Hindu spring festival of colours
Explanatory note
Hindu festival dates
The
Hindu calendar
is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements:
m?sa
(lunar month),
pak?a
(lunar fortnight) and
tithi
(lunar day).
Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz.
am?nta
/
p?r?im?nta
. If a festival falls in the waning phase of the moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa.
A lunar year is shorter than a solar year by about eleven days. As a result, most Hindu festivals occur on different days in successive years on the Gregorian calendar.
|
|
Holi
(
Hindi pronunciation:
['hoːli:]
) is a popular and significant
Hindu
festival celebrated as the
Festival of Colours
,
Love
, and
Spring
.
[1]
[10]
[11]
[12]
It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities
Radha
and
Krishna
.
[13]
[14]
Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil,
[15]
[16]
as it commemorates the victory of
Vishnu
as
Narasimha
over
Hiranyakashipu
.
[17]
[18]
Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the
Indian subcontinent
of
India
and
Nepal
, but has also spread to other regions of
Asia
and parts of the
Western world
through the Indian diaspora.
[11]
[19]
[20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
[25]
Holi also celebrates the arrival of
Spring
in India and
Nepal
, the end of winter, and the blossoming of love.
[19]
[26]
It is also an invocation for a good spring
harvest
season.
[19]
[26]
It lasts for a night and a day, starting on the evening of the
Purnima
(full moon day) falling on the
Hindu calendar
month of
Phalguna
, which falls around the middle of March in the
Gregorian calendar
.
Names
Holi
(
Hindi
:
????
,
Gujarati
:
????
,
Kannada
:
????
,
Marathi
:
????
,
Nepali
:
????
,
Punjabi
:
????
,
Telugu
:
????
) is also known as
Dol Jatra
(swing festival") and
Boshonto Utshob
(
Bengali
:
????? ????
) ("spring festival") in
Bengal
(
West Bengal
and
Bangladesh
),
Phakua
(
Assamese
:
??????
) and
Dol J?tr?
(
Assamese
:
?’? ??????
) in
Assam
,
Ph?gu P?r?im?
(
Nepali
:
???? ????????
) in the hilly region of
Nepal
,
Dola j?tra
(
Odia
:
?????????
) in
Odisha
,
Fagua
or
Phagua
(
Bhojpuri
:
????
) in eastern
Uttar Pradesh
, western
Bihar
, and northeastern
Jharkhand
,
Phagwah
(
Caribbean Hindustani
: ????) in the
Caribbean
(namely
Trinidad and Tobago
,
Guyana
,
Suriname
, and
Jamaica
), and
Phagua
(
Fiji Hindi
:
????
) in
Fiji
.
The main day of the celebration is known as "Holi", "Rangwali Holi", "
Dol Purnima
", "Dhuleti", "Dhulandi",
[27]
"Ukuli", "Manjal Kuli",
[28]
"
Yaosang
", "
Shigmo
",
[29]
"Phagwah",
[30]
or "Jajiri".
[31]
Description
Holi is a sacred ancient
tradition
of Hindus, a holiday in many states of India and Nepal with regional holidays in other countries. It is a cultural celebration that gives Hindus and non-Hindus alike an opportunity to have fun banter with other people by throwing coloured water and powder at each other. It is also observed broadly on the
Indian subcontinent
. Holi is celebrated at the end of winter, on the last
full moon
day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month, marking the spring, making the date vary with the lunar cycle.
[note 1]
The date falls typically in March, but sometimes late February of the Gregorian calendar.
[34]
[35]
The festival has many purposes; most prominently, it celebrates the beginning of Spring. In 17th century literature, it was identified as a festival that celebrated agriculture, commemorated good spring harvests, and the fertile land.
[19]
Hindus believe it is a time to enjoying spring's abundant colours and say farewell to winter. To many Hindus, Holi festivities mark an occasion to reset and renew ruptured
relationships
, end conflicts, and rid themselves of accumulated emotional impurities from the past.
[26]
[36]
It also has a
religious
purpose, symbolically signified by the legend of Holika. The night before Holi, bonfires are lit in a ceremony known as Holika Dahan (burning of
Holika
) or Little Holi. People gather near fires, sing and dance. The next day, Holi, also known as
Dhuli
in Sanskrit, or
Dhulheti
,
Dhulandi
or
Dhulendi
, is celebrated.
[37]
In Northern parts of India, children and youth spray coloured powder solutions (
gulal
) at each other, laugh, and celebrate, while adults smear dry coloured powder (
abir
) on each other's faces.
[5]
[36]
Visitors to homes are first teased with colours, then served with Holi delicacies (such as
gujia, shakkarpaare, matri, and dahi-bada
), desserts and drinks.
[38]
[39]
[40]
After playing with colours, and cleaning up, people bathe, put on clean clothes, and visit friends and family.
[26]
Like Holika Dahan,
Kama Dahanam
is celebrated in some parts of
India
. The festival of colours in these parts is called
Rangapanchami
, and occurs on the fifth day after
Poornima
(full moon).
[41]
History
| This section
needs expansion
. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
December 2023
)
|
The Holi festival is an ancient Hindu festival with its own cultural rituals which emerged before the
Gupta
period.
[11]
The festival of colours finds mentioned in numerous scriptures, such as in works like
Jaimini's
Purva Mimamsa Sutras
and
Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras
with even more detailed descriptions in ancient texts like the
Narada Purana
and
Bhavishya Purana
. The festival of
"holikotsav"
was also mentioned in the 7th century work,
Ratnavali
, by
King Harsha
.
[42]
It is mentioned in the
Puranas
,
Dasakumara Charita
by
Da??in
, and by the poet
K?lid?sa
during the 4th century reign of
Chandragupta II
.
[11]
The celebration of Holi is also mentioned in the 7th-century Sanskrit drama
Ratnavali
.
[43]
The festival of Holi caught the fascination of European traders and British colonial staff by the 17th century. Various old editions of the Oxford English Dictionary mention it, but with varying, phonetically derived spellings:
Houly
(1687),
Hooly
(1698),
Huli
(1789),
Hohlee
(1809),
Hoolee
(1825), and
Holi
in editions published after 1910.
[19]
Legends
Radha Krishna
In the
Braj
region of India, where the Hindu deities
Radha
and
Krishna
grew up, the festival is celebrated until
Rang Panchmi
in commemoration of their divine love for each other. The festivities officially usher in spring, with Holi celebrated as a festival of love.
[13]
[44]
Garga Samhita
, a puranic work by Sage
Garga
was the first work of literature to mention the romantic description of Radha and Krishna playing Holi.
[45]
There is also a popular symbolic legend behind the festival. In his youth, Krishna despaired whether the fair-skinned Radha would like him because of his dark skin colour. His mother
Yashoda
, tired of his desperation, asks him to approach Radha and ask her to colour his face in any colour she wanted. This Radha did, and Radha and Krishna became a couple. Ever since, the playful colouring of Radha and Krishna's faces has been commemorated as Holi.
[14]
[46]
Beyond India, these legends help to explain the significance of Holi (
Phagwah
), which is common in some
Caribbean
communities of
Indian
origin such as
Guyana
,
Suriname
, and
Trinidad and Tobago
.
[47]
[48]
It is also celebrated with great fervour in
Mauritius
,
Fiji
, and
South Africa
.
[49]
Vishnu
There is a symbolic legend found in the 7th chapter of the
Bhagavata Purana
[17]
[18]
explaining why Holi is celebrated as a festival of triumph of good over evil in the honour of Hindu god
Vishnu
and his devotee
Prahlada
. King
Hiranyakashipu
, the father of Prahlada, was the king of demonic
Asuras
and had earned a
boon
that gave him five special powers: he could be killed by neither a human being nor an animal, neither indoors nor outdoors, neither at day nor at night, neither by
astra
(projectile weapons) nor by any
shastra
(handheld weapons), and neither on land nor in water or air. Hiranyakashipu grew arrogant, thought he was God, and demanded that everyone worship only him.
