Holi-the carnival of colors

                                                    

                                                   

Holi - the carnival of colors, a popular festival in India was celebrated last week during the ‘World fest’ celebrations at UC. I was so overwhelmed by the response that it received that I could not think of a better topic for my blog.

The festival of Holi is celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year. It marks the end of the winter gloom and rejoices in the blossom of spring, a time of the year when the fields are in full bloom and people are expecting a good harvest. This gives them a good reason to rejoice, make merry and submerge themselves in the spirit of Holi. Colorful days, solemn rituals, joyous celebrations - Holi is a boisterous occasion! Human beings have associated colors with their joys, pleasures and actions for enumerable years. Holi is a special day which marks the immense importance that colors play in our mundane lives. Many days ahead of Holi, markets get flooded with colors of every hue. Huge mounds of bright red, magenta, pink, green and blue can be seen everywhere on the streets. It is one of the most remarkable sights one can witness! Draped in white, people throng the streets in large numbers and smear each other with bright hued powders.

Like all Indian and Hindu festivals, Holi is inextricably linked to mythical tales. Some believe that an arrogant king Hiranyakashipu who resented his son Prahlada for worshipping Lord Vishnu wanted to kill him, but failed each time. Finally, the king's sister Holika, thought to be immune to burning sat with the boy in a huge fire. However, the prince Prahlada emerged unscathed, while his aunt burned to death. Bonfires are lit even today to symbolize the victory of good over evil. Holi is also celebrated to commemorate the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha. It is said that Krishna was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion and asked mother Yashoda the reason for her beauty. In jest, Yashoda told him to change her complexion by smearing her with colors. Krishna, a god well-known for his playful nature, did exactly as his mother suggested.

Any artist, no matter how skilled cannot ever paint with a single shade. Even the black must be complemented with shades of grey in order to create exquisite beauty. Similarly, holi is not just a day of gaiety, but also a day for people to shed inhibitions & forget differences in race, sex, color or social status. All these trivial dissimilarities are relegated and people surrender to an unalloyed colorful union of hearts.

Every festival has its own traditions in the backdrop, but what really matters is the spirit of festivity. It is a festival of triumph of good over evil. One must try to wash away all the evils along with the colors and allow the color of love to prevail. This is the true spirit of Holi. Colors speak louder than words at times. Some are bright, some dull, but they all unite to form a stunning rainbow on rainy days! Individually none of these colors can ever create an everlasting impression comparable to that of a rainbow. Holi goes beyond the custom of color smearing. It crosses the realm of traditional customs to reach newer dimensions of the renewal of one’s spirit. Apart from exchanging sweets, colors and well-wishes, there is something more to it - the spirit of unity, friendship and a will to forget the past and let the present take over our lives. After all, not too much is in our control, so it is best to give things our best shot and leave the rest to fate!