The Hindu Holi Festival of Spring is about to start
Ever heard of the Hindu festivity called Holi? What if we called it the Festival of Spring or Festival of Love? Still nothing? How about Festival of colours? Aha now it starts ringing a bell of crowded colourful streets and people chucking colours in the air and at each other. That is today! And the celebration is good vanquished evil!
Spring has arrived, and with spring comes life, evil winter is behind and it is a reason to celebrate allowing both the natural world and love to fully blossom, come together with neighbourhoods, towns and communities and celebrate the joy of life, play like a child, laugh as loud as you can, wrongdoings are forgotten and forgiven and disputes resolved at last.
It lasts a whole day and a whole night, beginning in the full moon day of Pumima at sunset and ending the day after, with the ritual burning of the demon Holika.
Possibly not so coincidental this day happens to take place exactly at the time of the first harvest of the year, and the plenty of food it brings after a winter of hardships.
Across Hindu follower communities we see bonfires lighting the night and religious rituals, as prayer and services aim at the destruction of internal evil, reminiscing the end of evil Holika. Then comes one of the most loved parts of this festivity, the morning, you can run the streets and squares and smear people with colours and throw buckets of water at each other and simply play and have fun, regardless of social class, stranger, relative, elders. The colour “fight” gives no quarter, and no street, temple, park, square is a safe haven you can’t escape getting drenched and become very colourful. All of this accompanied by singers and dancers celebrating life, once that is out of the system, it is possible to clean up and in the evening pay a visit to loved and dear ones and renew the emotional bonds.
Happy Holi everyone!