[5]
Hiranyakashipu's own son,
Prahlada
, however, remained devoted to
Vishnu
.
[50]
This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika, Prahlada's evil aunt, tricked him into sitting on a
pyre
with her.
[5]
Holika was wearing a
cloak
that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire spread, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada,
[50]
who survived while Holika burned. Vishnu, the god who appears as an
avatar
to restore
Dharma
in Hindu beliefs, took the form of
Narasimha
? half human and half lion (which is neither a human nor an animal), at dusk (when it was neither day nor night), took Hiranyakashyapu at a doorstep (which was neither indoors nor outdoors), placed him on his lap (which was neither land, water nor air), and then eviscerated and killed the king with his lion claws (which were neither a handheld weapon nor a launched weapon).
[51]
The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada over Hiranyakashipu, and of the fire that burned
Holika
.
[26]
Kama and Rati
Among other Hindu traditions such as
Shaivism
and
Shaktism
, the legendary significance of Holi is linked to
Shiva
in
yoga
and deep meditation. Goddess
Parvati
wanting to bring Shiva back into the world, seeks help from the Hindu god of love called
Kamadeva
on
Vasant Panchami
. The love god shoots arrows at Shiva, the yogi opens his third eye and burns Kama to ashes. This upsets both Kama's wife
Rati
(
Kamadevi
) and his own wife
Parvati
.
Rati
performs her own meditative asceticism for forty days, upon which Shiva understands, forgives out of compassion and restores the god of love. This return of the god of love, is celebrated on the 40th day after the Vasant Panchami festival as Holi.
[52]
[53]
The Kama legend and its significance to Holi has many variant forms, particularly in
South India
.
[54]
Cultural significance
The Holi festival has a cultural significance among various Hindu traditions of the Indian subcontinent. It is the festive day to end and rid oneself of past errors, to end conflicts by meeting others, a day to forget and forgive. People pay or forgive debts, as well as deal anew with those in their lives. Holi also marks the start of spring, an occasion for people to enjoy the changing seasons and make new friends.
[26]
[36]
Holi is of particular significance in the
Braj
region, which includes locations traditionally associated with
Radha Krishna
:
Mathura
,
Vrindavan
,
Nandgaon
,
Barsana
and
Gokula
which become touristic during the season of Holi.
[44]
Outside India and Nepal, Holi is observed by Hindus in
Bangladesh
and
Pakistan
as well as in countries with large
diaspora
populations from India around the world. The Holi rituals and customs can vary with local adaptations.
Other Indian religions
The festival has traditionally been also observed by non-Hindus, such as by Jains
[2]
(
Nepal
).
[3]
In
Mughal India
, Holi was celebrated with such exuberance that people of all castes could throw colour on the Emperor.
[55]
According to Sharma (2017), "there are several paintings of Mughal emperors celebrating Holi".
[56]
Grand celebrations of Holi were held at the
Lal Qila
, where the festival was also known as
Eid-e-gulaabi
or
Aab-e-Pashi
.
Mehfils
were held throughout the walled city of Delhi with aristocrats and traders alike participating. This changed during the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb. He banned the public celebration of Holi using a
Farman
issue in November 1665.
[57]
However, the celebration were later restarted after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb.
Bahadur Shah Zafar
himself wrote a song for the festival, while poets such as
Amir Khusrau
,
Ibrahim Raskhan
,
Nazeer Akbarabadi
and Mehjoor Lakhnavi relished it in their writings.
[55]
Sikhs have traditionally celebrated the festival, at least through the 19th century,
[58]
with its historic texts referring to it as
Hola
.
[59]
Guru Gobind Singh
? the last human guru of the Sikhs ? modified Holi with a three-day
Hola Mohalla
extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in
Anandpur Sahib
, where Sikh soldiers would train in mock battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises.
[60]
[61]
[62]
Holi was observed by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
and his Sikh Empire that extended across what are now northern parts of India and Pakistan. According to a report by Tribune India, Sikh court records state that 300 mounds of colours were used in 1837 by Ranjit Singh and his officials in
Lahore
. Ranjit Singh would celebrate Holi with others in the Bilawal gardens, where decorative tents were set up. In 1837, Sir
Henry Fane
who was the commander-in-chief of the
British Indian army
joined the Holi celebrations organised by Ranjit Singh. A mural in the Lahore Fort was sponsored by Ranjit Singh and it showed the Hindu god Krishna playing Holi with
gopis
. After the death of Ranjit Singh, his Sikh sons and others continued to play Holi every year with colours and lavish festivities. The colonial British officials joined these celebrations.
[63]
Celebrations
Holika Dahan
The night before Holi is called
Holika Dahan
or "Chhoti Holi" whereby people gather around a lit bonfire, symbolising the victory of good over evil as well as the removal of the old and arrival of the new. Various rituals are performed around the fire such as singing and dancing.
[26]
This ritual is derived from the story of
Holika
, who attempted to kill Prahlada, the son of
Hiranyakashipu
, through the flames of a bonfire. Although Holika was endowed with a boon to remain immune to fire, she was burned to ashes, while Prahlada remained unharmed.
[64]
[65]
Main day
The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi (Dhuleti) where people smear and drench each other with colours. Water guns and water-filled balloons are often used to play and colour each other, with anyone and any place being considered fair game to colour. Groups often carry drums and other musical instruments going from place to place, singing and dancing. Throughout the day, people visit family, and friends and foes come together to chat, enjoy food and drinks, and partake in Holi delicacies.
[50]
[38]
[66]
Holi is also a festival of forgiveness and new starts, which ritually aims to generate harmony in society.
[66]
Many cities in Uttar Pradesh also organise
Kavi sammelan
in the evening.
Groups sing and dance, some playing drums and
dholak
. After each stop of fun and play with colours, people offer
gujiya
,
mathri
,
malpuas
and other traditional delicacies.
[67]
Cold drinks, including drinks made with marijuana, are also part of the Holi festivity.
[68]
India
Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand
Holi is known as
Phaguwa
or
Fagua
in the
Bhojpuri
language. In this region as well, the legend of Holika is prevalent. On the eve of Phalgun Poornima, people light bonfires. They put dried cow dung cakes, wood of the Araad or Redi tree and Holika tree, grains from the fresh harvest and unwanted wood leaves in the bonfire. At the time of Holika people assemble near the pyre. The eldest member of the gathering or a
purohit
initiates the lighting. He then smears others with colour as a mark of greeting. Next day the festival is celebrated with colours and a lot of frolic. Traditionally, people also clean their houses to mark the festival.
[69]
Holi Milan is also observed in
Bihar
, where family members and well-wishers visit each other's family, apply colours (
abeer
) on each other's faces, and on feet, if elderly. Usually, this takes place on the evening of Holi, day after Holi with wet colours is played in the morning through the afternoon. Due to large-scale internal migration issues faced by the people, recently, this tradition has slowly begun to transform, and it is common to have Holi Milan on an entirely different day either before or after the actual day of Holi.
[70]
Children and youths take extreme delight in the festival. Though the festival is usually celebrated with colours, in some places, people also enjoy celebrating Holi with water solutions of mud or clay. Folk songs are sung at high pitch and people dance to the sound of the
dholak
(a two-headed hand-drum) and the spirit of Holi. Intoxicating
bhang
, made from
cannabis
, milk and spices, is consumed with a variety of mouth-watering delicacies, such as
pakoras
and
thandai
, to enhance the mood of the festival.
[71]
In the
Kanpur
, Holi lasts for seven days. On the last day, a fair called
Ganga Mela
or the
Holi Mela
is celebrated. The fair was started by freedom fighters who fought British rule.
[72]
In
Gorakhpur district
of Uttar Pradesh, a special event called "Holi Milan" is celebrated.
