Holi Festival of Water & Colours

Festival of water and colors that falls between February/March is also known as “Phagu” in Nepal. An important festival of the Nepalis, Holi begins on the eighth day of the new moon in the month of Falgun and ends with the burning of the ‘Chir’, which is installed earlier, on the full moon day. This day is observed to rejoice the extermination of female demon Holika who together with her King brother conspired to kill his son Pralhad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. This day, playful people especially the young ones wander through the streets in groups on foot or vehicles with various colors smeared all over them and the people in houses make merry throwing colors and water balloons at each other and also to these people on the streets.

The festival revolves around a mythology of demon king Hiranya Kashyapu ordering his sister Holika to enter a fire with Pralhad, son of the demon king and a devout follower of Lord Vishnu, in her lap so that Pralhad would stop chanting the name of the God. The catch was that Holika wouldn’t burn in the fire because of a boon she had received from the God.

But it so happened that the fire burned Holika whereas Pralhad remained unharmed and came out of the fire still chanting the name of the almighty.

From then onwards, the festival is celebrated by smearing colour in enjoyment. There is also a saying that Lord Vishnu had told Holika that the boon she had received would be meaningless if it was misused.

Elders believe that any premonitions can be avoided if ‘Tika’ made from the ashes of the ‘Chir’ is put on one’s forehead or kept in the house. Revelry in the form of throwing water-filled balloons at pedestrians from the upper windows of houses usually marks the festival.

Hindus in Nepal, India and around the world smear colors and exchange greetings during Holi celebrations.