Holi, widely known as the „festival of colors“, is a Hindu festival celebrated in India, with zeal and enthusiasm every year. It also marks the beginning of spring, the harvest season in India. It dates back to centuries, where according to Vedic scriptures, a demoness named Holika burnt herself, while she was conspiring to burn her own nephew Prahlad who was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Vishnu protected Prahlad, and he came out unharmed from the fire. Ever since, the tradition continues, and a night before Holi, people in India still burn the puppet of Holika and celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
Among many mythological legends, one of the most popular is the legend of Lord Krishna. Indian mythology portrays Lord Krishna, with a blue skin complexion. As a child Krishna always bothered his mother Yashoda questioning about his skin being blue and dark, unlike his childhood sweetheart Radha who had a very fair complexion. One day Yashoda perturbed with his son’s continuous despair, asked him to smear Radha with whatever color he wanted. Krishna, excitedly followed his mother’s instructions, and colored every girl colorful starting with his eternal love Radha. One can postulate this is where Holi as the festival of colors originated. This age old story also signifies the celebration of timeless love of Radha and Krishna, and hence is also called the ‘festival of love’.
Holi, with its deep rooted cultural significance, is one of the most important festivals in India. It is a day to end all disputes and conflicts, to forget and to forgive, to meet everyone, to embrace love in life and to discard all the negativities. People in India welcome guests on this day with sweets and smear color on each other to remove all the differences, because after having colors smudged on the face, everyone appears the same.
Anushree Dutta 