Holi in Brief A spring festival, usually celebrated in March Holi also celebrates Krishna, and the legend of Holika and Prahalad Holi is particularly celebrated in North India Although Holi has religious roots there are few religious things to do Distinctions of caste, class, age, and gender are suspended during Holi A very exuberant festival, with dancing, singing, and throwing of paint Holi features gender rivalry, with contests between men and women, and public flirting Bonfires are lit during Holi, and food offerings are roasted The festival is officially celebrated on the day after full moon during the month of Phalunga, which falls in February-March During the evening of the full moon, bonfires are lit in the streets. These bonfires not only purify the air of evil spirits, but mark the story of Holika and Prahalad. The next day, people of all ages go into the streets for jollifications and paint-throwing. You can get the feel of the modern festival by reading this report on Holi in Chandigarh: It was a sunny day, offering a perfect setting for the revellers. The festivities picked up around 10 a.m. with kids targeting passersby with their colour-filled gubaras and pichkaris from roof-tops and shouting Holi hai. Soon the entire city was dominated by youth brigades zipping around on their jeeps, cars and mo-bikes, with loads of colour packed on their vehicles. Drenched in the Holi spirit to the core, they spared none. Everyone coming in their way got a splash of colour either spewed by water-jets or from different shades of gulal. ©Tribune India, 3 March 1999 Role reversal Holi is a time when traditional roles and levels of status in Indian society are turned upside down. In one part of India there is a tradition of men and women taking part in a mock battle, however one of the rules is that the men are not allowed to fight back. Equality A child smears powder paint over her mothers face Holi is a festival enjoyed by all castes. © Holi is a great leveller. By the time everyone has been covered in paint and coloured water, its pretty hard to see any of the normal clues as to who is what caste, or what class. And because no-one is likely to take designer clothes out for a soaking, theres not much chance of seeing who is rich and who is poor. Holi is a festival thats enjoyed by both high and low. Indian newspapers are likely to show pictures of ministers, even prime ministers, seriously splashed with paint.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 13:33:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015