Holi, or the festival of colors, is celebrated not only in India but all over the world. This year Holi was on March 7th and every year, depending on the Hindu calendar, the date can change. But what is Holi? How do we celebrate Holi? Depending on where you’re from in India, the stories behind Holi and why it’s celebrated differ. But at the end of the day, all of the stories have one thing in common: Holi is about the fight between good and evil.
What is Holi?
Although this is a simple question, the answer to this question isn’t as simple. You can’t define Holi without explaining the stories that explain its existence. But in short, Holi is celebrated as the coming of Spring. Holi holds a symbolic meaning as well. Keeping aside the religious aspect of the festival of colors, Holi is also a time for forgiveness and to mend broken relationships. Think of Holi as a second chance to start with a clean slate.
The idea of playing with colors is a way to show love and affection for one another. To bring love to one’s life. Think of your life without love, as being colorless. Most people while playing with colors, wear white. A colorless life, white clothes–that’s where the idea comes from. By the end of the day, you’re covered in so many colors and they blend into one another to form other colors–see this as the acceptance of love and various relationships in your life.
Cool isn’t it?
Why is Holi celebrated?
There are various stories in Hindu mythology that explain why Holi is celebrated. Let’s look at a few because each region in India can have another story relating to Holi and that’s the beauty of this Indian Festival.
Krishna and Radha
According to the Garga Samhita, which is a text written by Sage Garga, Radha and Krishna played Holi to commemorate the love they had for one another. In those times, putting gulaal or a red/pink colored powder on your loved one kind of denoted you as a couple.
Radha and Krishna’s love story is one of the biggest love stories written about in the Hindu culture. Everything they did and every color used has significance through symbology.
Legend has it that Krishna was jealous of how fair Radha was in comparison to him. Shyaam was another name for Krishna due to his dusky and dark complexion. So one day, Krishna threw every colored powder he found at Radha so she would match his complexion. To date, this act is seen as proclaiming your love for your significant other.
Other examples that support this idea, exist in the famous Bollywood Holi songs as well. Every Holi scene involves the hero chasing around his love, throwing color at her.
Lathmaar Holi is celebrated in Barsana, Radha’s hometown, days before Holi. Every year, men visit Barsana, and the women of the town throw sticks at them. Those that get captured are dressed in women’s attire and made to dance. This is to enact the times when Krishna would visit Barsana and tease Radha.
Vishnu’s Avatar
Vishnu, one of the Hindu Trinity, has 12 avatars, or reincarnations that he takes to balance good and evil in the world. For this specific instance, he takes on the form of Narasimha, the half man, and half lion to protect his devotee Prahlad.
Legend has it that Prahlad’s father wanted to kill him because he wouldn’t consider him to be God. After failed multiple attempts, Prahlad’s father, Hiranyakashipu calls Holika, his sister, and Prahlad’s aunt. The God of Fire blessed Holika with a boon that would prevent her from dying in a fire.
Hiranyakashipu plans for Prahlad to sit on Holika’s lap during a display of her boon. Lord Vishnu, protects Prahlad, and Holika on the other hand, burns and dies.
Today, as a remembrance of that event, many areas in India set up a “Holika” by gathering wood and lighting it on fire. Everyone then takes turns and throws in (symbolically) all the negativity from their lives. People make offerings in the fire as well. But the process of burning the wood is symbolic of Holika dying as she tried to kill Prahlad.
Kaam Dev and Rati
In some regions of India, especially in the South part of India, Holi has a connection with the God of Love (cupid) or Kaam-Dev.
According to the story, Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva (one of the Hindu Trinity), wanted to bring Shiva out of his meditation. Not knowing what to do, Parvati goes to Kaam-Dev and asks him to shoot his arrow at Shiva. Kaam-Dev complies and immediately after he does that, Shiva opens his third eye in anger and burns him to ashes. Rati, his wife, pleads to Shiva for forgiveness. She does penance for 40 days and Shiva blesses her by bringing Kaam-Dev back to life.
The return of the God of Love, 40 days after Vasant Panchami is celebrated as Holi.