[73]
Goa
Holi is locally called Ukkuli in
Konkani
. It is celebrated around the Konkani temple called Gosripuram temple. It is a part of the
Goan
or Konkani spring festival known as
?igmo
or ????? in
Ko?ka??
or
?i?irotsava
, which lasts for about a month. The colour festival or Holi is a part of longer, more extensive spring festival celebrations.
[74]
Holi festivities (but not ?igmo festivities) include:
Holika Puja
and
Dahan
,
Dhulvad
or
Dhuli vandan
,
Haldune
or offering yellow and saffron colour or
Gulal
to the deity.
[75]
Gujarat
In
Gujarat
, Holi is a two-day festival. On the evening of the first day, a bonfire is lit and raw coconut and corn is offered to the fire. The second day is the festival of colour or "Dhuleti", celebrated by sprinkling coloured water and applying colours to each other.
Dwarka
, a coastal city of Gujarat, celebrates Holi at the
Dwarkadhish temple
with citywide music festivities.
[76]
Holi marks the agricultural season of the
rabi crop
.
In some places, there is a custom in undivided Hindu families that the woman beats her brother-in-law with a sari rolled up into a rope in a mock rage and tries to drench him with colours, and in turn, the brother-in-law brings sweets (Indian desserts) to her in the evening.
[77]
Jammu and Kashmir
In
Jammu and Kashmir
, Holi celebrations are much in line with the general definition of Holi celebrations: a high-spirited festival to mark the beginning of the harvesting of the summer crop, with the throwing of coloured water and powder and singing and dancing.
[78]
Karnataka
Traditionally, in rural
Karnataka
, children collect money and wood in the weeks prior to Holi, and on "Kamadahana" night, all the wood is put together and lit. The festival is celebrated for two days. People in northern parts of Karnataka prepare special food on this day.
In
Sirsi
, Karnataka, Holi is celebrated with a unique folk dance called "Bedara Vesha", which is performed during the nights beginning five days before the actual festival day. The festival is celebrated every alternate year in the town, which attracts a large number of tourists from different parts of India.
[79]
Maharashtra
In
Maharashtra
, Holi Purnima is also celebrated as Shimga, festivities that last five to seven days. A week before the festival, youngsters go around the community, collecting firewood and money. On the day of Shimga, the firewood is heaped into a huge pile in each neighbourhood. In the evening, the fire is lit. Every household brings a meal and dessert, in the honour of the fire god.
Puran Poli
is the main delicacy and children shout "Holi re Holi puranachi poli". Shimga celebrates the elimination of all evil. The colour celebrations here take place on the day of
Rang Panchami
, five days after Shimga.
[34]
During this festival, people are supposed to forget and forgive any rivalries and start new healthy relations with all.
Manipur
Manipuris
celebrate Holi for 6 days. Here, this holiday merges with the festival of
Yaosang
. Traditionally, the festival commences with the burning of a thatched hut of hay and twigs.
[34]
Young children go from house to house to collect money, locally known as
nakadeng
(or
nakatheng
), as gifts on the first two days. The youths at night perform a group folk dance called
Thabal chongba
on the full moon night of Lamta (
Phalgun
), traditionally accompanied by folk songs and rhythmic beats of the indigenous drum, but nowadays by modern bands and
fluorescent lamps
.
[34]
[80]
In Krishna temples, devotees sing devotional songs, perform dances and celebrate with
aber
(
gulal
) wearing traditional white and yellow turbans. On the last day of the festival, large processions are taken out to the main Krishna temple near
Imphal
where several cultural activities are held. In recent decades,
Yaosang
, a type of Indian sport, has become common in many places of the valley, where people of all ages come out to participate in a number of sports that are somewhat altered for the holiday.
Odisha
The people of
Odisha
celebrate
Dola
or
Pushpadola
on the day of Holi where the icons of
Jagannath
replace the icons of Krishna and Radha.
[82]
Dola Melana, processions of the deities are celebrated in villages and
bhoga
is offered to the deities. "Dola yatra" was prevalent even before 1560 much before Holi was started where the idols of
Jagannath
,
Balabhadra
and
Subhadra
used to be taken to the "Dolamandapa" (podium in
Jagannath temple
).
[83]
People used to offer natural colours known as "abira" to the deities and apply on each other's feats.
[84]
Punjab
In
Punjab
, the eight days preceding Holi are known as luhatak.
[85]
Sekhon (2000) states that people start throwing colours many days before Holi.
[86]
Holi is preceded by
Holika Dahan
the night before when a fire is lit. Historically, the Lubana community of Punjab celebrated holi "with great pomp and show. The Lubanas buried a pice and betel nut. They heaped up cow-dung cakes over the spot and made a large fire. When the fire had burnt out, they proceeded to hunt for the pice and betel-nut. Whosoever found these, was considered very lucky."
[87]
Elsewhere in Punjab, Holi was also associated with making fools of others. Bose writing in Cultural Anthropology: And Other Essays in 1929 noted that "the custom of playing Holi-fools is prevalent in Punjab".
[88]
On the day of Holi, people engage in throwing colours
[89]
on each other.
[90]
For locals, Holi marks the end of winter. The Punjabi saying
Phaggan phal laggan
(
Phagun
is the month for fructifying) exemplifies the seasonal aspect of Holi. Trees and plants start blossoming from the day of Basant and start bearing fruit by Holi.
[91]
During Holi in
Punjab
, walls and courtyards of rural houses are enhanced with drawings and paintings similar to
rangoli
in South India,
mandana
in Rajasthan, and rural arts in other parts of India. This art is known as
chowk-poorana
or
chowkpurana
in Punjab and is given shape by the peasant women of the state. In courtyards, this art is drawn using a piece of cloth. The art includes drawing tree motifs, flowers, ferns, creepers, plants, peacocks, palanquins, geometric patterns along with vertical, horizontal and oblique lines. These arts add to the festive atmosphere.
[92]
Folk theatrical performances known as swang or nautanki take place during Holi,
[93]
with the latter originating in the Punjab.
[94]
According to Self (1993), Holi fairs are held in the Punjab which may go on for many days.
[95]
Bose (1961) states that "in some parts of Punjab, Holi is celebrated with wrestling matches".
[96]
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, it is associated with the
Panguni Uthiram
festival that signifies the wedding of various Hindu deities. Temples celebrate the weddings of
Parvati
and
Shiva
,
Murugan
and
Devasena
, Rama and Sita, and
Andal
and
Ranganatha
on this day. Devotees throng to temples to witness the ritual wedding ceremonies.
Rati
and
Kamadeva
are worshipped in many regions.
Telangana
Holi is called as
Kamuni Punnami/Kama Purnima
or
Jajiri
in
Telugu
. Hindus celebrate Holi as it relates to the legend of
Kamadeva
. Holi is also known by different names: Kamavilas, Kamuni Panduga and Kama-Dahanam.
[97]
It is a 10-day festival in Telangana, of which last two days are of great importance. As in other parts of India, in rural
Telangana
, the 9 days preceding Holi, children celebrate
kamuda
by playing
Kolata
sticks along with singing folk songs called
jajiri
and collect money, rice, corn and wood.
[31]
For this reason Holi is well known for "Jajiri Paatalu Kamudi aatalu", which means festival of "Jajiri songs and Kamudi games" and on 9th night i.e. Holy eve, all the wood is put together and set on fire representing
Kama Dahanam
.
Next morning i.e. 10th day is celebrated as Holi, with colours traditionally extracted from Moduga/Gogu Flowers (Palash/
Butea monosperma
).
[98]
Tripura
In
Tripura
Holi is known as "Pali" which means colour in Tripuri language, it's celebrated all over Tripura.
Western Uttar Pradesh
Barsana
, a town near
Mathura
in the
Braj
region of
Uttar Pradesh
, celebrates
Lathmar Holi
in the sprawling compound of the
Radha Rani Temple
. Thousands gather to witness the Lath Mar Holi when women beat up men with sticks as those on the sidelines become hysterical, sing Holi songs and shout "
Radhe Radhe
" or "Sri Radhe Krishna".
