This year Holi will be celebrated on 14 March. We will tell you on Maxxfour.com how Holi is celebrated in India and the world. We will give you detailed information about Holi, what is its history and why it is celebrated. It is a major festival of Hindus. Today Holi is not only celebrated in India but also in the world. On the first day Holika Dahan takes place and on the second day everyone celebrates the festival of Holi with colors. It is believed that on the day of Holi all people forget their old things and meet each other and become friends and play music together and apply colors on each other. This activity goes on till afternoon, after that all people take bath and go to each other’s house in the evening to meet and feed sweets to each other.
History of Holi
Holi, a festival celebrated in the spring season, is also called Vasantotsav. Historians believe that it was prevalent in ancient times as well and it was celebrated in eastern states and there is mention of it in Puranas as well. Inscriptions dating back to 300 BC have been found at Ramgarh place in Vindhya region which prove the celebration of Holi.
Muslim historians have also written about Holi in their writings. Albaruni has also described it in his Yatra Vitrant. We mainly find the authentic history of Holi in pictures. In the Mughal period, various pictures related to Holi were made, in which we also find mention of Holi in the pictures made during the times of Jodha, Akbar and Shahjahan.
Stories related to Holi
Many stories of Holi are famous, among which the story of Prahlad is considered the most important. It is told that in ancient times there was a personality named Hiran Kashyap who was extremely powerful and he considered himself as God himself. He had banned the worshipping of God during his rule. Hiran Kashyap had a son who was a devotee of God. Hiran Kashyap repeatedly forbade Prahlad from worshipping God, but he did not listen, due to which, in anger, Kashyap ordered him to be killed. Even then Prahlad did not give up his devotion to God. Hiran Kashyap tried to kill Prahlad many times, but he was unsuccessful. Hiran Kashyap’s sister Holika had received a boon that she would not be able to get burnt in fire, so she told her brother that she would take Prahlad and sit in the fire after selling him in the fire. Nothing happened to Prahlad but Holika got burnt in it. It is believed that Prahlad is a symbol of joy and happiness and Holika is a symbol of destruction. That is why everyone burns Holika a day before Holi. Holi festival is celebrated the next day of Holika Dahan in which all the people apply colors to each other and also celebrate this festival by feeding sweets to each other.
Traditions of Holi
On the day of Holi, various kinds of delicacies are made in which the main deity is Gujiya. On this day all the people enjoy this festival by having Bhangra and drinking cold drinks. On this day almost all the work in India remains closed.
Holi Tradition in Different States
As we know that India is a country of vibrancy, similarly Holi is celebrated in many ways here. Today, Holi of Braj has become the center of attraction of not only India but the whole world. In Barsana, Lathmar Holi is quite famous in which men put color on women and women beat them with sticks and clothes. In Mathura and Vrindavan, Holi is celebrated for 15 days. In Kamayu area, songs and cultural programs are held. In Punjab’s Hola Mohalla, truth is shown by Sikhs, while in Tamilnadu, it is based on the story of Kamdev. Originally Spring festival is celebrated.
Holi festival in modern times
Holi is a festival of laughter and colours. Today chemical colours have replaced natural colours. Still everyone is moving towards natural colours and prefer playing Holi with natural colours. In modern times people celebrate Bhag Thandai and Shivaji and instead of music, film songs are more popular which is a method of modern times.
Conclusion
On Maxxfour.com we told you that Holi is a festival of colours in which people forget their old enmity and hug each other and celebrate Holi festival and celebrate happiness. People feed sweets to each other and also celebrate Holi festival by playing music.
