Holi is one of the biggest festival of hindu religion celebrated with great Pomp and show in all parts of india. It is basically known as festival of colours. It is celebrated with great joy in all parts of India. The two day festival starts from holika dahan on full moon day and followed by the rang the next day. Due to covid 19 from last two years people will not be able to celebrate holi with great joy but as the situation is under control this year the joy of holi festival is likely to return this year.
Holi 2022- Date and time
Holi will be celebrated on March 18 this year. The celebration timings as per Purnima tithi will commence from 1:29 PM on March 17 and ends on at 12: 47 PM on March 18
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History and Significance
This festival is celebrated as the arrival of spring an end of winter it is also a harvest festival. Holi is a celebration of divine love between lord Krishna and Radha. According to old story Lord Krishna has dark complexion and Radha rani was very fair. So Krishna used to be anxious that if she would accept him or not. So one day yasodha playfully suggested that lord Krishna smear radhas face with different colours to remove the difference between their complexion. Krishna followed the mothers advice and thats it how the holi celebration began all over the country it is celebrated with great joy in Mathura and vrindavan.
Another story which marks the victory of good over evil is demon king Hiranyakashipu and his son prahlad. Who is a devotee of lord Vishnu and his aunt holika. According to the old story Hiranyakashipu is blessed with a boon that he could not be killed either by a man or any animal . so he thought that he is immortal. He thought himself as god and forced everybody to worship him. But his own son is a devotee of lord Vishnu and did not worship him. He asked his sister holika to kill prahalad by sitting on pyre. Holika sat on the pyre and she had one shawl which is free from fire she cant be burnt with flames by wearing this shawl. She sat on the pyre and put prahlad in her lap. Prahlad keep on worshipping lord Vishnu. Wind take her shawl off from holika and put on to prahalad prahalad saved from fire and holika is burnt in that fire. Thst is why one day before holi Holika dahan is celebrated. After that lord Vishnu will take vatar of narsimha who is half animal and half man and killed hrinayakshipu with his big nails. This marks the victory of good over evil.
Celebrations of Holi
People will light bonfire one day before holi and celebrate holika dahan to mark the presence of good over evil. Next day people wake up early in the morning and play with colors which is known as Gulal with their loved ones. They get together and smear each others faces with colours. children play with toy guns filled with water and water balloons. People enjoy eating sweets like gujiya and take thandai specially prepared at home. Mathura Vrindavan and Barsana are famous for the holi celebrations. Here people celebrate lath mar holi as well in which women and men hit each other with sticks while they try to shield themselves. Phoolon vali holi is also celebrated in vrindavan with great joy.devotees of lord Krishna gathered at banke bhari temple and play holi with flowers.
