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500+ Words Essay on Holi
Holi is celebrated as the festival of colours. It is celebrated not only in India but all across the world. Hindus celebrate Holi with zest and enthusiasm each year in the month of March. People who attend this festival look forward to it every year since they get to experiment with colours and eat tasty dishes.
Beginning on a Purnima (full moon day) in Phalgun, the event lasts one night and one day. It is commonly associated with the month of March in the Gregorian calendar. Holi is a celebration of joy and love that is widely celebrated throughout the Indian subcontinent, particularly in India and Nepal. It is also known as the festival of colours because people flock to the streets to play with colours. Unlike most Hindu celebrations, Holi does not entail the devotion of any Hindu Gods or Goddesses and is hence solely for amusement.
However, the night before Holi, a practice known as Holika Dahan is performed in which individuals burn wooden logs on a bonfire. The following day, people of all ages get together to play with “gulal” colours and “Dulahandi” coloured water. They eat special sweets produced for the day called “gujiya” and drink “thandaai” or cold drinks and “bhaang” together. Nonetheless, Holi should be played with caution. Organic gulal should be utilised because chemical gulal can cause irritation to the skin and anywhere it comes into touch. During playing Holi, people should be conscious of their surroundings and take care not to injure anyone.
History of Holi
The Holi festival is related to a legendary story. It is stated that Brahma gifted a terrible king named Hiranyakashipu with the blessing that no person or animal could kill him on earth at home or outdoors. But he was a cruel king who wanted everyone in his kingdom to despise him as a God.
But due to the fact that Prahlad was a devout follower of Lord Vishnu, he flatly refused to worship his father in place of God. Prahlad was going against the demon king’s orders, therefore the devil king conspired with his sister to assassinate him. He forced her to sit in the fire while holding his son on his lap, which resulted in Holika being scorched while Prahlad was unharmed. This showed that he was shielded by his Lord due to the dedication he had shown to him. They began celebrating Holi as a sign that good had ultimately triumphed over evil as a result.
Holi – A Festival of Colors, Joy and Love
After this, everyone worshipped him save his son Prahlad. As a Vishnu devotee, Prahlad refused to worship his father. The devil king and his sister intended to slay Prahlad after his disobedience. He forced her to sit in the fire with his kid on his lap, burning Holika but saving Prahlad. His commitment to God protected him. Hence, Holi became a celebration of good over evil.
Holi improves personality and relationships. A festival to overcome shyness and make new acquaintances. What better way to make friends than by playing with colours? The festival uncovers your hidden bliss. Eliminate your shyness, hesitancy, and other feelings that have held you back in life. You can enter a world of colour, love, and joy with little effort.
Spray colour on everyone you can to create new friends and remember the celebrations. Just let go of your inhibitions to lighten your soul.
The message of Forgive and Forget
Joyful Holi. Soulful delight is not physical. We can’t be pleased if we’re fit yet hate someone. Your inner delight suffers whether someone wronged you or you wronged someone else. Holi is a great time to reconcile or make up. Forgive the sinner and forget what hurt you. Happiness comes when we let go of the past and embrace the future.
Holi involves visiting friends and family. The custom lasts weeks after Holi. Repairing damaged relationships or renewing lost ones is preferable now.
Indian Holi Delights
For foodies, Holi is the festival of colours and sweets. India prepares hundreds of mouthwatering Holi delicacies. Every Indian culture has its own Holi treat. Every household cooks fried treats, so the air smells sweet and fried. I love north Indian gujiya, deep-fried flatbread pockets packed with khoya (milk food) and almonds. Northern Indian Dahi Vada is another Holi treat.
Maharashtra prepares Puran Poli for Holi. It’s Maharashtra’s festive favourite. It’s a flat dough chapati with delicious chana dal.
Holi at Barsana
For centuries, Radha Rani temple in Barsana, a tiny village near Mathura, has celebrated Lath Mar Holi. Males from adjacent Nandgaon visit Barsana, where women strike them with lathis (Hindi sticks). Males would shield themselves and dance in women’s clothes if detected. Thousands of Indians and foreigners visit Barsana for Lath Mar Holi.
Say no to synthetic colours this Holi
During Holi, many makeshift stores sold cheap colours. Powder colours contain copper, mercury, aluminium, and lead. They may include hazardous colours and pigments. Cheap synthetic colours cause skin rashes and cancer. The hazardous substances in Holi colours may cause skin blisters, burning, and eye irritation. Corn starch or flour bases for synthetic colours make contamination worse.
Thankfully, synthetic colour hazards are becoming more widely known. Natural colours are becoming popular. Switching to natural colours saves our health and the environment. Synthetic colours damage land and water. Natural colours don’t. Natural colours come from nontoxic minerals like gulal, mehndi, turmeric, etc. Roses generate red colour, sunflowers yellow. Plants and flowers also yield natural dyes.
Holi Celebrates Good Over Evil
Holi has a mythology. Hiranyakashipu, a terrible ruler, was gifted by Brahma to be unkillable on land. But he was a cruel king who wanted everyone in his country to worship him as a god, thus he ordered his sister Holika to execute his only son Prahlad by igniting fire because he was a Vishnu follower and Holika was blessed to not be burned.
Holika sat on a pile of burning trees with Prahlad on her lap, but Lord Vishnu saved him and transformed Holika into ashes. Then Lord Vishnu became half-animal, half-deity and tore Hiranyakashipu’s guts apart. Hence, Holi celebrates Good over Evil. Choti Holi’s “Holika Dahan” wood burning is also due to this.
Holi is also celebrated for five days in some parts of India. Holi is a national holiday, which means that schools and offices are closed.
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