The sound of uplifting music, colors in the air and the smell of delicious sweets. In a few days the Hindu festival Holi will start. It is the festival of colors, love and spring. It is mainly celebrated in India and Nepal, but nowadays the festival is celebrated worldwide, not only by Hindus.
The festival takes place every spring. Holi is the celebration of the end of the winter and the beginning of spring. It’s a celebration of rebirth and new beginnings. It always falls on Purnima, the day of the full moon. The day before is Holika Dahan. In ancient stories, Holika was a devil whom the God Vishnu destroyed through fire. A bonfire is lit for a prayer (puja). The fire burns away the bad and evil.
New beginnings
The next day is the festival of colors. The colorful day Rangwali Holi (Dhuleti) is the day of fun. People will visit family and friends, sing, dance and enjoy food and drinks. People throw colored powder and colored water at each other. The different colors all represent something different. Green is for rebirth and new beginnings, red is for love, marriage and fertility, yellow is for happiness and peace, blue is the color of calm and the Hindu god Krishna, pink represents youth, good health and playfulness, saffron is the color of courage and sacrifice and purple is symbolic for peace and wisdom.
The festival celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna. It is also the triumph of good over evil. And also the end of the winter and the start of the spring. Every region and place has its own traditions to celebrate the festival. It brings people, cultures and strangers together.
Forget and forgive
This new beginning is a good moment to reset and renew relationships, end conflicts and get rid of impurities from the past. A time to forget and forgive. To have a new start and make space for old and new friendships.
When you live in the Netherlands, you can celebrate Holi for example here:
- Haagse Holi Hangámá The Hague
- Indian color festival Amstelveen
- Holi Festival Rotterdam
Sources:
– Asia highlights
– Wikipedia
Jane Regina Sauer 