We, Indians, need
no particular reason to celebrate.
Indian Cricket
team winning world cup, or even a wedding in the neighbourhood can get people
dancing on the streets to the beats of latest tunes from Bollywood.
Holi provides the ideal setting for a
large scale and joyous celebrations we are so fond of. The festival of colours
is a spring celebration of love, fun, and colours, and is celebrated in India,
Nepal, and other parts of the world with sizeable Indian diaspora.
Holi is celebrated
at the approach of the vernal equinox, on the Phalguna Purnima. The festival date varies from year to year as it
is based on the Hindu calendar.
Like Christmas and Diwali, Holi is
celebrated across religious, ethnic and linguistic lines.
The celebrations
typically begin the night before Holi. A
bonfire (Holika Dahan) is lit around
which people gather to sing, dance and party.
The next day, participants splash colours at each other
with coloured powder and water. Water fights break out using water guns and
balloons filled with colour water.
Large groups of
people with drums and other musical instruments roam the streets, singing and
dancing, and inviting more people to join them in the revelry.
Everyone is
welcome.
Friends,
strangers, rich or poor, all wear the same colour on this day. It’s a big happy
family, divided by circumstances, but united by the colours of Holi.
There is more to Holi than revelry and splashing of
colours.
● Holi, like all festivals, is a symbol of victory of good over evil. It signifies the
arrival of spring, and end of winter. (traditionally, the two seasons represent
new hope and lethargy, respectively).
● It is a free-for-all carnival of
colours, where differences are forgotten, family ties are strengthened, bonds
of friendship are renewed, and even bridges with enemies are built.
● It is also a time of thanksgiving
for a good harvest and to take a pledge to protect environment that nourishes
and looks after us.
● The bonfire or the Holika Dahan also signifies forgetting
the unpleasant aspects of the past and making a fresh beginning.
Finally, to ensure
a safe and joyous Holi, use protective eye gear and safe colour powder.
Mount Litera Zee
School (MLZS) wishes you a bright, colourful and joyful Holi!