Mooskaan

Holi is a significant festival in Spring, celebrated in the Indian subcontinent and amongst the Indian diaspora abroad. It is also known as the festival of colour, love and Spring season and signifies the triumph of good over evil. Mythologically, it celebrates the eternal and divine love between Lord Krishna and his consort, Radha.  

Holi lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the Purnima (full moon day) in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna, which falls around the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar. It ushers Spring in India, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love. It is also an invocation for a good spring harvest season. 

Legend has it that King Hiranyakashipu, the cruel king of demons (Ashuras) had a son named Prahlada. Hiranyakashipu earned a boon that gave him five special powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by astra (projectile weapons) nor by any shastra (handheld weapons), and neither on land nor in water or in air. The king grew arrogant and expected undue respect and worship from everybody. However, his own son, Prahlada had always remained devoted to Lord Vishnu (Lord Krishna was the 8th incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu). This angered and infuriated Hiranyakashipu who got his sister Holika to trick Prahlada and set fire on Prahlada in order to kill him. But due to a miracle, Holika’s fire-proof cloak flew away from her and encased Prahlada. So the fire meant to burn Prahlada engulfed Holika and burned her to death.  

Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha – half human and half lion (which is neither a human nor an animal), at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), took Hiranyakashyapu at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placed him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then eviscerated and killed the cruel king with his lion claws (which were neither a handheld weapon nor a launched weapon).  

The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, and marks the event when the evil Holika was burned to death. According to Hindu custom, a bonfire is lit up the evening before the day of Holi to celebrate the passing away of Holika (the evil) and victory of Lord Vishnu over the demon king Hiranyakashipu.  

In many 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. Visitors to homes are first teased with colours, then served with Holi delicacies and desserts and drinks. After playing with colours, and cleaning up, people bathe, put on clean clothes, and visit friends and family.  

Some members of the Indian community living in and around Chester have come together to celebrate this ancient tradition by holding a concert of hindi songs and dance, in order to raise money for the homeless in Chester (CATH, Chester Aid for the Homeless) on the occasion of Holi.