Holi

When is Holi Celebrated ?

As per the Hindu Calendar- the festival of colors is celebrated on Vasant Panchami Day. In Mathura Vrindavan – this festival lasts for almost 40 days. The celebration continues till Phal gun Month. However, on the day of Phalgun Purnima, Holi is celebrated across the country !

The Mythological Essence of celebrating Holi

Foremost is the legend of Prahlad and Hiranyakshyap. Hiranyakshyap considered himself a God and wanted everybody to worship him. However, his son, Prahlad began to worship Lord Vishnu. To get rid of his son, Hiranyakshyap asked his sister, Holika to enter a fire with Prahlad. Prahlad was saved due to his pure devotion to the lord while Holika paid a price for her evil desire. From this started the tradition of burning Holika or the 'Holika Dahan' comes mainly from this legend.  Also, Holi celebrates the legend of Radha and Krishna as Lord Krishna took in applying color on Radha and other gopis.  Mythology also shares that Holi is the celebration of the death of Ogress Pootana who tried to kill toddler Krishna by feeding poisonous milk. People in the south celebrate the sacrifice of Lord of Passion Kaamadeva who risked his life to revoke Lord Shiva from meditation and save the world !