History of Holi
Holi has become one of the most recreated festivals in the world, as it is very
popular among non-Hindus across the globe. From the color run in the US to the
festival of color in Chile, South Africa, and Dubai, this centuries old spring festival
evokes a playful attitude and a community celebration with few boundaries and a
plethora of tradition. Holi is celebrated on the full moon in the Hindu month of
Phalguna (February-March on the Gregorian Calendar) meaning the dates of the
festival change every year. During Holi, some hadcore multitasking happens. Picture
this: city streets filled with people dancing to music, drums echoing off buildings and
through neighborhoods, while a myriad of vibrant powdered and liquid colors are
thrown about. As with many traditional festivals, the origins of Holi are debated, but
the one thing that can be agreed upon is that it began centuries before Christ. Like
many other Indian festivals, Holi signifies a victory of good over evil. Many say the
history of Holi has to do with the legend of the ancient demon King Hiranyakashipu.
Hiranyakashipu earned a boon (or blessing) making him virtually
indestructible, this lead him to view himself as a God. Therefore, he asked his people
to worship only him. However, the cruel kings’ son, Prahalad, was solely devoted to
Lord Vishnu (one of the most predominant Gods in Hinduism), and Prahalad chose
to worship Lord Vishnu instead of his father. This infuriated the King, and
Hiranyakashipu made many attempts to kill his own son. The most famous attempt
is when Hiranyakashipu enlisted the help of his sister, Holika. She had a special cloak
that protected her from fire and their plan was for Holika to sit over a pyre (a large
fire) with Prahalad in her lap, leading to Prahalad burning alive. But of course things
never go exactly to plan. Holika nor Hiranyakashipu knew the cloak only worked if
Holika entered the fire alone. Once Prahalad knew what was going on, he began to
recite the name of Lord Vishnu which protected him from the flames as Holika
burned to death. As the legend is told, Holika's fiery death signifies the end of all that
is bad. In keeping with ancient history, many in India light a bonfire the night before
Holi to celebrate good's triumph over evil.
But what is the reason for all the bright colors? The exact story of the colors
have been bassed down, argued about and altered over time so many regions have a
different story as to why the colors came about. One of the ancient myths is that Lord
Krishna (the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu) , added the colors to the celebration with
his friends in Vrindavan and Gokul. Lord Krishna loved to toss color on his treasured
Radha making them more beautiful and eventually the throwing of color became a
prank Krishna and his friends all across the village eventually turning Holi a
community event.
Our favorite thing about Holi is that it’s the one day that even enemies become
friends and people seemingly forget any feeling of hardship that may be present. From
our experience people do not differentiate between the rich and poor; everybody
celebrates the festival together with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood. While the
most identifiable aspect is the color and the dancing, Holi is much more than that. It
is a celebration heavily tied to family. People take the time to show