Holi: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia
Hindu spring festival of colours
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Hindu festival dates The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta. Iff a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar. |
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Holi (Hindi pronunciation: [‘hoːli:]) is a popular and significant Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.[1][9][10][11]
It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the god Radha and Krishna.[12][13]
Additionally, the day also signifies the triumph of good over evil,[14][15] as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over Hiranyakashipu.[16][17]
Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.[10][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
Holi also celebrates the arrival of Spring in India, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love.[18][25] It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season.[18][25] It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (Full Moon Day) falling in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar.
Holi (Hindi: होली, Kannada: ಹೋಳಿ, Marathi: होळी, Nepali: होली, Punjabi: ਹੋਲੀ, Telugu: హోళి) is also known as Dol Jatra (swing festival”) and Bôshonto Utshôb (Bengali: বসন্ত উৎসব) (“spring festival”) in Bengal (West Bengal and Bangladesh), Dôl Jātrā (Assamese: দ’ল যাত্ৰা) in Assam, Phāgu Pūrṇimā (Nepali: फागु पूर्णिमा) in the hilly region of Nepal, Dola jātra (Odia: ଦୋଳଯାତ୍ରା) in Odisha, Fagua or Phagua (Bhojpuri: फगुआ) in eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Bihar, and northeastern Jharkhand, Phagwah (Caribbean Hindustani: पगवा) in the Caribbean (namely Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname), and Phagua (Fiji Hindi: पगवा) in Fiji.
The main day of the celebration is known as “Holi”, “Rangwali Holi”, “Dol Purnima“, “Dhuleti”, “Dhulandi”,[26] “Ukuli”, “Manjal Kuli”,[27] “Yaosang“, “Shigmo“,[28] “Phagwah”,[29] or “Jajiri”.[30]
This is color festival
Description[edit]
Holi is a sacred ancient tradition of Hindus, a holiday in many states of India and Nepal with regional holidays in other countries. To many Hindus and some non-Hindus, it is a playful cultural event and an excuse to throw coloured water at friends or strangers in jest. It is also observed broadly in the Indian subcontinent. Holi is celebrated at the end of winter, on the last full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month marking the spring, making the date vary with the lunar cycle.[note 1] The date falls typically in March, but sometimes late February of the Gregorian calendar.[33][34]
The festival has many purposes; most prominently, it celebrates the beginning of Spring. In 17th century literature, it was identified as a festival that celebrated agriculture, commemorated good spring harvests and the fertile land.[18] Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring’s abundant colours and saying farewell to winter. To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark an occasion to reset and renew ruptured relationships, end conflicts and rid themselves of accumulated emotional impurities from the past.[25][35]
It also has a religious purpose, symbolically signified by the legend of Holika. The night before Holi, bonfires are lit in a ceremony known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Little Holi People gather near fires, sing and dance. The next day, Holi, also known as Dhuli in Sanskrit, or Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated.[36]
In Northern parts of India, children and youth spray coloured powder solutions (gulal) at each other, laugh and celebrate, while adults smear dry coloured powder (abir) on each other’s faces.[5][35] Visitors to homes are first teased with colours, then served with Holi delicacies (such as puranpoli, dahi-bada and gujia), desserts and drinks.[37][38][39] After playing with colours, and cleaning up, people bathe, put on clean clothes, and visit friends and family.[25]
Like Holika Dahan, Kama Dahanam is celebrated in some parts of India. The festival of colours in these parts is called Rangapanchami, and occurs on the fifth day after Poornima (full moon).[40]
History[edit]
The Holi festival is an ancient Hindu festival with its…