Holi - Festival of Lights
On this day people play with colour called "Abeer" and "Gulal".
They rub this color on clothes and face.
 The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the
full moon in early March every year. Originally a festival to celebrate
good harvests and fertility of the land, Holi is now a symbolic
commemmoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. The story centres
around an arrogant king who resents his son Prahlada worshipping Lord
Vishnu. He attempts to kill his son but fails each time. Finally, the
king's sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the
boy in a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerges unscathed,
while his aunt burns to death. Holi commemorates this event from
mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its
symbolic representation.
This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of
Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan
as well as Mathura - the two cities with which Lord Krishna shared a
deep affiliation. Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and
water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by
folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.
Today Holi is an excuse for Indians to shed inhibitions and caste
differences for a day of spring fever and Big Fun. Teenagers spend the
day flirting and misbehaving in the streets, adults extend the hand of
peace, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly
colored powder (gulal) and water over each other. The festival's
preamble begins on the night of the full moon. Bonfires are lit on
street corners to cleanse the air of evil spirits and bad vibes, and to
symbolize the destruction of the wicked Holika, for whom the festival
was named. The following morning, the streets fill with people running,
shouting, giggling and splashing. Marijuana-based bhang and thandai add
to the uninhibited atmosphere.
Promptly at noon, the craziness comes to an end and everyone heads to
either the river or the bathtub, then inside to relax the dayaway and
partake of candies. In the afternoon an exhausted and contented silence
falls over India. Although Holi is observed all over the north, it's
celebrated with special joy and zest at Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon,
and Barsnar. These towns once housed the divine Krishna.
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