What is Holi festival. What is Holi Festival in India and how is it held? How to prepare for the celebration

Holi is one of the brightest and most colorful holidays in the world and symbolizes the onset of spring and the beginning of the New Year according to the Indian calendar. Holi is also called the Festival of Colors for its variegation and richness of color.

A popular Indian festival takes place on a full moon day, it is called Phalgun Purnima in India. Holi date is rolling and usually falls at the end of February - March and lasts for several days. In 2018, Holi falls on March 2-3.

This is one of the oldest holidays, it is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and is described in detail in the Vedas (scriptures), in the Narada Purana and other sacred texts of Hinduism. The inscription on the stone, made 300 years BC, also testifies to its implementation.

The emergence of Holi was preceded by several legends.

Legends

According to one of the legends, the name Holi comes from the name of the beautiful and kind Holiki. The evil king received immortality as a gift from one of the gods, imagined himself to be a god and ordered all his subjects to worship only him. But the king's son did not recognize the power of his father and continued to pray to the true God.

The young prince was supported by his aunt, the beautiful Holika. The king was angry and ordered to burn his sister and son at the stake. The prince prayed to God to save his beloved aunt. And God sent him a multi-colored scarf - a sacred gift of all gods, which was supposed to protect her from fire.

When Holika was tied to a post, the prince went up to her and covered her with a colorful scarf, while he sat down next to her. They lit a fire, and suddenly a gust of wind tore off the saving handkerchief from Holiki and covered the boy with it. The prince tried to save his beloved aunt, but the fire had already engulfed her body, and his eyes looked lovingly at his nephew.

So Holika died. The fire did not touch the prince, but penetrated deeply into his soul, and the boy believed in God even more strongly. God decided to punish the king and pierced his cold heart with lightning. So evil was punished and justice was triumphed.

That is why on Holi, the inhabitants of northern India smear each other with paints of the color of the sacred veil of Holiki, as a symbol of the prince's salvation, and pour water on each other, protecting everyone from evil forces, helping the gods restore justice.

According to another legend, the name Holi comes from the name of the demoness Holiki. Prahlada, the son of the evil king Hiranyakasipu, worshiped the god Vishnu, and nothing could dissuade him of this. Then the king's sister demoness Holika, who, as it was believed, does not burn in the fire, persuaded Prahlada to go to the fire in the name of God. To everyone's amazement, Holika was burned, and Prahlada, rescued by Vishnu, came out unharmed. Therefore, on the first day of the holiday, fires are kindled and a stuffed witch is burned on it.

Holi is also associated with the legend of how Shiva incinerated with his third eye the god of love Kama, who was trying to bring him out of meditation. After that, Kama became incorporeal, but at the request of Shiva's wife Parvati and Kama's wife, the goddess Rati, Shiva returned the body to Kama for three months a year. When Kama takes on a body, everything blooms around, and happy people celebrate the feast of love.

Traditions

Holi is one of the most important festivals in India and is celebrated throughout the country. The holiday is very colorful and multifaceted, like India itself.

They begin to prepare for Holi a couple of weeks before the holiday. During this period, small celebrations are held in the villages - Small Holi, during which ritual games, festive concerts are held, money is collected and material is prepared for the big holiday.

In particular, they collect firewood, brushwood, rags and so on for a festive fire. Bonfires are lit on Holi evening - people believe that fire helps to drive away the cold and evil spirits left after winter.

Each region of the country has its own characteristics of Holi, and even to the question of which of the many gods the holiday is primarily dedicated to, each one gives its own answer.

In the southern part of the country, mainly young people participate in the festivities. The older generation sits at home or goes to visit, and mothers prepare gifts, flowers and sweets for their children, and give them in the morning - in the New Year.

In the central part of India, small lights are always lit on the roofs of buildings and orange flags are hung as a symbol of fire, not forgetting that "holi" means "burning".

Holi is celebrated especially magnificently in the north of India. Colorful decorations are hung everywhere, especially in purple, white, red, pink shades.