[100]
The Holi songs of Braj Mandal are sung in pure Braj, the local language. Holi celebrated at
Barsana
is unique in the sense that here women chase men away with sticks. Males also sing provocative songs in a bid to invite the attention of women. Women then go on the offensive and use long staves called
lathis
to beat the men, who protect themselves with shields.
[101]
Mathura, in the Braj region, is the birthplace of
Krishna
. In
Vrindavan
this day is celebrated with special
puja
and the traditional custom of worshipping Radha Krishna; here the festival lasts for sixteen days.
[44]
All over the Braj region
[102]
and neighbouring places like
Hathras
,
Aligarh
, and
Agra
, Holi is celebrated in more or less the same way as in Mathura,
Vrindavan
and Barsana.
A traditional celebration includes
Matki Phod
, similar to
Dahi Handi
in Maharashtra and Gujarat during
Krishna Janmashtami
, both in the memory of god Krishna who is also called
makhan chor
(literally, butter thief). This is a historic tradition of the Braj region as well as the western region of India.
[103]
An earthen pot filled with butter or other milk products is hung high by a rope. Groups of boys and men climb on each other's shoulders to form pyramids to reach and break it, while girls and women sing songs and throw coloured water on the pyramid to distract them and make their job harder.
[104]
This ritual sport continues in Hindu diaspora communities.
[105]
Uttarakhand
Kumaoni
Holi in
Uttarakhand
includes a musical affair. It takes different forms such as the Baithki Holi, the Khari Holi and the Mahila Holi. In Baithki Holi and Khari Holi, people sing songs with a touch of melody, fun, and spiritualism. These songs are essentially based on classical
ragas
. Baithki Holi (????? ????), also known as
Nirvan Ki Holi
, begins from the premises of temples, where
Holiyars
(???????) sing Holi songs and people gather to participate, along with playing classical music. The songs are sung in a particular sequence depending on the time of day; for instance, at noon the songs are based on Peelu, Bhimpalasi and Sarang ragas, while evening songs are based on the ragas such as Kalyan, Shyamkalyan and Yaman. The
Khari Holi
(???? ????) is mostly celebrated in the rural areas of Kumaon. The songs of the Khari Holi are sung by the people, who, sporting traditional white
churidar
payajama
and
kurta
, dance in groups to the tune of ethnic musical instruments such as the
dhol
and
hurka
.
[106]
In the Kumaon region, the Holika pyre, known as
Cheer
(???), is ceremonially built in a ceremony known as
Cheer Bandhan
(??? ????) fifteen days before Dulhendi. The
Cheer
is a bonfire with a green
Paiya
tree branch in the middle. The
Cheer
of every village and neighbourhood is rigorously guarded as rival
mohallas
try to playfully steal each other's
cheer
.
[107]
The colours used on Holi are derived from natural sources. Dulhendi, known as
Charadi
(?????) (from
Chharad
(????)), is made from flower extracts, ash and water. Holi is celebrated with great gusto much in the same way all across North India.
[108]
West Bengal
In
West Bengal
, the tradition of
Dol Jatra
(meaning
Swing procession)
or
Dolotsava
(meaning
Swing Festival
) or
Dol Purnima
- (
Swing Full Moon)
is common among
Gaudiya Vaishnavs
[109]
just like among Vaishnavs in
Braj region
and other
Krishna centric sampradays
all over India.
[59]
However, several Bengali Vaishnava padavalis also use the term Holi (
Bangla
: ????) for the festival.
[110]
In Shantiniketan, West Bengal, Holi is additionally also known as "
Basanta Utsab
". The festival is celebrated by worshipping the icons of
Radha
and Krishna by placing them on a decorated swing.
[111]
On the
Dol Purnima
day in the early morning, students (mainly in Shantiniketan) dress up in saffron-coloured or pure white clothes and wear garlands of fragrant flowers. They sing and dance to the accompaniment of musical instruments, such as the
ektara
, dubri, and
veena
. The devotees take turns to swing them while women dance around the swing and sing songs. During these activities, the people keep throwing coloured water and dry colours,
abir
, at them.
[
citation needed
]
Around 500 years ago, Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
went to
Vrindavan
in present day Uttar Pradesh to witness the festival there at the birthplace of Lord Sri Krishna. After his return to Bengal, he thought of starting the festival here. So he asked his followers to smear color or abir to Lord Krishna's idol and then put that abir on each other. He also instructed them to give the other person a treat with a local sweet called
malpoa
. The biographies of Sri Chaitanya say that he was very fond of this sweet.
[112]
Nepal
Holi, also known as Phagu Purnima, along with many other Hindu festivals, is celebrated in Nepal as a
national festival
. It is an important major Nepal-wide festival along with
Dashain
and
Tihar
(
Dipawali
).
[113]
It is celebrated in the Nepali month of
Falgun
(Terai region celebrates on the same date as Indian Holi, while rest of the country celebrates it a day earlier), and signifies the legends of the Hindu god Krishna.
[113]
They worship
Saraswati
shrine in Vajrayogini temples and celebrate the festival with their Hindu friends.
[114]
Traditional concerts are held in most cities in Nepal, including
Kathmandu
,
Narayangarh
,
Pokhara
,
Itahari
,
Hetauda
, and
Dharan
, and are
broadcast
on television with various celebrity guests.
People walk through their neighbourhoods to celebrate Holi by exchanging colours and spraying coloured water on one another. A popular activity is the throwing of water balloons at one another, sometimes called
lola
(meaning water balloon).
[115]
Many people mix
bhang
(made from
cannabis
, milk and spices) in their drinks and food, as is also done during
Shivaratri
. It is believed that the combination of different colours at this festival takes all
sorrow
away and makes life itself more colourful.
Pakistan
Holi is celebrated by the
minority Hindu
population in Pakistan. Community events by Hindus have been reported by Pakistani media in various cities such as
Karachi
,
[116]
Hazara
,
[117]
Rawalpindi
,
Sindh
,
Hyderabad
,
Multan
and
Lahore
.
[118]
The Hindu tribes of Cholistan in the Punjab province of Pakistan play the game called Khido in the days leading up to the Holi. The game Khido is considered sacred by them as it is believed that Parhlad used to play this game during his childhood.
[119]
Holi was not a public holiday in Pakistan from 1947 to 2016. Holi along with Diwali for Hindus, and Easter for Christians, was adopted as public holiday resolution by Pakistan's parliament in 2016, giving the local governments and public institutions the right to declare Holi as a holiday and grant leave for its minority communities, for the first time.
[120]
This decision has been controversial, with some Pakistanis welcoming the decision, while others criticising it, with the concern that declaring Holi a public holiday advertises a Hindu festival to Pakistani children.
[121]
Indian diaspora
-
Holi festival in London, UK near the
Battersea Power Station
.
-
Drummers of Indo-Caribbean community celebrating
Phagwah
(Holi) in New York City, 2013.
-
A celebration of Holi Festival in the United States.
Over the years, Holi has become an important festival in many regions wherever
Indian diaspora
were either taken as
indentured labourers
during
colonial era
, or where they emigrated on their own, and are now present in large numbers such as in Africa, North America, Europe, Latin America, and parts of Asia such as Fiji.
[22]
[23]
[122]
[123]
Suriname
Holi is a national holiday in
Suriname
. It is called
Phagwa
festival, and is celebrated to mark the beginning of spring and Hindu mythology. In Suriname, Holi Phagwa is a festival of colour. It is customary to wear old white clothes on this day, be prepared to get them dirty and join in the colour throwing excitement and party.
[124]
[125]
Trinidad and Tobago
Phagwa is celebrated with a lot of colour and splendour, along with the singing on traditional Phagwah songs such as
Chowtal
and new songs such as
Pichakaree
. Holika Dahan is celebrated the night before Phagwah. A
Castor
plant is planted in a ceremonial manner along with the chanting of
mantras
in honour of Holi, and is called a Holika. On this day, many temples in the Indo-Caribbean community also do
Pujas
in honour of
Radha Krishna
,
Saraswati
,
Vishnu
,
Lakshmi
, and the temples patron deity.
Guyana
Phagwah is a
public holiday
in
Guyana
, and peoples of all races and religions participate in the celebrations.
[126]
The main celebration in
Georgetown
is held at the Mandir in Prashad Nagar.
[127]
Fiji
Indo-Fijians celebrate Holi or
Pagua
as its called in
Fiji Hindi
, as the festival of colours, folksongs, and dances. The folksongs sung in
Fiji
during Holi season are called
phaag gaaian
. Phagan, also written as Phalgan, is the last month of the Hindu calendar. Holi is celebrated on the full moon of Phagan. Holi marks the advent of spring and ripening of crops in Northern India. Not only it is a season of romance and excitement, folk songs and dances, it is also an occasion of playing with powder, perfumes, and colours. Many of the Holi songs in Fiji are around the theme of love-relationship between Radha and Krishna.
[128]
Mauritius
Holi in
Mauritius
comes close on the heels of Shivaratri. It celebrates the beginning of spring, commemorating good harvests and the fertile land. Hindus believe it is a time of enjoying spring's abundant colours and saying farewell to winter. It is considered one of the most exhilarating religious holidays in existence. During this event, participants hold a bonfire, throw coloured powder at each other, and celebrate wildly.
[129]
United States
Holi is celebrated in many US states by mainly
Asian Americans
, particularly those with
Indian ancestry
. It is usually hosted in Hindu temples or cultural halls. Members of Hindu associations and volunteers assist in hosting the event along with temple devotees. Some of the places known to celebrate Holi are
New Brunswick
(NJ),
Spanish Fork
(Utah),
Houston
(TX),
Dallas
(TX),
South El Monte
(CA),
Milpitas
(CA),
Mountain House
(CA),
Tracy
(CA),
Lathrop
(CA),
Chicago
(IL),
Potomac
(MD),
Tampa
(FL),
Sterling
(VA), and
Boston
(MA).
[130]
Indonesia
In Indonesia,
Indian Indonesians
and
Balinese
Hindu people
celebrate Holi as festival of colours. The main celebrations are in
Medan
and
Bali
.
[131]
Sometimes the Indian immigrants from other countries may also celebrate a small-scale version of Holi.
Holi colours
Traditional sources of colours
The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. The playful throwing of natural coloured powders, called
gulal
has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of
palash
,
neem
,
kumkum
,
haldi
,
bilva
, and other medicinal herbs suggested by
?yurvedic
doctors.
Many colours are obtained by mixing primary colours. Artisans produce and sell many of the colours from natural sources in dry powder form, in weeks and months preceding Holi. Some of the traditional natural plant-based sources of colours are:
[19]
[132]
[133]
Orange and red
The flowers of
palash
or tesu tree, also called the flame of the forest, are typical source of bright red and deep orange colours. Powdered fragrant red
sandalwood
, dried
hibiscus
flowers,
madder tree
,
radish
, and
pomegranate
are alternate sources and shades of red. Mixing
lime
with
turmeric
powder creates an alternate source of orange powder, as does boiling
saffron
(kesar) in water.
Green
Mehendi
and dried leaves of
gulmohur
tree offer a source of green colour. In some areas, the leaves of spring crops and herbs have been used as a source of green pigment.
Yellow
Haldi
(turmeric) powder is the typical source of yellow colour. Sometimes this is mixed with
chickpea
(gram) or other flour to get the right shade.
Bael
fruit,
amaltas
, species of
chrysanthemums
, and species of
marigold
are alternate sources of yellow.
Blue
Indigo plant
,
Indian berries
, species of
grapes
, blue hibiscus, and
jacaranda
flowers are traditional sources of blue colour for Holi.
Magenta and purple
Beetroot
is the traditional source of magenta and purple colour. Often these are directly boiled in water to prepare coloured water.
Brown
Dried
tea
leaves offer a source of brown coloured water. Certain
clays
are alternate source of brown.
Black
Species of grapes, fruits of
amla
(gooseberry) and
vegetable carbon
(charcoal) offer grey to black colours.
Issues
Health impact
A 2007 study found that
malachite green
, a synthetic bluish-green dye used in some colours during Holi festival, was responsible for severe eye irritation in Delhi, if eyes were not washed upon exposure. Though the study found that the pigment did not penetrate through the cornea, malachite green is of concern and needs further study.
[134]
Another 2009 study reports that some colours produced and sold in India contain metal-based industrial dyes, causing an increase in skin problems to some people in the days following Holi. These colours are produced in India, particularly by small informal businesses, without any quality checks and are sold freely in the market. The colours are sold without labelling, and the consumer lacks information about the source of the colours, their contents, and possible toxic effects. In recent years, several non-governmental organisations have started campaigning for safe practices related to the use of colours. Some are producing and marketing ranges of safer colours derived from natural sources such as vegetables and flowers.
[135]
These reports have galvanised a number of groups into promoting more natural celebrations of Holi.
Development Alternatives, Delhi
's CLEAN India campaign,
[136]
Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Pune
,
[137]
Society for Child Development through its Avacayam Cooperative Campaign
[138]
have launched campaigns to help children learn to make their own colours for Holi from safer, natural ingredients. Meanwhile, some commercial companies such as the National Botanical Research Institute have begun to market "herbal" dyes, though these are substantially more expensive than the dangerous alternatives. However, it may be noted that many parts of rural India have always resorted to natural colours (and other parts of festivities more than colours) due to availability.
In urban areas, some people wear nose masks and sunglasses to avoid inhaling pigments and to prevent chemical exposure to eyes.
[139]
Environmental impact
An alleged environmental issue related to the celebration of Holi is the traditional Holika bonfire, which is believed to contribute to deforestation.
[140]
According to a local tabloid, 30,000 bonfires burn every year during Holi, with each fire burning approximately 100 kilograms (220 lb) of wood.
[141]
The use of heavy metal-based pigments during Holi is also reported to cause temporary
wastewater
pollution, with the water systems recovering to pre-festival levels within 5 days.
[142]
Influence on other cultures
Holi is celebrated as a social event in parts of the United States.
[143]
For example, at
Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple
in
Spanish Fork, Utah
,
NYC Holi Hai
in
Manhattan
,
New York
[144]
and
Festival of Colors: Holi NYC
in
New York City
,
New York
,
[143]
[145]
[4]
[146]
Holi-inspired events
A number of Holi-inspired social events have also surfaced, particularly in Europe and the United States, often organised by companies as for-profit or charity events with paid admission, and with varying scheduling that does not coincide with the actual Holi festival. These have included Holi-inspired
music festivals
such as the
Festival Of Colours Tour
and Holi One
[147]
(which feature timed throws of Holi powder), and
5K run
franchises such as
The Color Run
, Holi Run and Color Me Rad,
[148]
in which participants are doused with the powder at per-kilometre checkpoints.
[149]
[21]
The
BiH Color Festival
is a Holi-inspired
electronic music festival
held annually in
Br?ko
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
.
[150]
[151]
In recent years, schools across Australia have also adopted Holi inspired fund raising activities which leverage fundraising platforms such as Australian Fundraising, School Fun Run, Colour Frenzy and Go Raise It Australia to conduct such events. New Zealand schools have also followed the trend with holi powder Colour Run fundraisers run by local company Go Raise It NZ.
There have been concerns that these events
appropriate
and trivialise aspects of Holi for commercial gain?downplaying or completely ignoring the cultural and spiritual roots of the celebration.
[149]
[21]
Organisers of these events have argued that the costs are to cover various key aspects of their events, such as safe colour powders, safety and security, and entertainment.
[21]
See also
Notes
- ^
Since ancient times, the Indian subcontinent has had several major
Hindu calendars
, which places Holi and other festivals on different local months even though they mean the same date. Some Hindu calendars emphasise the solar cycle, some the lunar cycle. Further, the regional calendars feature two traditions of Amanta and Purnimanta systems, wherein the similar-sounding months refer to different parts of a lunar cycle, thus further diversifying the nomenclature. The Hindu festival of Holi falls on the first (full moon) day of
Chaitra
lunar month's dark fortnight in the Purnimanta system, while the same exact day for Holi is expressed in Amanta system as the lunar day of
Phalguna Purnima
.
[32]
Both time measuring and dating systems are equivalent ways of meaning the same thing, they continue to be in use in different regions.
[32]
[33]
In regions where the local calendar places it in its
Phalguna
month, Holi is also called
Phaguwa
.
References
- ^
a
b
The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998)
ISBN
0-19-861263-X
p. 874 "
Holi
/'h??li:/
noun
a Hindu spring festival ...".
- ^
a
b
Kristi L. Wiley (2009).
The A to Z of Jainism
. Scarecrow. p. 42.
ISBN
978-0-8108-6337-8
.
- ^
a
b
Bal Gopal Shrestha (2012).
The Sacred Town of Sankhu: The Anthropology of Newar Ritual, Religion and Society in Nepal
. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 269?271, 240?241.
ISBN
978-1-4438-3825-2
.
- ^
a
b
Lyford, Chris (5 April 2013).
"Hindu spring festivals increase in popularity and welcome non-Hindus"
.
The Washington Post
. New York City
. Retrieved
23 February
2016
.
Despite what some call the reinvention of Holi, the simple fact that the festival has transcended cultures and brings people together is enough of a reason to embrace the change, others say. In fact, it seems to be in line with many of the teachings behind Holi festivals.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Holi: Splashed with colors of friendship
Archived
24 September 2015 at the
Wayback Machine
Hinduism Today, Hawaii (2011)
- ^
"Holi 2025: ??? 2025 ??? ?? ?? ????, ???????? ???? ??? 2025 ??? ?? ?? ???"
.
Hindustan
(in Hindi). 21 March 2024
. Retrieved
25 April
2024
.
- ^
"Holi 2024 Date: When is Holi and Holika Dahan this year, know the Muhurta and its importance"
.
Financialexpress
. 16 March 2022
. Retrieved
16 March
2022
.
- ^
"Holi 2022: Know The Date, Time, Significance And History Of The Festival"
.
NDTV
. 16 March 2022
. Retrieved
16 March
2022
.
- ^
"Nepal festival calendar: 15 major festivals of Nepal in 12 months every year - OnlineKhabar English News"
.
Online Khabar
. 1 May 2021
. Retrieved
16 March
2022
.
- ^
"What is Holi?"
.
BBC Bitesize
. Retrieved
18 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions, Volume 1,
ISBN
978-1851099801
, p. 212
- ^
McKim Marriott (2006). John Stratton Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan (ed.).
The Life of Hinduism
. University of California Press. p. 102.
ISBN
978-0-520-24914-1
.
, Quote: "Holi, he said with a beatific sigh, is the Festival of Love!"
- ^
a
b
Schwartz, Susan L. (6 October 2004).
Rasa: Performing the Divine in India
. Columbia University Press. p. 100.
ISBN
978-0-231-13145-2
.
- ^
a
b
R Deepta, A.K. Ramanujan's ‘Mythologies’ Poems: An Analysis, Points of View, Volume XIV, Number 1, Summer 2007, pp. 74?81
- ^
What Is Hinduism?
. Himalayan Academy Publications. 2007. p. 230.
ISBN
978-1-934145-27-2
.
- ^
"Festivals for Spring: Holi and Basant Kite Festival: Holi"
.
Holi celebrates love, forgiveness, and triumph of good over evil
- ^
a
b
David N. Lorenzen (1996).
Praises to a Formless God: Nirguni Texts from North India
. State University of New York Press. pp. 22?31.
ISBN
978-0-7914-2805-4
.
- ^
a
b
Vittorio Roveda (2005).
Images of the Gods: Khmer Mythology in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos
. River Books. p. 70.
ISBN
978-974-9863-03-9
.
;
Sunil Kothari; Avinash Pasricha (2001).
Kuchipudi
. Abhinav. pp. 66?67.
ISBN
978-81-7017-359-5
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Ebeling, Karin (10), Holi, an Indian Festival, and its Reflection in English Media; Die Ordnung des Standard und die Differenzierung der Diskurse: Akten des 41. Linguistischen Kolloquiums in Mannheim 2006, 1, 107,
ISBN
978-3631599174
- ^
Amber Wilson (2004).
Jamaica: The people
. Crabtree Publishing Company. p.
18
.
ISBN
978-0-7787-9331-1
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"A Spring Celebration of Love Moves to the Fall ? and Turns Into a Fight"
.
The Wall Street Journal
. Retrieved
6 March
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Holi Festivals Spread Far From India
The Wall Street Journal (2013)
- ^
a
b
Holi Festival of Colours
Visit Berlin, Germany (2012)
- ^
Holi 2023 Date, Rituals, and Significance
- ^
Holi Hindu Festival
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Wendy Doniger (Editor), Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions, 2000,
ISBN
978-0877790440
, Merriam-Webster, p. 455
- ^
"About Holi ? Dhuleti Colorful Spring Festival"
.
Holi Dhuleti Celebrations
. Archived from
the original
on 29 March 2016
. Retrieved
16 January
2020
.
- ^
"Ukuli or Manjal Kuli ? Holi in Kerala"
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Different Names of Holi Festival | RitiRiwaz"
. 9 March 2020.
- ^
Helen Myers (1998).
Music of Hindu Trinidad: Songs from the India Diaspora
. University of Chicago Press. p.
430
.
ISBN
978-0-226-55453-2
.
- ^
a
b
Reddy, P. Laxma (7 March 2017).
"Jajiri, another festival for unity"
.
Telangana Today
. Retrieved
28 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Christopher John Fuller (2004).
The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India
. Princeton University Press. pp. 291?293.
ISBN
978-0-69112-04-85
.
- ^
Nachum Dershowitz; Edward M. Reingold (2008).
Calendrical Calculations
. Cambridge University Press. pp.
123
?133, 275?311.
ISBN
978-0-521-88540-9
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Javier A. Galvan (2014).
They Do What? A Cultural Encyclopedia of Extraordinary and Exotic Customs from around the World
. ABC-CLIO. pp. 137?138.
ISBN
978-1-61069-342-4
.
- ^
J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann (2010).
Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition
. ABC-CLIO. pp. 1337?1338.
ISBN
978-1-59884-204-3
.
- ^
a
b
c
Holi
India Heritage: Culture, Fairs and Festivals (2008)
- ^
"Holika Dahan Story: Why is the demoness Holika worshipped on Holi? - Times of India"
.
The Times of India
. 27 March 2021
. Retrieved
28 March
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Victoria Williams (2016).
Celebrating Life Customs around the World
. ABC-CLIO. p. 75.
ISBN
978-1-4408-3659-6
.
- ^
Andrew Smith (2013).
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America
. Oxford University Press. p. 185.
ISBN
978-0-19-973496-2
.
- ^
Holi Festival
see Play of Colors (2009)
- ^
Rangapanchami in Bhopal
Los Angeles Times (2011)
- ^
"Holi festival: History"
.
The Times of India
.
ISSN
0971-8257
. Retrieved
10 March
2023
.
- ^
Religions ? Hinduism: Holi
. BBC. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^
a
b
c
Holi ? the festival of colours
Archived
1 February 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
The Indian Express
.
- ^
Varadpande, M. L. (2 February 2011).
Love in Ancient India
. SCB Distributors. pp. 11?12.
ISBN
978-81-8328-217-8
.
- ^
Lynn Peppas (2010), Holi, Crabtree Publishing,
ISBN
978-0-7787-4771-0
, pp. 12?15
- ^
The arrival of Phagwa - Holi
Archived
12 April 2018 at the
Wayback Machine
The Guardian
, Trinidad and Tobago (12 March 2009)
- ^
Eat, Pray, Smear
Eat, Pray, Smear
Julia Moskin, New York Times (22 March 2011)
- ^
Holi in Mauritius
. "Just as the many other major Hindu festivals, the large Indian majority.. celebrate Holi with a lot of enthusiasm in the island of Mauritius. It is an official holiday in the country..."
