Holi celebrations in India and abroad

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[[File: Holi in Ukraine.jpg| Holi in Ukraine in the fourth week of June 2016; Graphic courtesy: [http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=COLOUR-OF-FUN-27062016015046 The Times of India], June 27, 2016|frame|500px]]
  
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=A festival that demolishes all boundaries=
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[http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31808&articlexml=the-speaking-tree-Holi-Is-When-All-Boundaries-13032017012051 Mata Amritanandamayi, Holi Is When All Boundaries Vanish, March 13, 2017: The Times of India]
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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.<br/>You can help by converting these articles into an encyclopaedia-style entry,<br />deleting portions of the kind nor mally not used in encyclopaedia entries.<br/>Please also fill in missing details; put categories, headings and sub-headings;<br/>and combine this with other articles on exactly the same subject.<br/>
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See [[examples]] and a tutorial.</div>
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Holi signifies boundless happiness. Sacred festivities are meant to remind us of the inner bliss and oneness that are our inherent nature, the very essence of life. When everyone's bodies and faces are smeared with colours, all external differences disappear; everyone looks the same.True happiness and love arise only when all boundaries vanish.
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Foremost among Holi legends is the story of Prahlada. Even as a little boy , Prahlada was fully devoted and surrendered to the Lord. His father, the egoistic King Hiranyakashipu, declared himself to be a god. Hiranyakashipu issued a decree that no one other than himself could be worshiped; everyone should chant only his name. Regardless, Prahlada continued his invocation of Vishnu.Infuriated, Hiranyakashipu devised many plans to kill the devout boy , including boiling him in oil, trapping him in a room full of venomous snakes, having him trampled by elephants ­ even having his own mother poison him. Prahlada miraculously escaped all these plots unharmed, and his devotion only grew.
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At one point, Hiranyakashipu asked his sister Holika ­ who had a boon that made her fireproof ­ to enter a blazing fire with Prahlada in her lap. But Prahlada remained unscathed. Holika, on the other hand, was reduced to ashes. This is re-enacted as Holika dahanam.
 
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The story tells us that when a leader becomes selfish, selfcentred and drunk with ego, he forgets that he is, in fact, only a limited human being. The story reminds us that when we lose our humility , the law of karma will come into operation and correct us. This holds true for everyone. Always remember that we are all interconnected; the ripples of each of our actions ­ good or bad, selfless or selfish ­ will spread far and wide and go on to affect our family , village, state, nation and the entire world.
 
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Prahlada demonstrates the power of unshakeable faith and determination.Although a little boy , Prahlada had to undergo many ordeals before God finally appeared before him.
 
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This shows us that ­ not only in spirituality but in all spheres of life ­ if we want to attain great heights, we need great love, faith, dedication and surrender.Above all, we need to invoke the grace of the Supreme power.
 
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On Holi, you can lovingly smear colours on anyone ­ your parents, elders, neighbours, strangers, foreigners, friend or foe. Whoever you are, whatever your status, this act of “colouring“ is accepted in a spirit of celebration and friendship. In today's world, where human beings and nature are besieged by problems, threats and conflict, celebrations such as Holi bring the much-needed message of equality , unity, unconditional love, happiness, compassion, universal friendship and enthusiasm.
 
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Due to his firm anchoring in devotion and faith Prahlada continues to be a source of tremendous inspiration. We need more such people to inspire us and lead us ­ people whose pure love and fearless dharmic actions can help free our world from the grip of darkness and sorrow. We need more people who are selfless and who are full of compassion and love.
 
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The joyful participation we feel during festivals and celebrations transcends the mind and intellect. It is wholehearted. There is a deep feeling of love in it. We need to put in effort to sustain this celebratory spirit in all of our activities throughout our lives.
 
  
 
=Holi Milan=
 
=Holi Milan=
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This divine bliss is illustrated in the tales of Krishna playing Holi with gopis. These tales are symbolic of the spiritual intoxication and inner bliss that is experienced by human souls when they get coloured by spiritual knowledge that is imparted by God at the confluence of end of Kaliyuga and beginning of Satyuga ­ also called Sangamyuga. It is an auspicious time to experience divine love and bliss in the company of God.(Dadi Ratan Mohini is Jt. Chief of the Brahma Kumaris, Mt Abu.)
 
