Hindu Spring Festival, or Holi, is the celebration of the happiness and charm of Spring. People also call it the Festival of Colors. They celebrate this bright and cheerful event mostly when the spring season starts and winter days end. During this Festival, the Hindus come across the boundaries of caste, color, creed, and religion and then celebrate this joyful event together. People enjoy this event through various activities such as singing, dancing, and throwing colored powders at each other.

Guide To Stunning Holi Hindu Spring Festival

1. Origin of Holi

Ancient tales and religious traditions soak the origin of Holi. According to this old folklore, Hiranyakashipu was a demon king who asked everyone to bow in front of him, he used to tell everyone that he was immortal. But the son Hiranyakashipu, Prahlad, was a dutiful believer of the god Vishnu. Therefore, he punished his son very much, but none of them actually affected him. After that, Hiranyakashipus’s sister Holika had a stroke of luck to convert her immunity to fire. She played tricks to kill Prahlad. She sat with him in a burning fire. But because of Holika’s evil and wrong intentions, she crumbled in that fire, whereas Prahlad remained untouched.

This story tells us the result of good over evil. People also light a bonfire on the eve of this festival in remembrance of this event. Another tale that links this event is that lord Krishna played Holi with the milkmaid of Varindavan, Gopis. This festival links the mischievous acts of Krishna playing pranks of colored powder and water on Radha. So it celebrated the love of Krishna and Radha. Hence the Holi festival is related to the Hindu folktales which represent love, devotion, and winning of good over evil.

2. When does Holy start?

Holi usually occurs around the end of February or early March. It is usually celebrated for two days straight. On the first day, people perform Holika Dahan, which is also called choti Holi. On the second day, people celebrate Badi Holi by throwing vibrant colors at each other.

3. Activities performed on Hindu-Spring Festival

Various exciting activities are being performed on Holi. People enjoy this event by playing different games pranks etc. let’s have a look over them,

Use of Colors

At this event, people gather in open places and throw colored powders and water on each other’s faces and clothes. It is the most imminent activity being performed at the Holi festival. People of all ages enjoy aiming colors at each other.

Water Ballons and guns

People, especially children, enjoy pranking each other using water balloons and water guns. It is the best fun activity that children enjoy on the occasion of Holi.

Holika Dahan

On the occasion of Holi hindu spring festival, people light a large bonfire to symbolize the victory of good over evil and the death of the demoness Holika. People gather around this fire and sing songs and their rituals. People gather different kinds of dried leaves, and sticks of wood and throw them into the burning fire.

Singing and Dancing

This is also an important task that serves as the backbone of the festival. People play traditional songs as well as popular Bollywood songs and then perform their dances to them. Everyone enjoys this part of the festival.

Socializing

Holi is the event at which people meet and greet their loved ones, their family members, and relatives. They also exchange their food and apply colors to each other.

Traditional Games

People also arrange different types of games, such as tug-of-war (Rassa Kashi) and pot-breaking (Matki Phod), Kite flying, Kabaddi, Pillow Fights, Dandia Raas, Garba, and Rath Yatra.

Puja and prayers

People start their day by remembering their Gods, so they usually perform puja and engage in religious activities at the start of their day.

4. Food served on festival

People serve and prepare different kinds of traditional food treats at this festival. Numerous Indian snacks, sweets, and beverages are half of the fun of the Festival of Color. Make sure you do not miss them out,

Gujiya: It is yummy, sweet pastry made from a dough of flour and desi ghee. They fill it with a sweet mixture of khoya, grated coconut, and dried fruits, and then shape it into a crescent.

Malpua:  Flour, milk, and cardamom fennel seeds make it. A sweet pancake often comes with rabri.

Ras Malai:  It contains paneer balls that are poured with sweetened and thickened milk with cardamom and saffron.

Dahi Bhalla: Soft lentil dumplings make up the dish, which we pour into yogurt with different chutneys and chips and then top with chat masala.

Papri chat: It contains crispy flour crackers, chickpeas, boiled potatoes, yogurt, and chutneys.

Thandai:  It’s an almond-flavored chilled milk drink with a bit of cannabis leaves (bhung) mixed in.

Lassi:  It is the most popular drink in North India. It is a blend of yogurt and water. It is available in sweet and savory flavors, and sometimes, it is served with hung.

There are still many famous dishes for this festival, such as barfi, laddoo, badam phirni, Puran Poli, and Murukku.

