Holi -The Festival of Colors ("H" in A to Z Blogging Challenge)

Hole - The festival of colors  is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March of every year. It is a spring, Hindu religious festival. It is mainly celebrated in India but also celebrated in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United Kingdom, United States, Mauritius, and Fiji

Holi is a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land.

Holika with Prince Prhaldad

Holi is now a symbolic commemmoration of a legend from Hindu Mythology. The story centres around an arrogant king known Hiranya Kashyap (Lord Shiva Devotee) who resents his son Prahlada worshipping Lord Vishnu. He attempts to kill his son but fails each time. Finally, the king's sister Holika who is said to be immune to burning, sits with the boy in a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerges unscathed, while his aunt burns to death. Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.

 

Lord Krishna Playing Holi with Radha and Gopikas

This exuberant festival is also associated with the immortal love of Krishna and Radha, and hence, Holi is spread over 16 days in Vrindavan as well as Mathura - the two cities in India with which Lord Krishna shared a deep affiliation. 

Apart from the usual fun with coloured powder and water, Holi is marked by vibrant processions which are accompanied by folk songs, dances and a general sense of abandoned vitality.





On Holi day, the people shed inhibitions, religion and caste differences for spring fever and Big Fun. Teenagers spend the day sprinkling colors in the streets, adults extend the hand of peace, and everyone chases everyone else around, throwing brightly  pink colored powder (gulal) and water over each other.

During spring season, weather changes, may viral fever and cold. The playful throwing of natural colored powders has a medicinal significance. The traditional colors are made of Neem, Kumkum, Haldi(Termaric), Bilva, Hibiscus, Palash and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors.

Palash Flowers

Bilva Tree

Termaric

Hibiscus Flower

Neem

The conclusion for this post again with my daughter's pics: