Happy Holi everyone
Posted on: 24/Mar/2016 10:24:01 AM
Holy - The bright festival full of colors is mainly celebrated in India. According to the Hindu calendar, the last full moon day of Falgun is celebrated as Holy. This usually falls around the mid of March or during the last two weeks of March.
Mythology says the festival is about commemorating killing Holika, the sister of Hrinyakashyapu. Well, on the other hand, the festival is also told to boast the significance of the kick-start of summer, and marking the end of winter.
Till date, there is not any solid data known about the reason behind celebrating the festival. It is widely believed that the festival originated in Bengal where the Holy day use to be celebrated s Gaudiya Vaishnava festival. Behind this festival fall several mythological stores stating about the origin of the festival. Of all the stories said, killing of Holika is the most popular one.
According to the mythological stories, Prahlad did not obey the orders of Hrinyakashyapu and continued praying for lord Vishnu. With the help of her sister Holika, Hrinyakashyapu killed him. Holika, as she is resistive to fires, took Prahlad on her lap and sat in bonfire. Surprisingly, Holika was burnt alive without causing any harm to Parhlad. Hence, Holika Dahan is till date celebrated before the day of Holi.
There are few other stories that claim Holi to be a celebration of Radha`s undying love for lord Krishna. Whereas some other tales state that the lord Shiva destroyed Kamadeva. He however resurrected him back for his wife Rati. The resurrection however got only a mental image. This festival is said as a celebration of this event.
Holi is celebrated in a number of ways across the country. Of all these, the Mathura is the most famous method. The festival lasts for about 16 days, involving playing with flowers. In most parts of the country, people play with colors, water balloons and water guns. People enjoy dancing for music and greet each other with fun and colors. Sweets, of course, cannot be missed.
Live Chennai wishes you a very happy Holi,