5. Colors used in Holi  Celebration

Green

Mehendi in its powder form, withered leaves of the Gulmohur tree, leaves of spring crops and herbs, rhododendron leaves, and pine needles build the green color. Or,  use spinach leaves.

Yellow

You can use turmeric (Haldi) in its powder or juice form from the fresh root, Bael fruit, amaltas, or even gram flour to achieve shades of yellow. Various flowers are yellow, such as marigolds, dandelions, sunflowers, daffodils, and dahlias. Florets of the Tesu tree (Palash) can give you hues of yellow and orange.

Orange and Red

Saffron, barberry, or stirring lime with turmeric powder gives orange shades. You can use rose, shriveled hibiscus flowers, madder trees, the cortex of crab apple trees, and scented red sandalwood for reds. Peels and the seeds of pomegranate, or even radish are a great source of red color.You can make a paste from red and violet Indian berries like the Barberry, Blueberry, and Wildberry. Sandalwood is used as a red color.

Violet and Blue

Beetroot is a strong intrinsic dye. It can be used in powder form or as juice combined with water. You can use indigo, Indian berries, grape species, blue hibiscus, and jacaranda flowers in powder, mush, or liquid form.

Brown

Katha or the catechu, which is an extract of acacia trees, usually used as an ingredient in paan is a brown source. Red maple trees are also a source of brown color. You can easily obtain your everyday dried tea leaves or coffee. Feel free to brew some in warm water.

Black

Some species of grapes and the dried fruit of Gooseberry (Amla) can generate a black color.

If the intrinsic ingredients have piqued your interest in Ayurveda, you can learn more about certain plant properties in the exhibit

6. Effects of synthetic color

Nowadays, the market is mainly afloat with cheaper synthetic colors. These usually consist of dangerous components such as diesel, lead oxide, chromium iodine, and copper sulfate, which can cause skin rashes, allergies, pigmentation, and eye irritation.

Green: It might carry copper sulfate and can cause problems like eye allergy and short-term blindness.

Red: It might contain mercury sulfide, which can cause skin cancer, mental retardation, paralysis, and blunt vision.

Purple: It might carry chromium iodide, which causes health problems such as bronchial asthma and allergies.

Blue: It accommodates Prussian blue, which can become a source of contact dermatitis.

Silver: It might have aluminum bromide, which is carcinogenic. 

Black: It might contain lead oxide, which can lead to health problems like renal failure and learning disabilities. Synthetic colors can lead to serious skin diseases and block hair cuticles in acute hair damage. It’s cautious and healthier to intentionally opt for herbal colors, even if they are expensive. If demand grows, the cost will automatically come down.

7. Top tips for the Holi Festival

Here are the methods to draw up and protect yourself from the evil effects of the synthetic colors used throughout the festival.

Body

To prevent colors from directly approaching your skin, it’s a good idea to apply a thick layer of petroleum jelly, coconut oil, or moisturizer to your face and other uncovered parts of the body.

Hair

Oil your hair and scalp with coconut, olive, or castor oil. One or two drops of lemon juice are also used to avert dandruff and septicity activated because of the chemical colors.

Lips and eyes

Don’t use lenses. Most people prank you with surprise colors on your face, the lenses might injure your eyes. Utilize sunglasses to safeguard your eyes from the backside of color-filled darts or water jets. Put in a lip balm for your lips.

Clothing

 You should cover the maximum parts of your body. Wear dark-colored sleeves cotton clothes.

Stay hydrated with water. Drink a lot of water before you start playing Holi. This will keep your skin hydrated. 

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 People may ask

1. What is meant by the Hindu Spring festival?

Hindu Spring Festival is commonly known as Holi or festival of colors. Hindus celebrate this festival based on their religious traditions.

2. Which countries celebrate Holi?

Many countries of the world celebrate this festival such as India, Australia, Canada, UK, Germany, Nepal, Singapore, and many more.

3. For how many days is Holi Celebrated?

Holi is celebrated for 2 days.

4. Which are the preferable dishes for the Hindu Spring Festival?

People prefer dishes like dahi bhalla, ras malai, laddo, barfi, thandai, and lassi.

5. In which month is this festival celebrated?

In the end of February or in March.

Bottom lines

Holi hindu spring festival which is honored with great solemnity all over the world. It not only spreads the message of kinship but also motivates us to be together. People give the instance of this festival and tell the triumph of good over evil. This festival also taught us that we should never be egoistic like Holika. In this festival, people let slip all their offenses and welcome each other, which shows brotherhood and unity among them.