Before Holi, the walls of buildings are painted in bright colors, and the entire space is decorated with flowers. People massively buy special sprinklers for water and multi-colored coloring powders - gulal, which are made from finely ground corn flour and painted in red, green, pink and yellow colors. Although, true admirers of traditions make powders and water cannons by hand.

Holi begins on the night of the full moon - a fire is made to burn a huge effigy or decorated tree, symbolizing the destruction of the wicked Holiki, a holiday was named after her. There is a tradition to drive cattle through fire and walk on coals. People believe that the ashes of the Holi bonfire bring good luck.

Holi is celebrated with colorful parades accompanied by folk songs, dances and general fun. Participants shower each other with bright dye powders and pour water over each other. Within the framework of the festival, there are parkour and freerunning competitions, natural paint fights and a water battle. Everyone takes part in Holi without distinction between caste, class, age or gender.

Thousands of Holi lovers gather these days in the homeland of Krishna in the city of Vrindavan and Mathura. The enormous steps of the temple are transformed into a kind of places for dancing and fun, where celebrations take place for several days in a row.

Days of mutual visits are planned from the third to the fifth day - traditional feasts are held. Holi celebration is never complete without the traditional drink - tandai with bhang, which contains milk or dairy products, as well as hemp juice or leaves.

Holi is very popular not only in India, but also in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, as well as in countries with large Hindu diasporas such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, UK, USA, Mauritius and Fiji.

The material was prepared on the basis of open sources

Holi is a Hindu holiday that symbolizes the arrival of spring and the beginning of the new year. It is also called the Festival of Colors, because during this period the whole country is literally drowning in color.

How is the holiday

It is a major festival in India, especially in the north, but it is also celebrated in many countries around the world.

The holiday brings people of all classes and castes together, these days there is no inequality.

Children love this festival very much, have fun and celebrate with everyone.

Adults and old people also take part in it with pleasure.

People sprinkle paint on each other.

Another popular option is to launch multi-colored paint directly into the air.

This special paint for the holiday is called "gulal" or "abir".

Some people throw themselves in a liquid paint called "rank".

A kaleidoscope of bright colors leaves a lasting impression on tourists.

In addition to helmets, children also throw water balls or shoot water pistols.

As a result, at the end of the holiday, everything around is covered with paint.

The air becomes thick and dense due to the powder.

After the holiday, the asphalt remains all in multi-colored stains.

The paint can even be found on the walls of buildings.

The origin of the holiday

Holi is not only the Festival of Colors.

This is primarily a holiday of fertility and the welcome of spring.

According to legend, the holiday was named after the demon Holiki. The son of King Hiranyakasipu Prahlada worshiped Lord Vishnu. King Holik's sister, who did not burn in the fire, persuaded the guy to enter the fire in the name of her faith. As a result, to everyone's surprise, she burned down, and Vishnu saved Prahlada. Therefore, on the first day of the holiday, a stuffed demon is burned at the stake.

That is, the festival celebrates the victory of Good over Evil.

People, all painted with paint, dance to the sound of a drum and sing folk songs.

At the end of the celebration, all of its participants are covered in paint from head to toe.

You’ll be lucky if the paint doesn’t get in your eyes!

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The Holi Colors Festival is one of the brightest and most positive festive events that came to Russia several years ago and fell in love with millions of Russians.

This holiday won the hearts of everyone, young and old. Adults are like children, forgetting about all the complexes, throwing multicolored powder and dancing until they drop. Children enthusiastically watch colorful clouds soaring high above their heads. They dissolve in the sky, which, like a bright palette, mixes different colors on a heavenly canvas, painting fantastic pictures.

Holi Colors Festival in Moscow 2019

In general, Holi is an international name that we know from foreign countries. In Russia, this colorful event is called the Iris Festival of Colors, which takes place in different cities of our country and gathers tens of thousands of people.

So when will it pass Holi Colors Festival in Moscow , as well as what interesting things the Festival of Colors in the capital is preparing for you - 2019 ? Let's tell you now.

ATTENTION: The organizer of the festival announced the postponement of the holiday to 2020.