This divine bliss is illustrated in the tales of Krishna playing Holi with gopis. These tales are symbolic of the spiritual intoxication and inner bliss that is experienced by human souls when they get coloured by spiritual knowledge that is imparted by God at the confluence of end of Kaliyuga and beginning of Satyuga ­ also called Sangamyuga. It is an auspicious time to experience divine love and bliss in the company of God.(Dadi Ratan Mohini is Jt. Chief of the Brahma Kumaris, Mt Abu.)
  
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=Celebrating Holi =
 
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''' Holi Hai '''
 
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You have an extended weekend. The weather is just perfect for a drive out of Delhi. So head for Brajbhoomi, the land associated with Lord Krishna’s childhood
 
  
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[http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=CAP&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1393708348876  Times of  India]
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=Holi colours =
  
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==MATHURA ==
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==Make your own colours==
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RED Sun dry rose petals in tissue papers and grind them to make a fine powder.
  
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Lord Krishna’s association with Mathura goes back to his birth. He was born in Mathura but brought up in Vrindavan. Legend has it that when he complained to his mother Yashoda about Radha’s fair complexion, she asked him to smear Radha’s face with colour. This marked the beginning of the festivities. Today, the weeklong celebrations are held with great fervour at Gulal Kund near Govardhan hill. Revellers apply gulal on each other and drench themselves in the waters of the lake. Young boys enact the story of Krishna’s childhood.
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YELLOW: Boil marigold flowers in water and leave them overnight. Strain and use the colour next morning.  
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==VRINDAVAN==
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Fifteen kilometres from Mathura is Vrindavan, the place that resounds with tales of the Lord’s mysticism and divinity. During Holi, celebrations and divinity coalesce to spread the message of oneness with Krishna and love for our brethren. One of the distinctive features of Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan is that the temples dedicated to Lord Krishna celebrate the festival on different days. The most important celebrations take place at Banke Bihari Temple where the assembled crowds chant the name of the Lord and his consort with passion.  
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==BARSANA/NANDGAON==
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ORANGE: Add turmeric, marigold petals and sandalwood powder in water and bring to a boil. Let it cool before you use this bright yellow colour.
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The birthplace of Radha, is the centre of boisterous celebrations during Holi. Located 15 km from Vrindavan, it is here in Barsana that Krishna teased his beloved and her friends. In present-day festivities, young men from Nandgaon, where Krishna spent many days of his youth, come to Barsana to play Holi with the women. Instead of gulal, they greet each other with sticks, hence the name lathmaar Holi.  
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GREEN: Powder sun-dried spinach, coriander and gulmohar leaves to make a fine green mix.
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PURPLE: Blend jamun juice with lavender oil and arrowroot for that royal hue.  
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ROSE COLOUR: This is simple — mix powdered rose petals, some arrowroot and tea rose oil for that rich colour.
  
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According to tradition, the men must put a flag atop the local Radha Rani Temple with the women using every trick in the book to stop them. Making the men wear saris or lehengas, beating them up with sticks… everything is fair in this battle of the sexes. In a symbolic revenge on Lord Krishna for playing pranks on the gopis, the women continue undaunted. But there comes a time when they are exhausted. It is then that the men take over. They use buckets of coloured water to drench the women. Now it’s a fair deal!
 
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==Making Holi colours ==
 
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MAKE YOUR OWN COLOURS: RED
 
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Sun dry rose petals in tissue papers and grind them to make a fine powder. YELLOW: Boil marigold flowers in water and leave them overnight. Strain and use the colour next morning. ORANGE: Add turmeric, marigold petals and sandalwood powder in water and bring to a boil. Let it cool before you use this bright yellow colour. GREEN: Powder sun-dried spinach, coriander and gulmohar leaves to make a fine green mix. PURPLE: Blend jamun juice with lavender oil and arrowroot for that royal hue. ROSE COLOUR: This is simple — mix powdered rose petals, some arrowroot and tea rose oil for that rich colour.
 
