Holi

Holi

The colorful festival of Holi has much to do with mirth and laughter that all Indians participate with fervor. Dhuli vandan or dhuleti is the festival of colors. Prior to the day of Holi a bonfire is lit and the traditional aarti is conucted with lot of aplomb. People do their offerings and this is like ending of evil on earth. The real festival starts the next day where traditionally holi consisted of yellow turmeric water or gulal in its purest form.

With improvements Holi has become more colorful with all the possible colors in the palette. For urbanites too this is a metro holiday and hence all of them participate in the festivity. Clad in white people knock doors and deliberately pull them out of their houses and color them with lot of excitement. The breakfast usually consists of sweets like puran poli or other items.

The thandai is served as a milkshake with exotic dry fruits. For a commoner, Holi is total relaxation with allowances of pulling a trick or playing a prank with total strangers too. The tradition breaks all communal barriers and all of us love to have colors on ourselves. Herbal colors are also available. Kids frolic about with their pichkaris squirting water on everybody.

In the urban sectors, water balloons are thrown at each other. Each year the government too dictates a few rules for Holi which people usually abide by to avoid accidents. Buckets of water are thrown at groups from open windows. In rural areas in the north, women beat up the men with sticks usually used for washing clothes in a jocular way.

The mythological tales give us the insight of Prahlad escaping from the fire set by Holika who is his maternal aunt. Lord Vishnu saves his devotee Prahlad from the fire and here Holika ends her life by going up in flames. Preserving the tradition, a fire is lit and the good tidings are propagated to bring about happiness with the beautiful colors of Holi.