HOLI

 Holi

• Holi legend
• why do we celebrate holi
• Recognition of Holi in India
• Holi in India and abroad
• holi message

Holi is a major festival celebrated in Indian festivals.
Holi is celebrated on Phalgun Purnima in the spring season.
It is a festival of reconciliation and playing with colours.

According to Indian beliefs, Holi is linked to a mythological story. The story is as follows:

In ancient times, there was a king named Hiranyakashipu. He was very strong. He considered himself God. There was a strict order to worship him in his kingdom. The king gave severe punishment to anyone who refused to worship him. But in the same king's palace,
that king's own son, whose name was Prahlad, used to worship Lord Vishnu instead of worshiping him. When the king came to know about this, he explained a lot to Prahlad but Prahlad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. He refused to obey his father King Hiranyakashipu. On the contrary, he started explaining to him that Lord Vishnu is the protector of the entire world, you too should take refuge in him.

King Hiranyakashipu became very angry after hearing Prahlad's words. He started torturing him in various ways.
First he was thrown into a ditch. Nothing happened to Prahlad. He came back safely.
King Hiranyakashipu had a sister, Holika. Holika had the boon of not getting burnt by fire. The king asked his sister to sit in the pyre of fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika did the same but due to misuse of her boon, she got burnt in the fire. Prahlad did not get burnt by fire. At last the king asked him to embrace a burning pillar. As soon as Prahlad touched the pillar. The pillar split into two pieces. A wonderful creature emerged from that pillar. Its body was like that of a human and its torso was that of a lion. Which is called Narasimha in the world:
(Narasimha is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
Brahma had given a boon to King Hiranyakashipu that he would not be killed by any weapon, neither by human being nor by animal, neither in the morning nor in the evening. Nor in the day. He will die neither at night, nor in the sky nor on the earth, that is, he will become immortal.

At the time when Narasimha appeared from the pillar, it was evening and there was neither day nor night. Narasimha made Hiranyakashipu lie on his thigh and tore his chest with his nails. Nails are not weapons.

There was joy in the kingdom after the death of Hiranyakashipu. People started sprinkling colors and gulal on each other and started hugging each other.
Holika Dahan is celebrated just a day before Holi.

Holi festival is called by different names in different provinces.
Like __ Fagua in Bihar,
           Lathmar in Mathura-Vrindavan,
           Shimago in Goa.
In Punjab, the festival of Holi is celebrated a day before Holi with the name 'Lohiri' by connecting it with crops.
Even in foreign countries, wherever Hindu communities live, the festival of Holi is celebrated with great pomp.
There has always been a craze for Holi songs in Hindi films too.

How can it be possible that there is a festival of Holi and food is not prepared?

भारत के घर-घर में तरह-तरह के पकवान और मिठाई बनाये जाते हैं। गुझिया और पापड़ तो इस त्यौहार की जान है।

संदेश __सत्य पर विजय। वरदान पाकरअगर कोई सत्य की राह छोड़कर असत्य का दामन थाम ले तो अमरता का वरदान निष्फल हो जाता है।

       होली कुल मिलाकर कर हँसी-खुशी और मेल मिलाप का त्यौहार है।