  
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=HOLI CELEBRATIONS IN INDIA=
 
=Belagavi: Ashwathama is revered=
 
=Belagavi: Ashwathama is revered=
 
[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/holi-with-a-difference-when-ashwathama-is-revered/article17460225.ece  Holi with a difference — when Ashwathama is revered, March 14, 2017: The Hindu]
 
[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/holi-with-a-difference-when-ashwathama-is-revered/article17460225.ece  Holi with a difference — when Ashwathama is revered, March 14, 2017: The Hindu]
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The temple of Ashwathama suffers from a social stigma which discourages many from going there. There is hardly anybody who visits this temple on the rest of the days owing to the curse that haunts Ashwathama for taking the side of the Kauravas and killing the sons of the Pandavas. Thus, a belief continues to haunt the community that the sight of the idol of Ashwathama would bring them bad luck.
 
The temple of Ashwathama suffers from a social stigma which discourages many from going there. There is hardly anybody who visits this temple on the rest of the days owing to the curse that haunts Ashwathama for taking the side of the Kauravas and killing the sons of the Pandavas. Thus, a belief continues to haunt the community that the sight of the idol of Ashwathama would bring them bad luck.
  
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=Holi and Sri Krishn=
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=BARSANA/NANDGAON=
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''' Divine Raas Leela Of Unconditional Love '''
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Seema Burman
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The birthplace of Radha, is the centre of boisterous celebrations during Holi. Located 15 km from Vrindavan, it is here in Barsana that Krishna teased his beloved and her friends. In present-day festivities, young men from Nandgaon, where Krishna spent many days of his youth, come to Barsana to play Holi with the women. Instead of gulal, they greet each other with sticks, hence the name lathmaar Holi.
  
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From the archives of '' The Times of India ''
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According to tradition, the men must put a flag atop the local Radha Rani Temple with the women using every trick in the book to stop them. Making the men wear saris or lehengas, beating them up with sticks… everything is fair in this battle of the sexes. In a symbolic revenge on Lord Krishna for playing pranks on the gopis, the women continue undaunted. But there comes a time when they are exhausted. It is then that the men take over. They use buckets of coloured water to drench the women. Now it’s a fair deal!
  
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Sharad means winter and mahotsav is festival. Though this is the month of Phalgun, it was in Sharad on a full moon night that millennia ago in Vrindavan a dance of love was performed by Krishna, a child of seven years, and the gopis. This came to be known as raas leela.  
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=MATHURA =
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[http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=CAP&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW&AW=1393708348876  Times of  India]
  
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Swami Vivekananda said that the raas leela is an external expression of divine leela which takes place in the heart of each and every individual, between the finite and the universal soul. Unless we have unflinching love and faith, Krishna and his life would always baffle us.
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Lord Krishna’s association with Mathura goes back to his birth. He was born in Mathura but brought up in Vrindavan. Legend has it that when he complained to his mother Yashoda about Radha’s fair complexion, she asked him to smear Radha’s face with colour. This marked the beginning of the festivities. Today, the weeklong celebrations are held with great fervour at Gulal Kund near Govardhan hill. Revellers apply gulal on each other and drench themselves in the waters of the lake. Young boys enact the story of Krishna’s childhood.
 
   
 
   
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Take for instance Radha’s love. So enchanted was Krishna with Radha’s love, pure and divine, that He wished to experience it Himself. Radha told Krishna to incarnate so that she could infuse ‘Radha bhava’ in that incarnation. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is believed to be Krishna’s incarnation with Radha Bhava.
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=VRINDAVAN=
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Only those who become “mad” with love can understand the love of gopis who are the personification of unconditional love. Krishna’s intellectual friend Uddhava asked Him: “Are all paths of spiritual advancement equally efficacious or is any one of them more important than the others?” Krishna answered: “All other paths by themselves cannot reach me without the help of supreme love or devotion. Knowledge alone is not enough. It cannot purify the mind and without purity of mind what results can one achieve?”
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Sages who had done rigorous tapasya in their previous births reincarnated as gopis and were waiting to merge with their beloved God in this raas leela.
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Krishna is the ideal lover, householder and sanyasi who, even while being detached, shows the world that true love is unconditional. When Radha and the gopis want to know why Krishna can’t meet them just once, Uddhava says, “The Lord knows that distance will make you love Him with more intensity and that is the secret to reach Him, to remember Him constantly.” Worldly people find it difficult to understand a love so pure that it wants nothing, expects nothing.  
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Fifteen kilometres from Mathura is Vrindavan, the place that resounds with tales of the Lord’s mysticism and divinity. During Holi, celebrations and divinity coalesce to spread the message of oneness with Krishna and love for our brethren. One of the distinctive features of Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan is that the temples dedicated to Lord Krishna celebrate the festival on different days. The most important celebrations take place at Banke Bihari Temple where the assembled crowds chant the name of the Lord and his consort with passion.  
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Krishna has revealed all aspects of love to us. Devotees are permitted to love Him in any which way. They think of Krishna constantly and the result is they get merged with Him. Uddhava meets the village girls and offers to take them to Mathura where Krishna resides. They refuse, saying: “Our Krishna is a cowherd, He plays the flute, He loves the cows, wears no slippers. Bring back our Krishna, Uddhava.”
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When he offers to carry their messages they reply: “Messages are sent for one who is away but for one who is entrenched in our soul, what message can we send?” Uddhava says: “Close your eyes and meditate on Him in your heart.” The gopis cry: “But Uddhava, how can we close our eyes? Look, there He is on the tree, on each leaf, now in the Yamuna, there grazing that cow, look around, Krishna is everywhere. Krishna is smiling at us, He is stealing our butter.”
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Radha then becomes Krishna and dances with the gopis and plays the flute. Like Krishna she teases them, hides behind trees and runs away. Till now Uddhava had meditated upon Krishna in his heart with closed eyes but now he sees Krishna everywhere. A transformation comes over Uddhava who cries on seeing the gopis and bows to them in reverence. No wonder Krishna’s dance of love is unsurpassable and if one even witnesses an enactment of it one might understand the true import of divine love.
 
