Holi Festival 2020- Holi is also known as “Festival of
Why do we celebrate Holi : Holi is celebrated as the victory of goodness over evil. Holi is also closely associated with Holika Dahan which is said to be a major reason why Holi is celebrated all throughout the country.
Holi is also played in remembrance with Lord Krishna who liked to play with colors and waters with his Gopiyas.
Holi is a great festival which is celebrated and enjoyed all over the world. The celebration span to 2-5 days and people across all age groups enjoy this festival.
Holi Festival 2020- When is Holi celebrated?
Holi is celebrated on the full moon day of Phalgun month. The festival is usually celebrated in the month of February – March. This year Holi Festival is being celebrated on 10th March. And on 9th March Holika Dahan will be celebrated. In West Bengal and Odisha, Holi is celebrated a day prior than it’s celebrated all throughout the country. In some parts of the country like Mathura and Vrindavan Holi is celebrated for a week.
Holi is a major Hindu festival which is celebrated all throughout the country. But major festivals of Holi are played in Mathura and Vrindavan. Mathura and Vrindavan is the birthplace of Lord Krishna and thus Holi is played there with lots of respect. But nowadays the place has become infamous because of the rowdy
And thus many people are instead visiting places like Pushkar and Jaipur. Many backpackers and budget travelers are visiting this place to enjoy the festival.
Why do We celebrate Holi?
There are many legends associated with Holi celebration. Let’s have a look at the legends and find out why do we celebrate Holi –
1. Vishnu Legend – As per the Vishnu legend, there was an evil king named Hiranyakashipu. The king did a lot of meditation and earned a boon which gave him special powers and mentioned that he couldn’t be killed during morning or evenings hours, neither indoor or outdoor, nor by man-made weapons or launched weapons, neither by an animal or human being and neither on land, water or air. Thus, he became quite proudly and asked everyone to worship only him. This made his own son Prahlad very irritated and he decided to be vocal about the same. Hiranyakashipu’s sister Holika got quite frustrated and thus she tricked Prahlad to sit with him on the pyre. Holika wore a cloak which was immune from fire. Prahlad soon understood the situation and began praying Lord Vishnu. Finally, the Lord heard his prayer and the cloak flew from Holika to Prahlad. Holika died in the pyre and Prahlad was safe. Also, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Narasimha (Who is half lion and half human) came at dawn(which is neither day nor night) at the doorstep (which is neither indoor nor outdoor) of King Hiranyakashipu. Lord Vishnu placed the evil king on his lap (Which is neither air nor land) and then killed him with his claws (which is neither man-made nor launched weapon).
Since then the festival of Holi and Holika Dahan is celebrated as the victory of Goodness over evil.
2. Krishna Legend – Another very popular legend behind Holi celebration is the legend of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna who has a dark skin
Above given were two major legends which signify that why Holi is celebrated.
Other Hindu traditions about Holi
There are some other Holi traditions as well which signifies and strengthens the celebration of Holi. Lord Shiva was engaged in meditation and Goddess Parvati was missing Lord Shiva. She took the help of Goddess of Kama on Basant Panchami and requested him to bring her husband back. God of Love shot arrows at Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva got infuriated, he opened his third eye and burnt Kama God to ashes. This depressed Goddess Parvati and wife of Kama God also. Rati did her meditation for forty days and Lord Shiva finally understood the situation and brought Kama God back to life and he himself also returned back to his wife. This return of Gods is celebrated after 40 days of Vasant Panchami and the story has special relevance in Southern India.
Holi Celebration in India | Why do we celebrate Holi
Holi Celebration in Odisha & West Bengal –
Holi is celebrated a day prior in Odisha and West Bengal. In Odisha and West Bengal, this festival is known as Dol Yatra where the festival is celebrated by carrying the procession of Lord Krishna and Radha. The possession is decorated with flowers and this is widely circulated on roads.
Holi Celebration in Gujarat –
In Gujarat, Holi is a two-day festival. During Holika Dahan, corn and raw coconut are put into the fire. The second day, Holi is played with colors and water.
In other parts of the state, a pot of buttermilk is hung at a height and young boys gather up to break the pot and woo their girls.
Holi Celebration in Uttar Pradesh –
In Uttar Pradesh, Holi is better known as “Lath Mar Holi” where women beat up men with sticks and play Holi. This signifies the sweet relationship that men and women share and this goes back to the times to Lord Krishna and Radha when Radha was teased by Lord Krishna and Radha and other “Gopiyas” used to beat up Lord Krishna.
Holi is a festival of happiness and brightness and the festival must be celebrated in similar spirits. Let us know how you are planning to celebrate the festival this year in the comments down below.
Also Check :
– Holi Festival: Dates, Images, Greetings, Holi Photos, Wishes
– होली और राधा-कृष्ण के संबंध की कहानी
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