Essay – Holi
Holi Essay: Holi a festival that has been celebrated in the Indian subcontinent from the ancient times, it is known by various names like festival of colours, festival of spring and festival of love. A festival that is celebrated by people of all castes, race, colour with a lot of joy, happiness and exuberance forgetting all the barriers and differences between them and creating beautiful bonds which they can treasure all their lives.
Holi is celebrated as per the Hindu lunar calendar. The day of holikadahan coincides with the full moon day during the Hindu month of Phalguna which is popularly known as Phalguna pournima. The next day is observed as Holi. Holi traditions vary across India and has its roots in ancient mythology. Holi is celebrated as a festival of victory of good over evil in honour of Hindu god Vishnu and his devotee Prahalda. Hiranyakashipu, a demon king in ancient India, with the help of his sister, Holika, tried to kill his son Pralhada, who was an ardent worshipper of Lord Vishnu. In an attempt to kill Prahalda, Holika sat with him on a pyre while wearing a cloak that was supposed to protect her from the fire but instead it protected Prahaldaand Holika was killed. Later Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyakasipu, and this was considered triumph of good over evil. In some places the story of Lord Krishna and Radha is famous. Lord Krishna fell in love with Radha but he was embarrassed that his skin was dark blue and that of Radha was fair. So, during a game he playfully coloured her face and this was considered the origin of coloured water and powder throwing.
The festival is celebrated by performing certain rituals, this rituals may change according to a particular region. But some common rituals are performing Holika puja, then a pyre with an effigy of Holika is burnt in the evening or late at nightand green cereals are roasted in the Holika bonfire. The next day people play holi with colours and water and enjoy themselves. Holi is celebrated on a large scale in north India. In south India Holikadahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam. In the Braj region around Mathura, the rituals go beyond playing with colours, and include a day where men go around with shields and women have the right to playfully beat them on their shields with sticks, it is known as Latthmaar Holi, traditionally celebrated in the Barsana village.Even though holi may be celebrated in different ways or called by different names the main purpose is to enjoy with others, play with colours, sing and dance, forgive and forget and to make new friends and to make the bond with old ones strong.
The festival of holi not only brings happiness but also brings economic surge with it. People buy country made items like herbal colours and gulal, water gun, balloons, chandan, dress material, while on the other they also buy sweets, dry fruits, gift items, textiles, flowers and fruits, toys, pooja material etc. In year 2022, holi festival sales registered a business of around 20000 crores.
Sometimes while participating in the festivities of Holi and having fun with those close to us, our moral vision often tends to get blurry. After all, when the sentence “Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai” has been drilled into our head since our childhood, masking unacceptable behaviour with the pretext of celebrations, is a deeply saddening.So, while celebrating we should be aware of our actions and we should take care in order to avoid causing any problems for others and respect other people personal space and maintain an enjoyable atmosphere and in this way preserve the sanctity of the festival.
As we prepare to celebrate Holi we should always try and wish that the festival of Holi spreads joy and happiness everywhere and breaks the religious boundaries existing amongst us and unites us as human beings. Wishing everyone a Happy Holi.
FAQs
1) What is meant by effigy?
Ans: It is representation of a famous person or God especially in the form of a statue or sculpture.
2) What is meant by pyre?
Ans: It is a large pile of wood on which a dead body is placed and burned as a part of a funeral ceremony.
3) What is meant by sanctity?
Ans: The quality of being holy.