Holi - The Spring Festival of colors

Holi is a Spring festival celebrated in India , Nepal and all over the world, wherever there are Indians. It is a festival to celebrate good harvest. It is a time of forgiving and forgetting all debts and bad blood. It is a festival of fun and frolic, drums and music, It is a festival of love and color. It is a celebration of the victory of good over evil. It is the beginning of a New year. 

The word Holi originated from Holika, who was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, a king in a province in Punjab. By doing severe penance he got the boon of being indestructible, by humans or Gods or any other existing beings, things or weapons. He became so arrogant that he ordered his subjects to worship him instead of  God. The main dissenter was Prahlad, his own son who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu did everything, from cajoling to punishments, to convert his son. All in vain. So he took the help of his sister Holika to eliminate Prahlad. Holika convinced Prahlad to sit with her on a pyre. Unknown to Prahlad, she had covered herself with a fire-resistant cloak. When the pyre was lit, a strong breeze blew which picked up Holika's fire-resistant cloak and settled it on Prahlad. Thus the wicked aunt Holika was burnt to ashes. To commemorate this victory of good over evil, a bon-fire is lit on the eve of Holi known as Holika Dahan*, the symbolic burning of Holika. In olden days people used to apply the ashes from the bon-fire on their foreheads. Later the ashes gave way to colored powder (gulal). Hiranyakashipu was later killed by Lord Vishnu's Narasimha avatar (half-man, half-lion). 

The festival of Holi is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Falgun (Februay, March). It starts with a bon-fire on the eve of Holi. Following day is a day of celebration. People apply color on each other, Youngsters use color sprays (pichkaris) to spray color on one another. No one is spared, not even strangers. A day of complete freedom, in the open air, accompanied by frolic, colors, drums and music. An intoxicating drink known as Bhang,made with leaves of hemp, is served. In the evening people wash up, wear new clothes and visit their friends and relatives and exchange traditional delicacies. There is no pooja (religious rituals) associated with holi. 

Holi is celebrated with mild variations in different parts of India. In Brindavan, Lath Mar Holi is celebrated, where men go around with shields and women strike on the shields with sticks, maybe a day of gender equality. In this place holi is a 16 day celebration. Kumaoni Holi and Khari Holi has more classical and ethnic music in it respectively. 

* burn to ashes