  
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Today is Holi. It is also Sri Chaitanya’s birth anniversary
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=HOLI-INSPIRED FESTIVALS IN NON-HINDU COMMUNITIES=
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=Holi-inspired festivals in non-Hindu communities=
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==Germany==
 
==Germany==
 
''' The Holi Festival in Germany: the brightest multi-coloured party in the world '''  
 
''' The Holi Festival in Germany: the brightest multi-coloured party in the world '''  
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The Holi Festival clearly ticks a number of boxes in terms of what young people now want from a fun event. It creates an atmosphere of freedom and community. It combines the familiar tones of techno music on a show stage with a touch of exoticism. And it’s the perfect opportunity for taking the most amazing selfies and posting them on social media. In fact, the selfie trend is why Holi Festivals start in the early afternoon: that’s when the light is best.
 
The Holi Festival clearly ticks a number of boxes in terms of what young people now want from a fun event. It creates an atmosphere of freedom and community. It combines the familiar tones of techno music on a show stage with a touch of exoticism. And it’s the perfect opportunity for taking the most amazing selfies and posting them on social media. In fact, the selfie trend is why Holi Festivals start in the early afternoon: that’s when the light is best.
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= Wisdom behind the word “Holi” =
 
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[http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wisdom-behind-the-word-holi/ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar , Wisdom behind the word “Holi” "Daily Excelsior" 12/3/2017]
 
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An asura king, Hiranya Kashyap, wanted everyone to worship him. But his son Prahalad was a devotee of Lord Narayana, the king’s sworn enemy. Angry, the king wanted Holika, his sister to get rid of Prahalad. Empowered to withstand fire; Holika sat on a burning pyre holding Prahalad on her lap. But it was Holika who was burnt, Prahalad came out unharmed.
 
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Hiranyakashyap symbolizes one who is gross. Prahalad embodies innocence, faith and bliss/joy. The spirit cannot be confined to love material only. Hiranyakashyap wanted all the joy to come from the material world. It did not happen that way. The individual jivatma cannot be bound to the material forever. It’s natural to eventually move towards Narayana, one’s higher self.
 
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Holika stands for the past burdens that try to burn Prahalad’s innocence. But Prahlad, so deeply rooted in Narayana Bhakthi could burn all past impressions (sanskaras) and joy springs up with new colors. Life becomes a celebration. Burning the past, you gear up for a new beginning. Your emotions, like fire, burn you. But when there is a fountain of colors, they add charm to your life. In ignorance, emotions are a bother; in knowledge, the same emotions add colors
 
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Each emotion is associated with a color- Anger with red, jealousy with green, vibrancy and happiness with yellow, love with pink, vastness with blue, peace with white, sacrifice with saffron and knowledge with violet.
 
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Knowing the essence of the festival, enjoy the day with Wisdom.
 
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The ‘Holi’ festival is a very fun-filled and popular occasion in India. People play holi with Chandan and colored water. This festival is celebrated around early March each year. People believe that the bright colors represent energy, life and joy. Huge bonfires are also burnt in the evening and people worship the fire.
 
