Holi
Celebrations
Holi
- the colorful festival
of the Hindus announces the arrival of spring and the passing of
winter. It brings an atmosphere of social merriment in which
people bury their hatchets with a warm embrace and throw their
worries to the wind in the form of ghulal.
Every lane
and bylane of the city reverberates with zeal and enthusiasm.
Everybody drenched with colors (red, green, yellow, blue, black
and silver) presents a unique sight.
On Holi, people are suddenly caught unawares with colors being
poured from atop the houses, bursting balloons, or long pistons
squirting colored water. People in small groups are seen singing,
dancing and throwing colors on each other.
Smearing colors
on friends and dear ones is the basic idea of Holi, no one is
spared. Both the young and the old enjoy throwing water balloons,
dry colors, and washable dyes on anyone in sight on the day of the
holi. We go around in streets, with a tin drums, armed with tonnes
of colors and big syringes filled with colored water. And at the
end of the day no one will even remotely resemble themselves. To
join us in our celebration you can participate in many ways by
joining us through virtual holi.
Holi
in Nandagow
Amongst
India's innumerable festivals, Holi ranks as the most colourful.
It celebrates the arrival of spring and death of demoness Holika,
it is a celebration of joy and hope. Holi provides a refreshing
respite from the mundane norms as people from all walks of life
enjoy themselves. In a tight knit community, it also provided a
good excuse for letting off some steam and settling old scores,
without causing physical injury.
Holi continues to
be celebrated with great vigour through out India. Countless Hindi
films have brought the vibrant colours of the festival to the
screen. Indians all over the world eagerly await the Festival of
Colours, as bonfires are lit to banish the cold dark nights of
winter and usher in warmer spring. Dhuleti, day after Holi, is the
actual festival of colours, when everything in sight is covered in
a riot of colours.
Twin towns of
Nandagow ( where Lord Krishna grew up ) and Barsana ( where Shri
Radha grew up ), near Mathura, are the epicentre of the
celebrations. Lord Krishna, while growing up in Vraj, popularised
the festival with his ingenious pranks. Gopies of Vraj responded
with equal enthusiasm and the festivities have continued ever
since. Role reversal, feminism etc. are accepted customs for the
duration of the festival! Men and women of Vraj clash in a
colourful display of battle of the sexes.
Celebrations
start a week earlier than rest of India. Men of Nandagow raid
Barsana with hopes of raising their flag over Shri Radhikaji's
temple. They receive a thunderous welcome as the women of Barsana
greet them with long wooden sticks. The men are soundly beaten as
they attempt to rush through town to reach the relative safety of
Shri Radhikaji's temple. Men are well padded as they are not
allowed to retaliate. In this mock battle the men try their best
not to be captured. Unlucky captives can be forcefully lead away,
thrashed and dressed in female attire before being made to dance!!
Rush through
Barsana is far more lethal than running with the bulls in Spain,
at least you don't have to marry them one day! Famous poets like
Surdas, Nand-das, Kumbhan-das and others, have written beautifully
as to how Lord Krishna was similarly received and forced to wear a
sari, forced to wear make-up and made to dance before being
released by the gopies of Vraj.
The next day, men
of Barsana reciprocate by invading Nandagow. Clouds of pink and
white powder mark the frenzy of activity taking place in it's
narrow streets. A naturally occurring orange-red dye, Kesudo, is
used to drench all participants. Today, the women of Nadagow beat
the invaders from Barsana. It is a colourful site. In the interest
of tourisum and safety, the state tourist board has set up
excellent vantage points for the public. A large open ground, on
the outskirts of the town is specially set aside for the most
magnificent display of the festivities.
The next day, the
temples in Vrindavan celebrate the festival with great guesto. The
renowned temple of Bakai-Bihari, the beloved lord of the 15th
century saint Haridas, is at the centre of the festivities. Clouds
of pink and white descend upon the pilgrims, as the Lord of
Vrindavan plays holi with all his beloved visitors.
The
festival moves on to other parts of Vraj. Soon enough, it is
Dhulati and entire India celebrates the joys of spring as the
"festival of colour".
Poems
holi
ke rang kuch phike se ho gaye hai
es
routine life me hum kuch udas se ho gaye hai
Holi
ka din to her taraf khunshiyaan bikherta hai
phir
hume hi yah din saamnya sa kyoon lagta hai
chah
kar bhi hum apane aap me chetna nahi jaga sakte
holi
ke din bhi masti me nare nahi laga sakte
hari
patti ne jeevan ka rang hi badal di ya hai
hoosh
to hai per josh na raha hai
yaroon
ki yaari me phir bhi koi kami na aayegi
diwali
ho ya holi hamari duwanye aap ke saath rahengi !
Virtual
Holi
Send
us a photograph or image file of yourself, your friends or your
pets coloured in the ‘RANG’ of holi, and we will put it up in
our Holi Gallery.
back
to Holi Page
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