Holi 2020: History & Importance of this Festival Holi
The color festival, Holi, is celebrated to mark winter's end and spring's arrival. An ancient Hindu festival, Holi has also become popular among non-Hindus, and is celebrated in various parts of the world, in addition to India. In West Bengal, Assam and Tripura it is known as "Dol jatra" or "Basanta utsav." People come together on Holi Day and rub dry and wet colours. They also play with balloons and water filled arms. Like every other festival, people treat each other to special Holi delicacies such as gujiya and bhang.
Celebrations for Holi begin on Purnima's evening or full moon's day, in Phalguna's Hindu calendar month which falls around mid-March. The festival will be held on March 9-10 this year.
Importance of Holi
The key "Rangwali Holi" festivities are followed by "Holika Dahan," in which people worship Holika, a witch, and perform rituals around a bonfire. The legend goes that King Hiranyakashipu, the ruler of the demonic Asuras, won a boon that he could not be killed by any human or animal, indoors or outdoors, day or night, or by any sword. neither on land, water nor air.
Hiranyakashipu wanted everyone to worship him, but his son Prahlada, who remained faithful to Lord Vishnu, could not be persuaded. Then, the king began subjecting his son to barbaric punishments. Aunt Holika of Prahlada has fooled him into sitting on a pyre. But the cloak Holika was wearing to cover herself, flew off and engulfed the living Prahlada. Meanwhile, Lord Vishnu appeared in the Narasimha avatar– half lion– half human, at dusk, took the king by the doorstep, put him on his lap, and killed him with his lion's claws. The fire of the Holika is burned to celebrate the victory of good over evil.
This festival also commemorates Radha and Krishna's devotion. It is claimed that Krishna complained to his mother Yashoda that he had a dark complexion and that Radha was white. To pacify Krishna, his mother asked him to paint Radha's hair. This joyful painting came to be known as Holi.