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Holi, also known as “Chhoti Holi” or “Holika Dahen,” is a celebration of colors that begins on Tuesday in various parts of the nation. This year, March 25 is the official Holi festival day.
While people began to celebrate fervently, law enforcement in many places intensified security measures. The Mumbai Police conducted spot inspections around the city to monitor criminal activity and instances of drunk driving.
In mythology, Holi
People gather on Holi to fling both wet and dry colors at one another. Children particularly like the fun and games they play with water-filled balloons and water pistols.
In addition, Holi has a spiritual significance and represents the victory of good over evil. The festival’s legend tells the story of Lord Vishnu’s avatar killing the Asura monarch Hiranyakashipu.
According to legend, Hiranyakashipu obtained a boon that prevented him from being killed by people or animals, by day or night, by air, water, or land, or by any kind of weapon.
Despite his best efforts, Hiranyakashipu was unable to persuade his son Prahlada to abandon his devotion to Lord Vishnu in favor of worshiping him. Then the monarch started punishing his son cruelly. Prahlada was persuaded into sitting on a pyre by his aunt Holika. However, Holika’s self-defense cloak flew off, encasing Prahlada, who managed to survive. At dusk, Lord Vishnu escorted the Asura king to the threshold, seated him on his lap, and used his lion claws to kill him. Lord Vishnu was the Narasimha avatar, half human, half lion. The Holika fire represents this triumph of virtue over evil.
The story of Lord Krishna, a different manifestation of Lord Vishnu, and his spouse Radha is also connected to the celebration. The celebration, which honors the heavenly love of Radha and Krishna, is observed till Rang Panchmi in the Braj area, where Krishna is thought to have grown up. Once, when dark-skinned Krishna made fun of his skin tone, his mother assured him that Radha loved him just the way he was and that he could even ask her to paint their faces any color she wanted. Radha consented to this, but her complexion color affected him as well as the other way around. Thus, this was the moment when Radha and Krishna united and started to be perceived as a single entity.
Holi holds a distinct position in popular culture because of this. Numerous tales and melodies depict individuals putting aside their rivalry and issues during Holi. The line “Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain, rangon mein rang mil jaate hain” (On the day of Holi, hearts bloom, colors blend with each other) is a well-known Hindi song that expresses this feeling.
Consumables
While there are regional specialties from India, such as gujia, nothing quite embodies the festival’s essence like “bhang,” aside from its vibrant hues. The female cannabis plants’ seeds and leaves are used to make bhang, which is simply a green paste with a higher THC content than that of the male plants. The plant material is first ground into a paste by soaking it, and then the paste is rolled into smooth balls known as bhang goli.
Some cultures in North India pair bhang with “thandai,” a chilled drink made with milk, sugar, and a decadent blend of nuts and species including cardamom, saffron, fennel seeds, watermelon kernels, rose petals, pepper, and poppy seeds.
The legend also explains why bhang is consumed on Holi. Hindus hold that Shiva entered a profound state of meditation in order to get over his grief following the self-immolation of his wife, Sati. Parvati turned to the deity of love, Kamadeva, for assistance in her quest to marry him and bring him back to earth. On the day of Holi, Kamadeva launched an arrow loaded with bhang at Shiva, breaking his trance even though he knew the catastrophic implications of disturbing him while he was in meditation. Shiva married Parvati even though he was furious and reduced Kamadeva to ashes as a result of the act. On Holi, devotees celebrate Shiva’s return to the material world by partaking in bhang.
