The festival of Holi is celebrated in India with great vigor and joy. Holi is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Phalgun which usually falls in the Gregorian months of February and March. People flock to the streets to play with colored powders and water, dancing to traditional songs, singing and making merry. Sweets are prepared and shared in celebration, and special bonfires are lit in some parts of the country. The exact customs and traditions may vary from region to region, but the joy and enthusiasm is a common thread throughout.
How is Holi celebrated?
Holi is celebrated by people gathering together and playing with colours, water guns and balloons. Participants usually smear a powdery gulal (a colourful powder) on one another as a part of the tradition. Other activities include singing, dancing, and feasting. In many parts of India, a bonfire is lit the night before Holi to commemorate the death of a demon in Hindu mythology. Some people also use this day to clean and renovate their homes, turning it into a festive occasion.
Holi in Rajasthan
Holi is one of the most celebrated festivals of Rajasthan. Celebrated throughout the state, from the royal palaces of Jaipur to the villages of rural Rajasthan, this colourful festival is enjoyed with great enthusiasm and vigor.
Different regions in Rajasthan celebrate Holi in different ways. In some areas, the festival begins before sunrise with people offering prayer to the gods and goddess and smearing each other with gulal (coloured powder). Women don traditional colourful dresses and perform folk dances such as gair and dhamal, and display their skills at various folk sports such as holi, kabadi, and kite-flying.
In some regions, such as Jaipur, the festival continues late into the night, with bonfires and many insistent hours of drumming and singing. People carry brass earthen pots, called Gahnas, filled with popular colourful flowers and scented water. The pots are hung from ropes suspended between buildings and a special hour-long game takes place where each person takes it in turns to swing the Gahna in a loop, while others try to break it.
In Mewar, the people of Udaipur line up behind the king and participate in a long procession, which makes its way around the various temples as the crowd sings and shouts. At the end of the parade, the king lights a bonfire which is then scattered with coloured powder.
No matter where in Rajasthan you experience Holi, the ebullience and optimism that fill the air is electric.
Holi in Rural India
Holi is a Hindu festival widely celebrated in India as a symbol of joy and optimism for the coming of spring. It is celebrated in various form every where but in rural India it is celebrated with great gusto and enthusiasm. Rural India celebrates Holi by a bonfire where people of the village gather and sing folk songs and throw colors over each other. Food and sweets are distributed among them and a special drink called Thandai is made from milk, dry fruits and cannabis.The people of rural areas also indulge in various folk music and dance performances. Holi is a festival of colors and in rural India it blends with the traditional celebrations of art, culture and good music.
