Holi the Festival of Color

Holi - the Festival of Colour
22 March 2007
Holi is celebrated annually on the full Moon day in the month of Phalgun (March when the Moon is full in either of the Phalguni nakshatras) and the Festival of colours is on Pratima tithi of the krishna paksha.

Holi literally means burning. It is an ancient festival that is celebrated throughout India. its many myths explain the meaning of the holi.
Traditionally Holi signals the end of winter and the start of Spring. Holi is celebrated as the triumph off good over evil just like the spring triumphs over the dark and dismal winter. In the many myths of Holi festival the good wins over evil. on a more personal level we can use the festival of holi to awaken the spirit. Like the freshness of spring, the soul awakens to new energy and burns away the negativity of the past and is rejuvenated. This is the day to make a fresh start annually. It is also a good time for physical as well as spiritual regeneration.
The festival lasts for two days. On the full moon of Phalgun month, the evil Holika is burnt symbolically in huge bonfires at sunset and the next morning is the celebrationof this victory with colour. This day is known as Dhuleti when people celebrate by colouring each other with gulal ( red colour) and now many other bright colours. The colours, representing the colours of spring, the joy of the victory of the good. Joy of a new light burning within the resurgent soul.
Myths of Holi
Hiranyakashyapu was a powerful king and he ordered his people to worship him as God. His son Prahlad refused his father's orders and continued to worship Lord Vishnu. The king wanted to kill Prahlada and wipe out the very name of Lord Vishnu. He sent his sister Holika, who possessed the boom of never being burnt by fire, to destroy Prahlada. The evil Holika did not know that this boon only works if she sits in the fire alone. When she takes Prahlad with her and sits in huge fire. She gets destroyed whereas Prahlada emerges unscathed. Holi commemorates this, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi on the full Moon in Phalgun as its symbolic representation of victory of good.
The two important legends around Holi are of Kamadeva and Krishna.


Kamdeva, the god of love aimed his arrow Lord Shiva who was in deep meditation. Lord Shiva opened his third eye and burnt him to ashes. Kamdeva’s wife Rati, beseeched Lord Shiva to restore her husband to life. Shiv relented and granted her the boon that she could see her husband but he would remain "anang" that meant without the physical human form. The songs sung during Holi tell the story of Rati’s sorrow about Kamadeva. This is a festival of love and sacrifice.
Lord Krishna, the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu is also worshipped during the Holi festival. Putana, a female demon was sent by the Kamsa to kill the child Krishna. In guise of a beautiful woman, Putana went about in Krishna’s village Nandgaon suckling every child to death. But when the infant Krishna sucked her breasts, blood started flowing and she died instead. The evening before Holi, bonfires are lit to celebrate the victory of Krishna and the death of Putana. Putana also represents winter and her death the end of winter.
Celebrating Holi spiritually
We can use this full moon of Holi to burn away any negativity in our inner self. Annually this can be a good day to symbolically burn away negative thoughts, let go of any addictions or bad habits. Make a resolution to purify the inner self through good deeds in action and thought. We may not be able to achieve total purification but we can begin on the path.