India's Festival of Colors Celebrates Spring

Holi is a spring festival celebrated throughout India. Originally called Holika, the festival is marked by large bonfires and a celebration in which people spend the day throwing colored powder or colored water on each other. Holi is celebrated on a lunar cycle, so the date for festivities changes each year. In 2013, Holi will be on March 27.

Years ago while visiting India, I got to experience the wonderful festival of Holi, a ritual in which young and old alike celebrate the coming of spring by having bonfires and throwing colored powder and water on each other. It's messy, it's raucous, it's loads of fun, and it's something I can't imagine we in the staid and litigation-fearful United States would ever allow. Stand in the streets and get turned blue or red or purple? Nonsense!

Holi is celebrated annually on a lunar cycle, so the festival may fall in late February or early March. The festivities begin with bonfires on the eve of Holi. The next day is called Dhuleti, and this is when the play of colors occurs. Some people rub dry powder on each other's faces and clothes, while others mix the powders with water and pour or throw buckets of it at each other. The festival is held throughout India, although it's apparently more common and celebrated with more gusto in the north.

Holi is associated with several legends. The most popular involves an evil king who forbade his son to worship Vishnu. When the son continued to offer prayers to the god, the king challenged his son to sit on a burning pyre with his wicked aunt Holika, who was thought to be immune to flames. The son prayed to Vishnu for protection and was saved, while the evil Holika was burnt in the flames. Thus, the bonfires during Holi celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and in some places effigies of Holika are thrown into the fires.

Holi is also a time to forget past grievances. People hug each other and say, "Holi hai," or "Happy Holi." And couldn't we all use a little more fun, forgiveness and a hug? Too bad this celebration has never caught on in the US!

Rang Barse: A Popular Holi Song

Rang Barse became popular after Amitabh Bachchan sang it in the film Silsilay. This video gives an example of how people play Holi.