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Origin of Indian Holi Festival

Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Observed by: Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Newar Buddhists, and others
Related to: Hola Mohalla

Holi is a popular ancient Hindu festival, also known as the Festival of Spring, the Festival of Colours or the Festival of Love. The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha Krishna. Wikipedia

Holi is one of the four major festivals of Hinduism between March and April of the Gregorian calendar every year. The festival is in India’s winter to spring and spring harvest season, so it is also called the Spring Festival.

Holi is a traditional Indian festival and also a traditional Indian New Year (New Hindu New Year on the Spring Equinox). The Holi Festival originates from the famous Indian epic “Mahabharata” and is held in February and March every year, with different lengths of celebration.

During the festival, people throw pink powder made from flowers at each other and throw water polo to welcome the arrival of spring.

Originally a celebration of spring, Holi is associated with the act of creation and renewal, representing the vernal equinox and the harvest of grains. During the Holi festival, from the dignitaries to the common people, they sing and dance, and dress up with colorful colors to welcome the arrival of spring. At that time, in order to express joy and blessings, Indians will throw colorful paints on people.

Holi as a festival – by inference, seems to predate Christ by centuries – at Puyami Mamsa Sutras and Kajaka Gorya Suth in Jamini Ra’s religious activities have been talked about by people.

Legend One

It is believed that the most authoritative statement is that Holi originated from the famous Indian epic “Mahabharata”.

Legend has it that once upon a time there was a tyrant who did not allow the people to worship the great god Vishnu. His son insisted on worshipping the great God. The prince expressed his dissatisfaction with his father’s domineering, so he was supported by the people. So the father was furious, and the tyrant ordered his sister, the banshee Holika, to burn the prince to death on a full moon night.

In the early morning of the next day, when the people of the country rushed to rescue people with water-filled utensils, they found that the prince was safe and sound, and Holika had been reduced to ashes. This is the result of the blessing of the great god Vishnu, and people poured seven colors of water on the prince to celebrate.

Therefore, people set the Holi Festival as the day of the year in December of the Indian calendar.

On the second day of Holi, people splashed and painted each other with water and various paints. At night, people threw the holika statue made of grass and paper into the fire and burned it. Indians also drink a milky drink during Holi, which is said to keep them safe and healthy in the coming year.

In Nepal, the celebration begins with the ceremony of erecting a bamboo pole. The festival lasts for a week, and people throw pink and water polo at each other. On the eighth day, people burn the bamboo poles, and the festival ends.

Legend Two

This section is a very interesting traceback story with the origin of Huli. The legend originates from the name of Hurika, the sister of the mythical King Hiranyakaship of Mogala Moniak. Hiranyakaship ordered everyone to worship him, but his youngest son Prarad refused to do so and became a devotee of the great god Vishnu.

Hiranyakahipp asked his sister to kill Prarad, and she, because of her ability to survive the fire, picked up the child and walked with him into the fire in an attempt to kill him. Yet Pralade chanted the name of God and was delivered from the fire. Jurika suffers destruction by not knowing that her abilities only work when she walks into the fire alone.

This myth is closely linked to the Holi festival, and to this day there is even a practice of throwing cow dung into the fire and shouting insults at it as if it were Hurica.

Legend Three

It was also on this day that a Rakshasa girl named Dohei was driven away by the young people in the village after she murdered the children of Pisu. Although this witch’s blessing makes her almost unconquerable, the boys in battle armor can shout and tease her wantonly. The reason for this is attributed to the great god Shiva.

Legend Four

Indians regard spring as the companion of the god of love. Every spring, when the god of love comes, people will go out for a walk, and the opposite sex will germinate in love, and they will approach each other in a joking way.

It is generally believed that on this day the Lord Shiva opened his third eye and burned Eros to ashes. Therefore, many people simply offer mango tree petals and sandalwood ointment to the God of Love on Holi.