The Indo Thai News team joined the festivities at the Vishnu Temple for a grand Holi celebratory event filled with mesmerising music, energetic dance and colour.

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A Festival of Colours

Holi, the colourful festival, is widely celebrated worldwide and known as Rangwali Holi, Dhulandi, and Phagwah.

The festival is characterised by people smearing each other with brightly coloured powders and water, singing and dancing, and indulging in traditional delicacies.

It is a time to come together with friends and family, forgive past grievances, and spread love, joy, and happiness.
It is a time to come together with friends and family, forgive past grievances, and spread love, joy, and happiness.

Holika Dahan

A significant ritual that involves lighting a bonfire, where people gather to offer prayers, sing and dance, marking the beginning of the Holi festival.

The allegorical tale of the victory of Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, over his evil aunt Holika symbolises the triumph of good over evil. It is a time to come together with family and friends to celebrate the essence of Holi and seek blessings from the divine.

Sweeten Your Relations

One of the most joyous rituals of Holi is the distribution of sweets among friends, family, and neighbours. This ritual is known as “mithai bhandar” and is an integral part of the festival.

Distributing sweets on Holi represents spreading love and happiness and strengthening relationships. It brings people closer and creates a sense of community and togetherness.

People prepare a variety of sweets, such as gujiya, mathri, and laddoo, and share them with their loved ones.

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This year Holi is being celebrated on 8^th March 2023. In recent times, Holi celebrations have gone truly global, thanks to the Indian diaspora around the world.

Follow Indo Thai News–your one-stop-shop for the latest update on India and Thailand lifestyle and culture news

In India, Holi is synonymous with playing with colours, pichkaris (water guns), water balloons, and gorging on indulgent festive food (thandai, bhang, gujia, dahi bhallas, among others). It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and is a celebration of love, harmony, and oneness.

Holi celebrations span over two days starting on the evening of Phalugun Purnima (full moon day) with Holika Dahan followed by Rangwali Holi also known as Dhulandi on the next day.

The Legends Behind Holi

Holi has its fair share of mythologically significant stories which tell how the festival came into being.

King Hiranyakashyap and Prahlad

Among the many legends associated with the festival of Holi is the story of the demon King Hiranyakashyap and his son Prahlad from Hindu mythology.

King Hiranyakashyap for his severe penance was granted a boon that he could not be killed by any man or animal. Believing that he was immortal, the king forced people to worship him. However, his son Prahlad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu refused to do so. Acting out of anger and spite, the demon king asked his sister Holika to kill him.

Holika had the boon of protection against fire, so she took Prahlad into a fire pyre thinking Prahlad would burn and she would remain unscathed. But the opposite happened.

Prahlad for his devotion and faith remained unharmed and Holika was burnt to ashes. Later, Lord Vishnu in his Narasimha avatar, killed the demon King Hiranyakashyap signifying the victory of good over evil.

Holika Dahan Celebrations

For Holika Dahan (‘Burning of Holika’) celebrations on the eve of Holi, a bonfire is lit and people perform rituals while offering prayers for the internal evil in all of us to be destroyed. Devotees complete the prayers by walking around the bonfire three, five, or seven times along with vessels of water.

Lord Krishna and Radha

Another popular legend associated with Holi is of the eternal love of Lord Krishna and Radha. It is said that Lord Krishna, conscious of his dark skin colour, worried if Radha would accept him.

He sought the advice of his mother, Yashoda, who suggested that he colour Radha in any colour he liked. In his mischievousness, Lord Krishna smeared colours on Radha’s face and professed his love for her.

Playing with colours in Holi commemorates the divine love between Lord Krishna and Radha and is the most loved tradition of the festival of colours.

In Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Nandagaon, and Gowardhan, places related to Lord Krishna, Holi celebrations have a different fervour and enthusiasm.

Another Holi celebration in India that stands out is the Lathmar Holi in Barsana, the home of goddess Radha. Women hitting men with lath (sticks) as men try to shield themselves is a part of the celebrations here.

Holi Celebrations with Colours

On the day of Holi, people play with colours and smear each other in a riot of colours. Water guns, water-filled balloons, music, and dance makes for an exuberant atmosphere and everyone is a fair game to colour.

It’s common for people to say – bura na mano holi hai (‘Don’t mind it’s Holi’) while drenching others (even strangers) with colours. People dance to the Holi songs with the ever popular ‘rang barse’ still staying at the top of the charts.

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It is customary for people to visit friends and family and come together to eat, drink and partake in Holi delicacies.

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Community members throw brightly colored powder and water balloons at each other community organized performances such as singing, dancing, and cultural events.

In India, the festival is held over two days. On the first, families pray and sing and dance around a bonfire which symbolizes cleansing. On the second day, participants take to the streets to douse each other with colored powder while firing water pistols and throwing water balloons.

The colored powders, known as gulal, were traditionally made from natural sources like turmeric and indigo and believed to have healing properties.

Now they are typically made from synthetic materials and are colored bright yellow, pink, green, red, blue, and various colors of the rainbow.

The Holi celebration has cultural importance in the Indian subcontinent’s Hindu traditions. It is a joyful day to reflect on and correct previous mistakes, to resolve issues by meeting new people, and to forget and forgive. Debts are paid or forgiven, and people begin over with others in their life. Holi also celebrates the beginning of spring, a time for people to celebrate the changing seasons and meet new people.

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