Holi is an important festival of Hindus. The importance of the great Hindu festival is discussed below in points:
1. Festival of Colours: People squirt coloured water on friendly passers-by and cook many types of sweets and food. Hence, it is also known as “Festival of Colours”. It is celebrated nearly for two to three days.
2. It welcomes the spring season: It is celebrated during spring season that comes in February end or early March, as it welcomes spring season.
3. Symbolic: In the evening preceding the colour festival, bonfires are lit where people gathers, dance and sing. These symbolize the burning of Holika and the destruction of Evil.
4. Forgive others: On this day, people meet and repair any ruptured relationships, laugh, and play and forgive each other.
5. Major festival for North Indians: It is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Delhi, especially in the northern parts of India.
6. Caste distinction is abandoned: Holi is the only festival where caste distinction is abandoned. People forget the caste, class, or race of one another. As the clothes, face, and body of all these people are filled up with colours, nobody can distinguish between the rich and the poor. On this day, there are hugs and wishes everywhere. People hug each other and wish “Happy Holi”
7. Get together: After the colouring part, at evening, people dress themselves in good clothes and visits family and friends.
8. Mythological Significance: There is an interesting story behind the celebration of Holi festival. Once upon a time, there was the king of demons named Hiranyakashyap. He had a son named Prahlad.
However, Hiranyakashyap wanted to take life of his son, as he was the greatest devotee of Hindu God Vishnu.
Holika, the sister of the Hiranyakashyap, had a magical robe, which has the power to save the wearer from burning. Therefore, he asked his sister and his son to sit on burning fire.
However, the result was not in favour of him. Holika was burnt to death and Prahlad came out alive. It proved that one cannot harm the person who has God as his savior. The next day is celebrated with colours.
The day is called “Holi” after the name of Holika, and it marks the victory of goodness over evil.
Many Significances of Holi.
Mythological Significance
Holi gets us close to our religion and our mythology as it is essentially the celebration of various legends associated with the festival.
Foremost is the legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakshyap. The legend says there once lived a devil and powerful king, Hiranyakshyap who considered himself a god and wanted everybody to worship him. To his great ire, his son, Prahlad began to worship, Lord Vishnu. To get rid of his son, Hiranyakshyap asked his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap, as she had a boon to enter fire unscathed. Legend has it that Prahlad was saved for his extreme devotion for the lord while Holika paid a price for her sinister desire. The tradition of burning Holika or the 'Holika dahan' comes mainly from this legend.
Holi also celebrates the legend of Radha and Krishna which describes the extreme delight, Krishna took in applying colour on Radha and other gopis. This prank of Krishna later, became a trend and a part of the Holi festivities.
Mythology also states that Holi is the celebration of death of Ogress Pootana who tried to kill infant, Krishna by feeding poisonous milk to it.
Another legend of Holi which is extremely popular in Southern India is that of Lord Shiva and Kaamadeva. According to the legend, people in south celebrate the sacrifice of Lord of Passion Kaamadeva who risked his life to revoke Lord Shiva from meditation and save the world.
Also, popular is the legend of Ogress Dhundhi who used to trouble children in the kingdom of Raghu and was ultimately chased away by the pranks of the children on the day of Holi. Showing their belief in the legend, children till date play pranks and hurl abuses at the time of Holika Dahan.
Cultural Significance
Celebration of the various legends associated with Holi reassure the people of the power of the truth as the moral of all these legends is the ultimate victory of good over evil. The legend of Hiranyakashyap and Prahlad also points to the fact that extreme devotion to god pays as god always takes his true devotee in his shelter.
All these legends help the people to follow a good conduct in their lives and believe in the virtue of being truthful. This is extremely important in the modern day society when so many people resort to evil practices for small gains and torture one who is honest. Holi helps the people to believe in the virtue of being truthful and honest and also to fight away the evil.
Besides, holi is celebrated at a time of the year when the fields are in full bloom and people are expecting a good harvest. This gives a people a good reason to rejoice, make merry and submerge themselves in the spirit of Holi.
Social Significance
Holi helps to bring the society together and strengthen the secular fabric of our country. For, the festival is celebrated by non-Hindus also as everybody like to be a part of such a colouful and joyous festival.
Also, the tradition of the Holi is that even the enemies turn friends on Holi and forget any feeling of hardship that may be present. Besides, on this day people do not differentiate between the rich and poor and everybody celebrate the festival together with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood.
In the evening people visit friends and relatives and exchange gifts, sweets and greetings. This helps in revatalising relationships and strengthening emotional bonds between people.
Also, the tradition of the Holi is that even the enemies turn friends on Holi and forget any feeling of hardship that may be present. Besides, on this day people do not differentiate between the rich and poor and everybody celebrate the festival together with a spirit of bonhomie and brotherhood.
In the evening people visit friends and relatives and exchange gifts, sweets and greetings. This helps in revatalising relationships and strengthening emotional bonds between people.
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