Earlier it was announced that the holiday will take place June 12, 2019... The time of the event was scheduled from 14.00 to 19.00... Address: Balaklavsky pr. 33 b5, Moscow

You can find out the exact dates and the address of the site in 2020 on the official page, which is indicated below, in the contact section.

Holi Color Festival

You can not only hear about the Holi Colors Festival, but also see it. Joyful and cheerful people walk the streets of Moscow, covered from head to toe with multi-colored powder. If you see them, you are heading in the right direction.

In past years, the celebration was attended by over 100,000 people. During the day, more than 10 tons of paint powder was spent, which scattered over Moscow in colored clouds.

The culmination of the festive event is a grand concert in which the host commands the crowd, and thousands of people simultaneously throw up colorful powder. This is an amazing sight. The square becomes like a beautiful canvas of an artist with expressive drawings and bright colors. It is worth coming here at least for the sake of this amazing in its beauty action.

Little guests will also be welcome at the festival of colors. Here, last year, for example, a children's playground was waiting for them, where they could jump on trampolines or ride slides.

Also, for the most active guests, the organizers prepared a sports ground and interesting master classes, where one could master one of the crafts presented here.

Security

As far as the manufacturers say, the paints at the festival do not pose a health hazard and are made from organic matter, without the addition of chemical ingredients. However, if you are allergic, consult a specialist if you can attend the event. If you decide to go on a holiday, be sure to protect yourself from getting powder. You can wear dark glasses over your eyes, and tie a cloth over your nose and mouth. A thin scarf or mask is ideal here.

All the same, it is worth wearing clothes that you will not mind getting dirty, despite the assurances of manufacturers that the dyes are easy to wash off.

By the way, you will not be able to carry your paint, it can be purchased on the spot.

The entrance to the event is absolutely free. We wish you a bright and excellent mood at the Holi Colors Festival!

Video

To understand what Holi Colors is, we suggest you watch the video.

Contacts

The official page where you can find the necessary information -

The Festival of Colors in 2019 is the brightest and most famous holiday, which is already being held not only in India, but also in many cities around the world. At its core, Holi is a spring festival of color, color and joy. It is on this day that it is customary to pour over colored water and generously sprinkle and sprinkle each other with various colored powders, that is, fun, joy and laughter reign absolutely everywhere.

As you know, Holi is usually celebrated 2 weeks after the Mahashivaratri holiday on the full moon of the Phalgun month of the Hindu calendar. But, the date of the celebration of this festival has already been calculated, so we can familiarize ourselves in advance and thoroughly prepare for this holiday.

• 1.Holi in 2019 falls on the period from 2 to 3 March.
  2.Holi in 2019 - March 21-22.
  3.Holi in 2020 - March 10-11.
  4. Holi in 2021 - March 29-30.

As you can see, the festival of colors in India falls, and is held strictly in the month of March.

A bit of history, tradition.

If we touch on the issue of history, then the Holi holiday was originally considered to be religious, since it is closely connected with Hindu beliefs. But now it is customary to celebrate and celebrate it in a wide variety of confessions, because in other countries it is just a festival and carnival of colors. If we talk about the traditions of the holiday, of which there are a lot, then the following are the most important and significant.

• 1. A variety of paints that are sprinkled around everyone.
  2. Everyone who came to the holiday can choose the powder according to the color palette that he liked the most.
  3. After the start of the holiday, everyone begins to scatter the powder around, painting everything in bright and unusual colors.

Agree, this is really a very unusual and funny show that can charge you with positive energy and emotions. Moreover, every year the territory of its celebration becomes wider and larger. Our country has not become an exception to the rule, since for several years this holiday has been celebrated taking into account all traditions and customs.

It is on these days that you can meet the happy and painted faces of passers-by on the streets of the city. As for Russia, it is customary to hold the festival of colors not in March, but closer to the summer months, when the weather is very warm and hot outside. Ask why such a deviation from the date of the event? It's simple, because in the month of March it is quite cold here.

If you nevertheless decide to visit the festival of colors in his homeland, that is, in India, then it would be most correct to first get acquainted with all the customs and traditions and in no case ignore the proposed advice.