- ^
a
b
c
Constance Jones, Holi, in J Gordon Melton (Editor), Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays Festivals Solemn Observances and Spiritual Commemorations,
ISBN
978-1598842067
- ^
Roshen Dalal (2010).
Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide
. Penguin Books India. p. 275.
ISBN
978-0-14-341421-6
.
- ^
Robin Rinehart (2004).
Contemporary Hinduism: Ritual, Culture, and Practice
. ABC-CLIO. pp. 135?137.
ISBN
978-1-57607-905-8
.
- ^
Michelle Lee (2016).
Holi
. Scobre. pp. 8?11.
ISBN
978-1-62920-572-4
.
- ^
Usha Sharma (2008).
Festivals in Indian Society
. Mittal Publications. pp. 80?82.
ISBN
978-81-8324-113-7
.
- ^
a
b
Safvi, Rana (23 March 2016).
"In Mughal India, Holi was celebrated with the same exuberance as Eid"
.
Scroll.in
. Retrieved
22 March
2019
.
- ^
Sharma, Sunit (2017) Mughal Arcadia: Persian Literature in an Indian Court. Harvard University Press
[1]
- ^
Powers, Janet M. (30 November 2008).
Kites over the Mango Tree: Restoring Harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat: Restoring Harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat
. ABC-CLIO.
ISBN
978-0-313-35158-7
.
- ^
W. H. McLeod (2009).
The A to Z of Sikhism
. Scarecrow Press. p. 95.
ISBN
978-0-8108-6344-6
.
- ^
a
b
Christian Roy (2005).
Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia
. ABC-CLIO. pp. 192?193.
ISBN
978-1-57607-089-5
.
- ^
James K. Wellman Jr.; Clark Lombardi (2012).
Religion and Human Security: A Global Perspective
. Oxford University Press. pp.
112
note 18.
ISBN
978-0-19-982775-6
.
- ^
Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (2011).
Sikhism: An Introduction
. I.B.Tauris. pp. 93?94.
ISBN
978-1-84885-321-8
.
- ^
Peter J. Claus; Sarah Diamond; Margaret Ann Mills (2003).
South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
. Taylor & Francis. p. 552.
ISBN
978-0-415-93919-5
.
- ^
Holi on Canvas
, The Sunday Tribune Holi on Canvas, Kanwarjit Singh Kang, 13 March 2011
- ^
Lochtefeld, James G. (2002).
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M
. Rosen. pp. 285?287.
ISBN
978-0-8239-3179-8
.
- ^
"Hinduism - Festivals, Holi, Diwali, and Caste System | Britannica"
.
www.britannica.com
. Retrieved
3 June
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Rituals of Holi
Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (2010)
- ^
Holi Festival
Rex Li Indrajeet Deshmukh and Marielle Roth, Festival Circle, IDSS 2013
- ^
"High on Holi with bhang"
.
The Times of India
. 9 March 2009
. Retrieved
21 December
2023
.
- ^
"Holi in Jharkhand ? Holi Festival in Jharkhand, Holi Celebration in Jharkhand"
.
www.holifestival.org
. Retrieved
27 March
2021
.
- ^
"Holi Milan"
.
indiacitytrip.com
.
- ^
"Holi 2014: Festival Of Colors Celebrates Spring (Songs, Photos)"
.
The Huffington Post
. 16 March 2014
. Retrieved
17 March
2014
.
- ^
Agnihotri, Abhishek (13 March 2022).
"?????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????, ?????- ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????? - Holi 2022 seven days Special Ganga Mela Holi celebration story of kanpur tradition Jagran Special"
.
Jagran
(in Hindi)
. Retrieved
6 March
2024
.
- ^
"CM Yogi attends 'Holi Milan samaroh', says festival gives a message of unity"
.
Asian News International
. 9 March 2023
. Retrieved
26 March
2024
.
- ^
Gu?e, Vi?h?hala Tri?baka (1979).
Gazetteer of the Union Territory Goa, Daman and Diu: district
. Vol. 1. Goa, Daman and Diu (India). Gazetteer Dept. p. 263.
- ^
Kelly, Sophie.
"The Black Prince, the Trinity, and the Art of Commemoration"
.
British Art Studies
(23).
- ^
"You are being redirected..."
pndwarka.com
.
- ^
topnews.in
, Holi in Gujarat
- ^
"Holi celebration in Jammu and Kashmir"
.
holifestival.org
.
- ^
"Karnataka"
.
The Hindu
. 10 March 2009. Archived from
the original
on 14 March 2009
. Retrieved
23 September
2013
.
- ^
Nettl, Bruno; Stone, Ruth M.; Arnold, Alison; Porter, James; Rice, Timothy (1998).
The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia : the Indian subcontinent
. Taylor & Francis. p. 504.
ISBN
978-0-8240-4946-1
.
- ^
"Elevation of the black stone arch"
.
V&A: Search the Collections
. Victoria and Albert Museum
. Retrieved
10 April
2016
.
Object history note: The arch is covered with figures of Vaishnavite gods and hung with rings. A crowd of Hindus are celebrating the festival of the Dol Jatra or Swing festival in which the image of Vishnu and his consort are swung in a throne suspended by chains from the rings of the arch. The celebration is part of the Holi festival and takes place at the full moon of the month of Phalguna (February to March).
- ^
Underhill, Muriel Marion (1921).
The Hindu Religious Year
. Association Press.
- ^
Dipti Ray (2007).
Prataparudradeva, the Last Great Suryavamsi King of Orissa (A.D. 1497 to A.D. 1540)
. Northern Book Centre. pp. 90?.
ISBN
978-81-7211-195-3
.
- ^
Biswamoy Pati (2001).
Situating Social History: Orissa, 1800-1997
. Orient Blackswan. pp. 74?.
ISBN
978-81-250-2007-3
.
- ^
A dictionary of the Panjabi language (1854) Mission Press
- ^
Sekhon, Iqbal Singh (2000) The Punjabis. 2. Religion, society, and culture of the Punjabis. COSMOS
[2]
- ^
Proceedings ? Punjab History Conference (2000) Publication Bureau, Punjabi University
[3]
- ^
Bose, Nirmal Kumar (1929) Cultural Anthropology: And Other Essays. [Reprinted with Additions]Indian Associated Publishing Company, Limited
[4]
- ^
Parminder Singh Grover and Moga, Davinderjit Singh, Discover Punjab: Attractions of Punjab
[5]
- ^
Jasbir Singh Khurana, Punjabiyat: The Cultural Heritage and Ethos of the People of Punjab, Hemkunt Publishers (P) Ltd.,
ISBN
978-81-7010-395-0
- ^
Census of India, 1961: Punjab. Manager of Publications
- ^
Drawing Designs on Walls
, Trisha Bhattacharya (13 October 2013),
Deccan Herald
. Retrieved 7 January 2015
- ^
Alka Pande (1999) Folk Music & Musical Instruments of Punjab: From Mustard Fields to Disco Lights, Volume 1. Mapin Pub
[6]
- ^
Nandini Gooptu (2001) The Politics of the Urban Poor in Early Twentieth-Century India. Cambridge University Press.
[7]
- ^
Self, David (1993) One Hundred Readings for Assembly. Heinemann
- ^
Bose, Nirmal Kumar (1961) Cultural Anthropology. Asia Publishing House
- ^
G. Rajagopal (2007).
Beyond Bhakti: Steps Ahead
. B.R. Publishing. p. 75.
ISBN
978-81-7646-510-6
.
- ^
The Hans India (5 March 2015).
Moduga flowers start blooming
.
- ^
Lathmar Holi Festival
Lane Turner,
Boston Globe
, (5 March 2012)
- ^
"Play Holi Song"
.
