the Holi of Mathura and Vrindavan. In Maharashtra and Gujarat too Holi is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and fun.
People take extreme delight in spraying colour water on each other with pichkaris or pouring buckets and buckets of it. Singing Bollywood Holi numbers and dancing on the beat of dholak is also a part of the tradition. Amidst all this activity people relish gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other traditional Holi delicacies with great joy.
Drinks, specially thandai laced with bhang is also an intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. Bhang helps to further enhance the spirit of the occasion but if taken in excess it might dampen it also. So caution should be taken while consuming it.
Holi Celebrations in South India
In south India, however, people follow the tradition of worshiping Kaamadeva, the love god of Indian mythology. People have faith in the legend which speak about the great sacrifice of Kaamadeva when he shot his love arrow on Lord Shiva to break his meditation and evoke his interest in worldly affairs.
After, an eventful and funfilled day people become a little sober in the evening and greet friends and relatives by visiting them and exchange sweets. Holi special get togethers are also organised by various cultural organisations to generate harmony and brotherhood in the society.
More Info about Holi Festival
In spite of being such a colourful and gay festival, there are various aspects of Holi which makes it so significant for our lives.
Holi is one of the major festival of the vast country, called India. No wonder, a number of traditions, customs and festivals
Holi is one of the major festival of India and is the most vibrant of all. The joys of Holi knows no bound...
Holi knows no bars, Holi knows no boundaries too. Across the world wherever Indians or people of Indian origin are present...馆藏&78347
TA的推荐TA的最新馆藏[转]&[转]&[转]&[转]&[转]&[转]&&Holi Festival12 Mar, PM IST24 Mar, PM ISTHundreds of people belonging to Hindu community celebrated the festival of colours in Pakistan&s Karachi cit...13 Mar, PM ISTPeople all across Varanasi splashed colours over each other and celebrated the festival of colours with full rejoice. Foreigners coated in different colours, were also seen at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, chanting 'Holi' slogans.13 Mar, AM ISTTourists especially foreigners reveled in the spirit of the festival of colors in Bihar's Bodh Gaya.12 Mar, AM ISTThe Border Security Forces (BSF) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel took a break from their duties and celebrated the festival of colours, Holi, at the Agartala-Akhwara integrated check post in Tripura.13 Mar, AM ISTThe jawans of Border Security Forces (BSF) were seen celebrating Holi at the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch with full enthusiasm.13 Mar, AM ISTAbout 25,000 police personnel will be on duty across the city tomorrow, a senior police officer said.12 Mar, PM ISTThe Home Minister will not play Holi this time as he was saddened by the death of the 12 CRPF men at Sukma in Chhattisgarh, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.12 Mar, AM ISTA special train for Darbhanga to clear extra rush during Holi festival would be pressed into service on March 11.9 Mar, PM ISTBuoyed by the massive response on Sunday to its call for a&black day&, the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) on Sunday announced its decision to not celebrate Holi.27 Feb, AM ISTBuoyed by the massive response on Sunday to its call for a'black day', the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) announced its decision to not celebrate Holi.27 Feb, AM ISTA three day Basanta Utsav folk festival is organised in the Purulia district of West Bengal. Apart from playing Holi, tourists indulge in a wide variety of unique folk art.5 Mar, AM ISTIn an exhibition known as Hola Mohalla (a three day festival), men go up against each other in a mock battle of wrestling, martial arts, sword fights and turban tying.5 Mar, AM ISTLoad More...xUP poll verdict shows Indian voters may've finally come of age. Agree?YesNoCan't SayVote