How is Holi Celebrated?
After burning the “Holika” pyre, people celebrate Holi by throwing colored powder or colored water at each other and eating sweets as a family! This is why Holi is called the festival of colors. But did you know, each colored powder has a symbolic idea behind it?
Red
One of the most difficult colors to get off (I’m speaking from experience), red is a standard color in Holi. It’s the ultimate color of love! You’ll see many Bollywood movie scenes (especially from the 80s and 90s), that show the hero throwing, rubbing, or applying red color on his leading lady during the typical Holi love song.
Blue
Blue is used to depict Krishna. If you remember me mentioning earlier, Krishna had a complex about his coloring and was jealous of Radha. In art and pictures of Krishna, blue is used to depict his complexion even though he was called dusky, or dark. Vishnu and Shiva are also two of the Hindu Trinity that are depicted in blue.
Yellow
Yellow is comparable to turmeric. Turmeric in Ayurved and Hindu mythology has varied importance. Turmeric is looked at as something pure. On the other hand, it’s also a symbol of learning, divinity, and natural medicine. Turmeric is a natural antibiotic!
Other colors
There are other colors like green, purple, orange, etc…these aren’t the usual base colors that are used. Even pink is not a base color although people use it to symbolize love as well. If you mix the base colors above you’ll get purple, green, etc… These colors can have a meaning behind it but, I feel it’s reading too much into it.
But, having a color key and using that with kids, as you celebrate Holi is a great idea!
Food is the best way to celebrate Holi!
Holi, like any Hindu festival, is a time for the family to come together and spend time with one another. What better way to bond with one another, than over some yummy food? These dishes aren’t only eaten during Holi but are commonly devoured during the festival of colors.
Thandai
Thandai is almost synonymous with Holi! It’s a cold drink made with almonds, fennel seeds, rose petals, poppy, and lots of other ingredients which would make another article altogether!
Puran Poli
Puran poli, is one of my favorite sweet dishes! It’s basically a thinner, stuffed roti (poli). The stuffing or puran, is made of a besan mixture and the roti is eaten with milk or alone with a spoon of ghee (clarified butter). This sweet dish is very prominent in Maharashtra and trust me when I was in Mumbai I had lots of these!
Malpua
Malpua is also a similar idea when it comes to sweet dishes. It’s basically a pancake that is dipped in sugar syrup then topped with nuts and eaten with Rabdi. Rabdi is a condensed milk-based dish that is very common in North India. Rabdi and Malupa are a divine combination. Try jalebi and rabdi too!
Chaat
Chaat is a category of food or street food that is usually considered a snack. It involves spices, sweetness, tanginess, and sourness all in one! Paapdi Chaat, Sev Puri, Pani Puri, and Dahi Bhalla are all examples of chaats that are eaten not just during Holi but at any time of the year!
How to celebrate Holi at home!
Not everyone is lucky enough to live in Mumbai or an area where you can play with colors out in the street. In the US, specifically, where I live in NY, the local colleges have Holi events at a later date (because it’s usually cold here during early March). But not everyone can take part in that for whatever reasons, so I say, let’s get creative at home!
Teach the kids how to celebrate Holi
One way to teach your kids and family about the importance of Holi is to have them write, on different colored paper, things that they want to stop doing. These can be bad habits or something that they wish to change. Otherwise, the kids can also write about how they can express more support and love for one another within the family. Once the kids do that, have them put it in a bowl. Use the bowl as a Holika pyre, but you need not burn the notes.
Next, share colorful treats with the kids and have them involved in prepping them with you. My favorite thing to do at home is making different colored Jello for the kids. Use the primary colors for Holi to make it extra festive!
Another idea is to purchase white cotton t-shirts for all the kids. Use colored fabric paint or markers depending on your preference, and have them sit together to create custom Holi T-shirts!
You don’t need to have colored powder and water to throw at each other to celebrate Holi. Playing with colors is symbolic but it’s more important to understand the significance of Holi. Once you understand that, it makes celebrating with your loved ones even more special!