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Life should be full of colors! And each color is meant to be seen and enjoyed separately, for if seen all mixed together, they will appear all black. All the colors like red, yellow, green, etc. should exist side by side and simultaneously be enjoyed together. Similarly, in life, different roles played by the same person should exist peacefully and distinctly inside him. For example, when a father continues to play his role of a ‘father’ in office, things are bound to go for a toss. In our country, a politician is sometimes a father first and a leader later!
 
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In which ever situation we are in, we should play the corresponding role to the hilt and then life is bound to become colorful! This concept was called ‘Varnashram’ in ancient India. This meant – everyone, be it a doctor, teacher, father, whoever or whatever, is expected to play their roles with full enthusiasm. Mixing professions will always be counter productive. If a doctor wants to do business, he should run a business separately and secondary to his profession and not make business out of medicine. Keeping these ‘containers’ of the mind separate and distinct is the secret of a happy life and this is what HOLI teaches.
 
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All colors emanate from white, and when mixed again, they become black. When your mind is white and consciousness – pure, peaceful, happy and meditative, different colors and roles emerge. We get the strength to play various roles with full sincerity against the background. We have to dip into our consciousness time and again. If we only look inwards and play around with colors outside of us, we are bound to find blackness all over again. Between roles we have to take deep rests, in order to play each role sincerely. Now, the biggest impediment to deep rest is desire. Desire means stress. Even petty desires cause high stress – the higher goals give relatively less botheration! Desire tortures the mind at times.
 
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So what does one do?
 
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The only way out is to focus attention on the desire and surrender it. This act of focusing awareness or sight on desire or Kama is called ‘kamakshi’. With awareness, desire loses its grip and surrender happens and then nectar flows out from within. The goddess, Kamakshi, holds a sugarcane stem in one hand and a flower in the other. The sugar-cane stem is so hard and has to be squeezed in order to obtain sweetness, while the flower is soft and collecting nectar from it is so easy. This truly represents life, which indeed has a little of both! It is far easier to obtain this bliss from the inside than it is to try to extract pleasure from the outside world – which needs a lot more effort.
 
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Lift Your Spirit with Joy of Color
 

Revision as of 15:13, 3 March 2018

Holi in Ukraine in the fourth week of June 2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, June 27, 2016

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Holi in Ukraine in the fourth week of June 2016; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, June 27, 2016

This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.
You can help by converting these articles into an encyclopaedia-style entry,
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Contents

Holi Milan

Holi Milan: Celebration Of True Colours

Dadi Ratan Mohini The Times of India Mar 06 2015

The festival of Holi that is celebrated on Phalgun Purnima, the full moon day of the lunar month Phalgun, has three aspects to it. First, people make an effigy of Holika and make a bonfire of it. Next day they colour each other and enjoy Holi Milan in a playful and festive manner. The third and most important aspect is that all the gaiety symbolises letting go of the past ­ forgive and forget.

The story of Holika reminds us of the divine protection of the pious Prahlad who had unflinching faith in God and of the death of his aunt Holika who was hell bent on killing him by misusing Brahma's boon bestowed on her ­ not to be consumed by fire. (She sat with Prahlad on her lap in a raging fire that consumed her but left the child unharmed.) The bonfire signifies destroying one's own weaknesses and faults and purifying one's thoughts, deeds and words. Grains are thrown into the fire. When the grains are roasted, they cannot grow a crop. In a spiritual context, it means that if our actions are burnt in the fire of yoga, they will not give rise to vicious actions and, hence, there will be no crop of sufferings.

Any deed performed in the aware ness of spiritual wisdom cannot become a misdeed.Hence, Holika also symbolises that first we have to burn away our vices and attachment by having a loving and single-minded devotion for the Supreme Soul. God's direction to all humanity is to purify the seed of karma by roasting it in the fire of yoga.We will then become aware of who we really are ­ eternal spiritual beings endowed with divine qualities of peace, love, bliss, joy and power.

The day after the bonfire people celebrate Holi with colours. That is, in order to get coloured by spiritual wisdom, one has to burn away the vices within. It is in the companionship of God that we realise our own true colours, our original divine virtues.

