Holi is one of the most enjoyed and celebrated festivals in India. This colorful festival is celebrated in almost every part of the country. Sometimes, it is called the festival of colors and the festival of love. It is called the festival of love, as on this day, people unite forgetting all the differences and bad feelings for each other. Holi marks the arrival of the spring season which is the harvest season and the end of winter.
This festival of colors lasts for around a day and a night in the month of Falgun or Phalguna, which starts in the evening of Purnima or Full Moon Day.
The first evening of this great festival is celebrated with the name Holika Dahan or Choti Holi and the following day is called and celebrated as Holi. However, it is known with different names in different parts of the country.
As Holi is the festival of colors, it is considered that vibrant colors bring in a lot of positivity in our lives. And it is worth enjoying and celebrating a day to fill our lives with positivity. The ritual is started by lighting up the bonfire one day before the day of Holi and people often throw things like wood, dried leaves, and twigs into bonfires. This process resembles the victory of good over bad.
Another popular belief is that exposure to the sun while flying kites on this auspicious day of Sankranthi will burn the germs and detoxify the body. Melas or fairs are organized in some states like Uttar Pradesh and Odisha which play an integral part of Makar Sankranthi. Kumbh Mela is one of the most famous of the fairs.
According to Hindu mythology, demon king Hiranyakashyap was given a boon which gave him the superpower of not being killed by either a man or any animal. Hiranyakashyap had bad intentions and wanted to be worshiped by people. On the other hand, his own son Prahalad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.
As his own son doesn’t worship him, Hiranyakashyap was angry at that fact and asked his sister, demon Holika to sit in a pyre(bonfire) while holding his Prahalad. Both Holika and Prahalad sat on fire. But only Holika died, and Prahlad was saved by Lord Vishnu. After saving Prahalad, Lord Vishnu took the avatar of Narasimha- a half-human and half-lion and killed the demon king Hiranyakashyap.
Hence, many locales, celebrate the morning bonfire which is Holika Dahan that represents the burning of the demoness Holika.
Although, Holi is celebrated in the same way across the country, there are a few places where the celebration is in a unique way. Celebrations of Holi in Vrindavan and Mathura are very famous for their unique celebrations. Also, in places like Rajasthan, Barsana, and Uttarpradesh people celebrate Lathmar Holi. During Lathmar Holi is women hit men with sticks(called lath) and the men try to shield themselves.
We at Mulam aim at connecting everyone back to their roots by providing organic products and bringing out the essence of our festivals.
We also host a weekly farmers market, follow us on Instagram to know the details and the locations of our markets.
