HOLI HAI!!

A FESTIVAL OF COLOUR!!

The festival of Holi usually takes place in the month of March each year and falls on the 15th day of the Hindi month of Phalgun.

It is celebrated with great enthusiasm on the full day of the Moon, also known as the Akshar Poornima. Dry red, green & yellow gulal colours are thrown and members of family and friends are all submerged in colour and celebrate the occassion with feast and sweets. Entire country wears a festive look when it comes for holi celebrations.

The festival of Holi is connected with the legend with demon King Hiranykashyap, who demanded every body in his Kingdom to worship him, but his pious son Parlhad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed, and tried various ways to kill him but was always saved by Lord Vishnu. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Parlhad in her lap, as she had boon which made her immune from fire. Lord Vishnu again saved Parlhad from fire, and the evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone. A day before Holi this occassion is celebrated with bon fire, to celebrate the Victory of Truth & Good over evil and the tuimph of devotion to God.

Later Lord Vishnu incarnated as Narsinh Avtaar (half lion and half man) to kill the evil King Hiryankashyap.

Bollywood has added more festivity to the festival with Holi songs.There is one from film Mother India "Holi aei re holi aei re", Rang barse" from film Silsila and another holi song from film Sholey " Holi hai ". It is a day of fun as people play with colours on this day. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one another and throwing water baloons at passers by.

Holi is not only an expression of love between lovers, but there is a legend connected with it. It is said that naughty and mischevious Lord Krishna, played holi with his beloved gopi Radha and by applying colour on her made her one like him.

The festival of Holi ushers the arrival of Spring. The gloom of winter goes as Holi promises bright summer days. Fields get filled with crops, promising a good harvest to the farmers.

This year in 2013 Holi festival is on Wednesday 27th of Marchrate and also going to be celebrated in IHS from 6PM-7.30PM. So please come and join us!!