|
 The Holi festival marks the beginning of spring, when winter begins to bow out. 'Holi' falls on the full moon, in the month of Phalguni (Tamil month of Panguni), which spans the end of February and the beginning of March on the Gregorian calendar. According to which Phalguna purnima was the last day of the year and the new year heralded the Vasanta-ritu (with spring starting from next day). Thus the full moon festival of Holi gradually became a festival of merrymaking, announcing the commencement of the spring season. This perhaps explains the other names of this festival: Vasanta-Mahotsava and
Kama-Mahotsava.
According to the Hindu mythology, this day is important for several reasons. It was on this day that Lord Siva opened his third eye and reduced Kamadeva (the god of love, Indian equivalent to Cupid or Eros) to ashes. The legend of King Hiranyakashipu is associated with the festival of Holi. This legend signifies the victory of good over evil, of devotion surpassing ambition. King Hiranyakashipu was an ambitious ruler, one who wanted absolute power so that he would be worshipped as God. When this wish was made known, the King's own son, Prahlad, refused to obey his father. Prahlad was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, and it was only to his Lord that he gave allegiance.  The proud King was enraged by Prahlad's disobedience and decided to punish him severely. He asked his sister Holika for help. It was believed that Holika was immune to fire and would never be burnt, so the King asked Holika to sit in the centre of a bonfire with Prahlad on her lap, so that the fire could devour him. The bonfire was lit, and young Prahlad sat in Holika's lap, in its centre, praying to Lord Vishnu. His devotion saved him, leaving him untouched by the flames, but Holika was burnt to ashes. To mark this legend, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Holi, especially in Bihar and the North.
Vrindavan and Lord Krishna's legend of courting Radha and playing pranks on the Gopis are also the essence of Holi. In Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna in his youth has been idealised as a lover, and it is the spirit of his lighthearted, mischievous passion of courtship that enters the Spring festival of Holi. Krishna and Radha are depicted celebrating Holi in the hamlets of Gokul, Barsana and Vrindavan, bringing them alive with mischief and youthful pranks. Holi was Krishna and Radha's celebration of love - a teasing, affectionate panorama of feeling and colour. These scenes have been captured and immoratalised in the songs of Holi - the festival that is also the harbinger of the light, warm, beautiful days of Spring.  It was again on this day that an ogress called Dhundhi, who was troubling the children in the kingdom of Raghu was made to run away for life, by the shouts and pranks of the mischievous boys. Though she had secured several boons that made her almost invincible, this - noise, shouts, abuses and pranks of boys - was a chink in her armour due to a curse of Lord Siva.
Vasanta utsava and the Spring rites:  Holi bears close similarities with the important ancient festival called Vasantotsava, an age-old tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring. Though this festival is celebrated in all parts other than south India, it resembles the legendry mythological Indra Vizha celebrated. This festival was celebrated as a day when people forgot caste and gender differences and were allowed many liberties, otherwise forbidden. And like any spring festival celebrated by ancient peoples all over the world, Vasantotsava also had certain rites. These include lighting up of fires, driving off demons, setting the normal orders in reverse, sporting something weird, having a community feast, and so on.
The tradition of colouring each other: The no-holds-barred play with colours between young men and women, taking out processions in weird gears, the greetings with tasty sweet dishes, the bonfires in the evening before the full moon night of the Holi, are all leftovers of those ancient spring rites.
(Compiled from the Net)
|
