Welcome the Festival of Colors With Open Arms!

Time to drown in colors of happiness.... Its Holi! The festival of colors brings along with it, the hope of victory of good over evil. This message is given to us by various legends of the Hindu mythology. So let us discover why there is a celebration of color every year.  Holi, which falls in the month of Phalgun according to the traditional calendar i.e in March according to the English calendar, came into being because of a king and his son. It is believed that King Hiranyakashyap wanted all the people of his kingdom to worship him and none else. His son Prahalad disobeyed this order as the boy was a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. Unable to tolerate disobedience, king Hiranyakashyap tried to get his son killed. For this, he asked his sister Holika to sit on the pyre with Prahalad in her lap. Holika had a boon of immunity to fire so the king chose to punish his son in this way. When the order of the King was implemented, everyone was surprised to see that Holika was burnt to aches and Prahalad remained safe. This story is narrated to signify good over evil. 

Another legend, popular in Southern part of India is that of Kamdev - god of love and passion. It is believed that Kamadev struck an arrow at Lord Shiva, when the later was in deep meditation. Angered by this, Lord Shiva put an end to Kamdev’s life by opening his third eye. It was the plea of Rati, Kamdev’s wife that compelled the Lord to bring her husband back to life.  There are many rituals associated with Holi. The popular one is the color play. On this day everyone gets into a playful mood and they smear each other with colors. Ghulal is considered most auspicious of all the colors. Apart from the color play, people prepare for a bonfire in the evening, signifying that they are burning all their sins and problems to ashes. Bhang is listed on the top of the Holi menu. It is a traditional drink with mild intoxicating effect. People lighten their mood by taking a sip of Bhang on a hot summer day. However it is important to prevent yourself from overindulging in bhang. 

So stay safe and enjoy the spirit of Holi!

- Kruti Beesam

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