Introduction
Holi is an important spring festival that is celebrated as a national holiday in India as well as Nepal. It has many different purposes, mainly it marks the beginning of spring. It is used to celebrate the coming years harvest, to celebrate agriculture and commemorate fertile land. In some parts, the night before Holi, people will light a fire to burn away the evil spirits.
During the festivities people get covered in a paint all over their bodies. Due to this people will typically wear old clothes, typically will be white. Towards the end of the afternoon people will be unrecognizable with their faces and clothes covered in many different colors of paint. People also use water balloons, and more recently water guns. They will fill them with a lot paint and water so when it hits a person they get wet and covered in color at the same time.
The Legend
The legend is split into two separate parts, the first part of the story of the bonfire which takes place the night before Holi on the night before the full moon. And the second part is the day of Holi itself, the night of the full moon.
In ancient India, before the era of Christianity there was a demon king, Hiranyakashipu, who wanted to avenge his younger brother’s death who was killed by Lord Vishnu . The demon king wanted to kill Vishnu and become the king of the heavens, earth, & underworld. After many years of penance and prayer to gain the power to defeat Vishnu, and once he received it he became arrogant, thinking he was invincible he ordered the kingdom to worship him and only him. Hiranyakashipu had a son, Prahalad , who disobeyed his father and continued to pray to Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu made a plan with his sister Holika to burn his son to death. So Holika lit a pyre and sat on it while holding Prahalad. However, Prahalad’s devote devotion to Lord Vishnu ended up saving him and he came out of the fire unscathed whereas Holika was burned to ashes. Now in some parts of the world, the night before Holi, Holi-eve, the pyre gets relit and represents the burning of the spirit of evils.
The second part deals with Lord Krishna . Krishna was known for his pranks growing up, along with his friends in Gokul & Vrindavan . During the same time of Holi, Krishna would play pranks by soaking the girls of his village with waters & colors. At first the girls were angered, but soon that anger melted away once they grew fond of the mischievous boy, and soon other boys started to join in and it became a popular sport in his village. This tradition has continued through the ages and turned into a community festival for the masses, spreading throughout the country, and is celebrated the day after the burning of the pyres as a celebration of love.
Variances in Different Parts of India
Depending on where you are in India Holi gets celebrated slightly differently.
In the northern state of Gujarat a pot of buttermilk is hung on a string from a high place. The young boys (typically in their teens) in the community spend weeks practicing climbing up and break the pot by forming a human pyramid, and some of the younger kids (around 10 years) would climb to the top and break the pot. This would be done while the girls in the community would try to stop them by throwing colored water. The kid that manages to break the pot is crowned the Holi King. Afterwards, the young men, now covered in colors, run through the procession and alert the people of Krishna’s potential appearance to steal the butter from their homes.
In Uttar Pradesh, in the Braj region , thousands gather to witness Lath Mar Holi . Women beat up men with sticks as those on the sidelines shout “Sri Radhey” or “Sri Krishna,” the Holi songs are sung in pure Braj . The men also “egg on” the women by singing provocative songs which causes them to chase the men through the streets with sticks, and the men defends themselves with shields. There is also a special puja to worship Krishna. All in all it lasts 16 days over the entire region.
The Colors
The colors of the dyes are derived from natural sources by artisans in the months leading up to Holi.
The Orange/Red paint is primarily derived from the Palash flower ,it is also called the flame of the forest. Alternative sources are also used, such as pomegranate, radishes, red sandal wood, etc. Green is derived from Mehendi and dried leaves of the gulmohur tree . Sometimes the leaves of spring crops & herbs are also used to get the green color. To get the yellow color turmeric is used, which is sometimes mixed with chickpeas &/or flour to get the right shade. Blue is derived from the indigo plant , the blue hibiscus, & Jacaranda. For the Magenta/Purple dye beetroot is boiled in water. The brown comes from dried tea leaves. And the Black dye comes from grapes, fruits of amla , and vegetable carbon. Other colors come from combining the primary colors during development.
Synthetic colors are also used, mass produced by many companies. They are made with lack of control, meaning their quality and content are not known, even by the vendors themselves. In 2007 a synthetic green color used during Holi was found to cause severe eye irritation in Delhi if the eyes were not washed immediately. In 2009, metal-based dyes were known to cause an increase in skin problems. The rural parts of India use natural process to make the dyes, however in the cities where more people live, mass produced due to the number of people.
Holi’s Influence
In the United States Color in Motion 5k color runs are starting to grow. Runners show up in all white, and for every kilometer they run they get doused in a different color. Many music videos have showed Holi depictions. In the song “The Catalyst” Linkin Park has a scene where the members throw powdered color at each other, Joe Hahn identified Holi as a direct influence. Holi’s first appearance on American network television was with the NCB series Outsourced which took a more sitcom approach to the holiday.
Holi has spread from India to all around the globe, and many countries, even to countries with a low Hindu population. I remember as a kid, the temple would be filled with Indians. As I grew up, I saw more people of different religions and ethnicities come and take part in the festival, and they are always welcomed.
The festival of Holi is a celebration of love that is celebrated by not only the religion it comes from, but from people from all over, which I think is the true essence of what Holi is.
Works Cited
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Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Holi.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 24 Aug. 2018, www.britannica.com/topic/Holi.
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“History of Holi.” Holi, 2018, www.holifestival.org/history-of-holi.html.
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“History of Holi.” TheHolidaySpot – Holidays and Festivals Celebrations, 2018, www.theholidayspot.com/holi/history.htm.
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“Holi – Influence On Other Cultures.” D’Emden V Pedder | D’Emden Pedder, 2018, www.liquisearch.com/holi/influence_on_other_cultures.
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“Holi.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Nov. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi.
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“Religions – Hinduism: Holi.” BBC, BBC, 30 Sept. 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/holydays/holi_1.shtml.
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TNN. “Holi Festival: History – Times of India.” The Times of India, Business, 11 Mar. 2017, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/events/holi-festival-history/articleshow/57589584.cms.