• Tip 1. During Holi in India, children try to water passers-by with colored water from the roofs of houses. That is why it is best to either not take all your equipment in the form of cameras, cameras and phones with you to the festival, or pack it well in plastic bags so as not to spoil it.
• Tip 2. In some parts of India, for example, in Delhi, during the celebration of this day, it is customary to close all shops, shops and restaurants. That is why it is best to stock up on all the necessary groceries and goods in order not to get into a dead end and difficult situation.
• Tip 3. If you do not want to be smeared with paint from head to toe, then it is better to wait out this time at the hotel. If, on the contrary, you want to take the most active part in this carnival, then the most correct thing would be to put on old clothes, which you do not mind not only getting dirty, but also throwing away. Also, before going out on the street, many advise to carry out a number of fairly simple but necessary procedures and operations. First of all, apply a layer of cream on the face, neck and chest and on open areas of the body, since the paint used at the holiday is well absorbed and very difficult to rinse off.
• Advice 4. If you have and you are carrying valuable things, then it is best to take them off and leave them at the hotel or at home, no matter what you lose in this festive bustle or not become a good profit for the thieves. Backpacks and bags are best worn in the front.
• Tip 5. It is not recommended to use alcohol, which is customary to drink at this holiday.

It is worth noting that each region and city of India has its own traditions of celebrating Holi. For example, in Makhtur, Vrindavan and Jayperu, the holiday is rightfully famous for its colorfulness and diversity. But in Puttaparthi, this festival is generally not customary to celebrate from the past centuries. Also, this holiday is very much in demand and popular in large tourist centers, where it is celebrated on a large scale and on a "jolly foot".

If you want to feel the real atmosphere of the festival of colors, it's time to go to India, believe me, a lot of bright, positive and unforgettable emotions are guaranteed to you.

This holiday always comes on a full moon. Holi festival date in 2020- March 9 and 10.

Its main and most famous feature is the festival of colors. Indians rejoice like children, sprinkle each other with neon powder and pour colored water over each other - this is a wish for happiness and abundance. The guests of the country also cannot avoid this action. Someone is trying to sit out in a hotel or move around in a tightly closed car, which also becomes like an artist's palette in a couple of hours. And someone relaxes, succumbs to the atmosphere of unrestrained joy and plunges into the holiday with his head.

Holi festival 2020: riot of colors

Since almost everywhere in India Holi is associated with Krishna and his bride Radha, these days everyone is simply drowning in a mood of light flirting. The courtship dance becomes a master on the streets of cities and villages. Young men try in every possible way to attract attention to themselves, and refusal to do such a dance is considered very indecent.

Things to keep in mind at Holi

These days, the Indians release the internal brakes and have a lot of fun. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to take care of some security measures. Yet spoiled property will be a pity when the euphoria subsides. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the following circumstances:

1. Children amuse themselves by sitting on rooftops and pouring water on passers-by. This must be borne in mind. Phones, cameras and other electronic devices are best protected with plastic.
2. Thieves use the general holiday bustle for their own selfish purposes. Theft is not uncommon in India. Therefore, it is better to leave valuables at home, and carry a bag or backpack in front and hold it with your hands.
3. Stores are likely to be closed, so groceries and other needs should be taken care of in advance.
4. It is better to put on old clothes, because they will still have to be thrown away, unless they come in handy as a souvenir in memory of the holiday.
5. Leaving the house, it is advisable to lubricate the skin with a fat cream. Holiday paints are very difficult to wash off, and the grease will prevent them from absorbing into the pores and will make it easier to remove such makeup.
6. The traditional festive drink is bhang. It is prepared on the basis of the juice squeezed from hemp leaves. Indians during Holi do not limit themselves in it, as in ordinary alcohol.

You should not lose your vigilance and relax unnecessarily. It is believed that the most colorful Holi can be seen in Vrindavan, Mathura or Jaipur. But in another large city - Delhi, Calcutta or Mumbai, the days of the holiday will forever be remembered as a real miracle.