Knowledge also symbolises colour.A spiritually evolved virtuous person colours those who are in his company and inspires them too to connect to God and His goodness. It is only through one's blissful communion with God that we can experi ence divine bliss which is the underlying spirit of Holi celebrations.

The spiritual way of celebrating this colourful festival is ­ first, to let go of the past. To forgive and forget beings and things that create hurt, pain or any kind of suffering is the true way to welcome newness in life.

Secondly, Holi inspires us to be holy because we are the children of God. Lastly , it reminds us about our true eternal belongingness with God; to be His children in the real sense and to reflect the original colours of peace, joy , love and truth which are inherent in every human soul. All true relationships that bring joy and fulfilment come from relating to divinity in the self and in each person. Holi Milan signifies the universal celebration of this spiritual love and brotherhood.

This divine bliss is illustrated in the tales of Krishna playing Holi with gopis. These tales are symbolic of the spiritual intoxication and inner bliss that is experienced by human souls when they get coloured by spiritual knowledge that is imparted by God at the confluence of end of Kaliyuga and beginning of Satyuga ­ also called Sangamyuga. It is an auspicious time to experience divine love and bliss in the company of God.(Dadi Ratan Mohini is Jt. Chief of the Brahma Kumaris, Mt Abu.)


Holi colours

Make your own colours

RED Sun dry rose petals in tissue papers and grind them to make a fine powder.

YELLOW: Boil marigold flowers in water and leave them overnight. Strain and use the colour next morning.

ORANGE: Add turmeric, marigold petals and sandalwood powder in water and bring to a boil. Let it cool before you use this bright yellow colour.

GREEN: Powder sun-dried spinach, coriander and gulmohar leaves to make a fine green mix.

PURPLE: Blend jamun juice with lavender oil and arrowroot for that royal hue.

ROSE COLOUR: This is simple — mix powdered rose petals, some arrowroot and tea rose oil for that rich colour.


HOLI CELEBRATIONS IN INDIA

Belagavi: Ashwathama is revered

Holi with a difference — when Ashwathama is revered, March 14, 2017: The Hindu


If Holi is not with a difference, then it is not in Belagavi, says every reveller who would not want to miss a chance to go to Pangul Galli off the busy Ganpat Galli in the heart of the city to celebrate the festival of colours. Pangul Galli, a narrow commercial street, is the venue of the special celebration, which is unique to the festivities here. And, what makes the occasion so special for the city is the thrilling blend of religious ritual and Holi revelry.

At the peak of the celebrations starts this unique ritual at Pangul Galli with hundreds of youth lying down on the street and rolling to pay their tributes to Ashwathama, the cursed warrior in the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The temple of Ashwathama stands in the midst of the street and he is revered as the presiding deity on the occasion of every Holi in this part of the city. Devotees here say that this is only the second temple built for one of the warriors of the Mahabharata. Devotees pay their respects and tributes to Ashwathama by performing “Lotangan” (Urulu Seve). Hundreds of youth made a beeline to participate in the “Lotangan”, while other revellers drenched them with coloured-water and splashed gulal on them. The occasion was marked by special puja and distribution of prasada to all by the temple committee members, arranged with contributions from residents and shop-keepers on the street.

The temple of Ashwathama suffers from a social stigma which discourages many from going there. There is hardly anybody who visits this temple on the rest of the days owing to the curse that haunts Ashwathama for taking the side of the Kauravas and killing the sons of the Pandavas. Thus, a belief continues to haunt the community that the sight of the idol of Ashwathama would bring them bad luck.

BARSANA/NANDGAON

The birthplace of Radha, is the centre of boisterous celebrations during Holi. Located 15 km from Vrindavan, it is here in Barsana that Krishna teased his beloved and her friends. In present-day festivities, young men from Nandgaon, where Krishna spent many days of his youth, come to Barsana to play Holi with the women. Instead of gulal, they greet each other with sticks, hence the name lathmaar Holi.

According to tradition, the men must put a flag atop the local Radha Rani Temple with the women using every trick in the book to stop them. Making the men wear saris or lehengas, beating them up with sticks… everything is fair in this battle of the sexes. In a symbolic revenge on Lord Krishna for playing pranks on the gopis, the women continue undaunted. But there comes a time when they are exhausted. It is then that the men take over. They use buckets of coloured water to drench the women. Now it’s a fair deal!