- ^
"ganga Mela Kanpur"
.
bhaskar.com
. 27 March 2016.
- ^
"So drop colors ? Holi, Brij Lal was"
.
jagran
. 19 March 2014.
- ^
David Gellner (2009).
Ethnic Activism and Civil Society in South Asia
. SAGE Publications. pp. 27?29.
ISBN
978-81-321-0422-3
.
- ^
Tradition of Holi
, Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (2016)
- ^
Indo American News
, Volume 33, No. 14, 4 April 2014, p. 5
- ^
"kumaoni Holi Uttrakhand"
.
euttarakhand.com
. 4 March 2015.
- ^
"kumaoni holi"
.
euttarakhand.com
. 4 March 2015.
- ^
Kumaoni Holi ? Uttaranchal Fairs and Festivals
. Euttaranchal.com. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^
Chakrabarti, Sukanya (25 November 2022).
In-Between Worlds: Performing [as] Bauls in an Age of Extremism
. Taylor & Francis.
ISBN
978-1-000-79774-9
.
- ^
Majumad?ra, D?ptiprak??a (1996).
N?n? sa?graha, n?n? g?na
(in Bengali). Amara Bh?rat?.
- ^
Martinez, Jose Luiz (2001).
Semiosis in Hindustani Music
. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 341.
ISBN
978-81-208-1801-9
.
- ^
[Part-V of Abhimata by Prabhatranjan Sarkar. Published in Bartaman Patrika, a Bengali daily from Kolkata, on 7 March 2023]
- ^
a
b
William Brook Northey; C. J. Morris (2001).
The Gurkhas: Their Manners, Customs, and Country
. Asian Educational Services. pp. 79?80.
ISBN
978-81-206-1577-9
.
- ^
Bal Gopal Shrestha (2012).
The Sacred Town of Sankhu: The Anthropology of Newar Ritual, Religion and Society in Nepal
. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 269, 240?241, 283?284.
ISBN
978-1-4438-3825-2
.
- ^
Happy Holi week
Archived
23 January 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
.
Nepali Times
. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
- ^
Soaked in mirth and colour, Hindu community celebrates Holi
, Sarah Munir (28 March 2013) Tribune. Retrieved 7 January 2015
- ^
'Holi ayi, Holi ayi': Hindus in Hazara celebrate the arrival of spring, the festival of love
(17 March 2014) Tribune. Retrieved 7 January 2015
- ^
Holi celebrations in Pakistan
, (17 March 2014) Dawn. Retrieved 7 January 2015
- ^
"The Colours of Holi with the Hindus of Cholistan"
. Retrieved
21 March
2020
.
- ^
Pakistan parliament adopts resolution for Holi, Diwali, Easter holidays
, The Times of India (16 March 2016)
- ^
How the public holiday on Holi underscores bigotry in Pakistan
, Dawn, Sadia Khartoum (12 May 2016), Quote: "Today we are announcing a public holiday for Holi, tomorrow we will be telling everyone to read Ramayana!’” PSMA Chairman Sharafuz Zaman says(...) If someone wants to go play Holi, they can go ahead, Zaman goes on, but by declaring it a public holiday, we have advertised it in every home."
- ^
Holi Festival 2013
Archived
24 March 2016 at the
Wayback Machine
Community Center of Gujarati Samaj, New York (2013)
- ^
Celebrate Holi: Durban
South Africa (2013)
- ^
Holi Phagwa
Suriname Insider (2012)
- ^
Phagwa ? Festival of Colors
Archived
14 September 2013 at the
Wayback Machine
Independence Square in Paramaribo, Suriname (2013)
- ^
Ali, Arif (ed.),
Guyana
London: Hansib, 2008, p. 69
- ^
Smock, Kirk,
Guyana: the Bradt Travel Guide
, 2007, p. 24.
- ^
Holi, festival of colours
The Fiji Times (15 March 2011)
- ^
Holi Festival
Archived
6 August 2014 at the
Wayback Machine
Mauritius (2011)
- ^
"Holi celebration in abroad"
.
holifestival.org
.
- ^
"Warna-warni Festival Holi di Denpasar Bali"
.
kumparan
.
- ^
Holi colors
Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India (2009)
- ^
Celebration powders (Gulal/Holi)
Purcolor (2010)
- ^
Velpandian, T.; Saha, K.; Ravi, A.K.; Kumari, S.S.; Biswas, N.R.; Ghose, S. (2007). "Ocular hazards of the colors used during the festival-of-colors (Holi) in India?Malachite green toxicity".
Journal of Hazardous Materials
.
139
(2): 204?208.
Bibcode
:
2007JHzM..139..204V
.
doi
:
10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.06.046
.
PMID
16904259
.
- ^
Ghosh, S. K., Bandyopadhyay, D., Chatterjee, G., & Saha, D. (2009), The ‘Holi’ dermatoses: Annual spate of skin diseases following the spring festival in India.
Indian journal of dermatology
. 54(3), 240
- ^
"CLEAN India campaign"
. Archived from
the original
on 23 April 2013.
- ^
"The safe Holi campaign"
. Archived from
the original
on 26 March 2007.
- ^
"Society For Child Development"
. Sfcdindia.org
. Retrieved
23 September
2013
.
- ^
Holi Festival
Archived
3 May 2015 at the
Wayback Machine
What to wear? UK (2012)
- ^
Gardner, Joy Joseph; Lal, Deepanjali (2012).
"Impact of Holi on the environment: A scientific study"
(PDF)
.
Scholars Research Library
.
4
: 1404 – via Google Scholar.
- ^
Sharma, Amit; Saxena, Rashi (2013).
"Moderation of eco-friendly trends in Indian festival; Holi"
(PDF)
.
Scholars Research Library
.
5
: 130 – via Google Scholar.
- ^
Tyagi, V. K., Bhatia, A., Gaur, R. Z., Khan, A. A., Ali, M., Khursheed, A., & Kazmi, A. A. (2012), Effects of multi-metal toxicity on the performance of sewage treatment system during the festival of colours (Holi) in India, Environmental monitoring and assessment, 184(12), pp. 7517?7529
- ^
a
b
"Festival of Colors ? Holi NYC 2016"
.
Festival of Colors: Holi NYC
.
- ^
"NYC Holi Hai 2016"
.
- ^
Spinelli, Lauren (9 May 2015).
"Check out the multi-colored fun at this year's Holi party"
.
Time Out New York
. New York City.
Archived
from the original on 14 May 2015
. Retrieved
23 February
2016
.
- ^
Muncy, C.S. (4 May 2014).
"Portraits From Holi NYC"
.
The Village Voice
. New York City.
Archived
from the original on 1 August 2015
. Retrieved
23 February
2016
.
Holi Hai, also known as the Festival of Colors, celebrates the coming of spring, the joy of friendship, and equality for all. Held on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at the Yard @ C-PAC (Cultural Performing Arts Center) in Brooklyn, thousands of participants joined in to dance and generally cover each other in colored powder. The powders used in Holi represent happiness, love, and the freedom to live vibrantly.
- ^
"Welcome to HOLI ONE"
.
Holi One
. Birmingham, England. Archived from
the original
on 30 October 2019
. Retrieved
21 October
2016
.
Thousands of people, dressed in white, come together to share in music, dance, performance art and visual stimulation. Holi One brings this unforgettable experience to cities all around the world.
- ^
"Color Me Rad 5K Run"
. SanJose.com
. Retrieved
6 March
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Hindu Holi festival shows its colours in UK"
.
Al Jazeera
. Retrieved
6 March
2015
.
- ^
"Oboji svoje ljeto uz BiH Color Festival 28. i 29. jula u Br?kom"
(in Bosnian). 6yka.com. 13 July 2017.
- ^
"BiH Color Festival po drugi put u Br?kom"
(in Bosnian). otisak.ba. 25 July 2017. Archived from
the original
on 18 April 2018
. Retrieved
17 April
2018
.
External links