Hindu festivals: Holi

Hindus across India and around the world mark the beginning of spring with a big festival. It is called Holi: the ‘Festival of Colours’. Holi marks the transition from harsh, dark wintertime to brighter, warmer springtime. The festival starts on the evening of the last full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna. This means that, depending on the year, Holi is celebrated in February or March.

Celebrations carry on the next day, too. There are several different stories behind Holi. Let’s learn about one of them: the legend of Holika and Prahlad… Hiranyakashipu is an evil king. He has special powers that make him nearly invincible and he wants everyone in his kingdom to worship him. He is so powerful that he starts to act like a god and punishes or kills anyone who disobeys him.

Hiranyakashipu has a son called Prahlad. Prahlad disobeys his father and worships the god Vishnu instead of him. Hiranyakashipu is furious. He plans to kill Prahlad. The king asks his sister, Holika, to help him.

Holika has a special cloak that can protect her from fire so she plots to trick Prahlad by taking him into a fire, where she will be protected and he will be burned up. But because Holika is using her powers for evil, the plot fails – the cloak flies from Holika and covers Prahlad! Prahlad is safe. Vishnu then defeats the evil king. To remember the death of Holika and the triumph of good over evil, people light bonfires on the first night of Holi.

They sing and dance around the fire, throwing wood, dry leaves, and popcorn into the flames. These things are burned up, signifying the burning of evil spirits. The next day, people of all ages head back into the streets to celebrate life and… throw water and colourful powder! People toss the powder and water into the air and smear it onto each other, until everyone is covered, head to toe! A group of musicians plays traditional wooden drums called dhols, as the partiers dance amid the colours.

When evening comes, everyone shares a huge feast. There are traditional foods like these deep-fried lentil fritters in creamy yoghurt – dahi bhalla and this deep-fried sweet, called gujiya. Holi is a time of happiness, celebration, and letting go of any bad feelings towards others. It is also a time to break down barriers between people: Rich and poor, men and women, young and old all join together to celebrate. On Holi, you might hear bura na mano, Holi hai.

It means, “don’t be offended – it’s Holi!”