MATHURA

Times of India

Lord Krishna’s association with Mathura goes back to his birth. He was born in Mathura but brought up in Vrindavan. Legend has it that when he complained to his mother Yashoda about Radha’s fair complexion, she asked him to smear Radha’s face with colour. This marked the beginning of the festivities. Today, the weeklong celebrations are held with great fervour at Gulal Kund near Govardhan hill. Revellers apply gulal on each other and drench themselves in the waters of the lake. Young boys enact the story of Krishna’s childhood.

VRINDAVAN

Fifteen kilometres from Mathura is Vrindavan, the place that resounds with tales of the Lord’s mysticism and divinity. During Holi, celebrations and divinity coalesce to spread the message of oneness with Krishna and love for our brethren. One of the distinctive features of Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan is that the temples dedicated to Lord Krishna celebrate the festival on different days. The most important celebrations take place at Banke Bihari Temple where the assembled crowds chant the name of the Lord and his consort with passion.


HOLI-INSPIRED FESTIVALS IN NON-HINDU COMMUNITIES

Germany

The Holi Festival in Germany: the brightest multi-coloured party in the world

Alumni Portal-Deutschland

Holi Festivals are currently taking Germany by storm. At a given point in a Holi Festival, several thousand young people throw brightly coloured powder at each other. This fun event has its origins in an Indian religious celebration held each spring. But what do Germany-Alumni from India make of this commercial take on their traditional festival?

In 2012, Jasper Hellmann, an events manager from Berlin, was in Delhi during the Indian month of Phalguna (February/March). Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by Indians dancing and enthusiastically throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. What Hellmann was caught up in was the Hindu festival of Holi, an annual celebration of spring, which sees people of all ages, genders and castes coating each other in coloured powder, or ‘gulal’. He recalls, ‘For a few days, everyone looks the same – and everyone is multi-coloured. I thought it was a wonderful idea.’

Back in Germany, Hellmann set up a company – Holi Concept GmbH – and laid the foundations for what has turned into Germany’s largest fun event. The ‘Holi Festival of Colours’ now attracts tens of thousands of young people every year. Detached from its religious roots, Germany’s version of Holi takes place in fenced-off areas between mid-May and late August, when the weather is good, rather than on the streets during spring, as the Indian festival does. Another difference is that the throwing of the coloured powder takes place on the hour, after a mass countdown, rather than at random times. And there’s other evidence of the German influence, too: Holi participants in Germany are not allowed to use Indian ‘gulal’ and have to buy special locally produced powder that meets stringent health and safety criteria.

Hungary

Celebration of Holi in Hungary; Picture courtesy: The Times of India, August 15, 2016

Ukraine

Holi Colors Festival

In 2013 celebrated in the Druzhby Narodov Park

Visit To Ukraine, the authoritative Ukrainian tourism website, wrote in 2013

The most colorful event, which is eagerly expected by a lot of Kiev residents and tourists - Holi colors festival. Yes, the main feature of the festival will be paint. All the participants will be able to shower each other with bright colors, thus giving a smile, a laugh and a loud outburst of emotion around and the feeling that there is no monotony of everyday life and everything is bright and wonderful. For the first time this festival was held in India.

The festival program also includes competitions in wakeboarding, water battles and flash mob throwing paint, a master class in dance for children and art education, accompanied by animators and choreographers, show representatives of contemporary art and culture of different artists. The colorful festival of colors Holi will be completed with rock concert and an evening show.

Europe, Africa, South America and Australia

Holi Festival: community fun with a touch of exoticism

Alumni Portal-Deutschland

The Holi Festival trend has spread from Germany to cities such as London, Barcelona and Amsterdam, which all now hold their own festivals. Most of those throwing the yellow, blue, green and pink powder at each other are young women. The craze has even reached Africa, South America and Australia. In Germany alone, Holi Concept GmbH expects around 150,000 participants at events across 14 towns and cities in 2015. And that means good business, with tickets costing around 20 Euros and those essential bags of powder around 2 Euros each.

The Holi Festival clearly ticks a number of boxes in terms of what young people now want from a fun event. It creates an atmosphere of freedom and community. It combines the familiar tones of techno music on a show stage with a touch of exoticism. And it’s the perfect opportunity for taking the most amazing selfies and posting them on social media. In fact, the selfie trend is why Holi Festivals start in the early afternoon: that’s when the light is best.

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