Happy Holi! What Is Holi & Why Do We Celebrate It?
Happy Holi! The holiday is soon approaching and we just wanted to share what this beautiful festival is and what it means. South Asian culture is so rich and colorful and this holiday is the perfect example of that, in the literal sense! What is Holi?
Holi is one of the major holidays of India and is the celebration of the arrival of spring, as well as the triumph of good over evil. The legend behind Holi stems from the story of when Lord Krishna turned blue after drinking the milk of a demon. He was then worried if Radha and her friends would like him or not due to his skin color…but his mother ended up encouraging him to go up to Radha and playfully smear her face with any color he wanted. That act ended up turning into the throwing of the colors that we know today. How It’s Celebrated
When you think of Holi, you may think of just the throwing of colors but there’s actually a lot more to it! It is celebrated in so many different ways amongst the various different regions in India. Some customs include praying around a fire the night before, dancing to and singing of religious Hindu folk songs called bhajans, and then of course, eating all sorts of delicious foods like pakoras, thandai and rasmalai! There are really so many different ways to celebrate, all local communities within villages, towns and cities have put their own spin on the holiday to make it their own. However, the colorful powder fight seems to be a universal tradition amongst the many cultures in India! The Significance of Holi
We know the legend behind Holi but why is it exactly celebrated? Holi is celebrated to recognize the coming of the spring season. The spring season represents starting anew, which is a component of Holi. People usually deep clean their homes after holi celebrations, as it involves so much food, colors and decorations. A clean home in Hinduism represents a pure soul. Socially, this also allows for people from all sorts of backgrounds to come together in celebration. Holi is also celebrated to recognize the triumph of good over evil. That kind of myth serves as a sort of moral compass for people, as Holi implies being virtuous and ethical defeats any kind of evils. Holi in non-Indian Settings
The great part about Holi is how it has transgressed cultures and is celebrated by people from non-Indian or Hindu backgrounds. Holi parties have occurred in big cities all over the world, like New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris and more! These events are open to everyone and are an amazing learning opportunity for all of those involved. It is great to see how such a traditional holiday has transformed into an international celebration, inclusive of everyone! We would love to know what your own personal Holi traditions are! Feel free to shoot us a DM or send your own submission about Holi traditions to our editor, Swati at swati.chakraborty@kahanidigital.com.