Bursts of colour, joy and love - this is what to expect during Holi festival.
The two-day Hindu celebration is a spectacular event honouring spring and new life. Festival-goers cover each other with brightly coloured paint and water on the streets, creating a sight to behold.
On the first day of Holi, people gather around a bonfire to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. They throw roasting grains, popcorn, coconut and chickpeas onto the bonfire.
The second day is when people celebrate by pelting each other with a colourful, perfumed powder called gulal and soaked with water pistols. Holi is also known as the Festival of Love, the Festival of Colours and the Festival of Spring.
Read on to find out why Holi is celebrating, where the festival takes place and when it falls in 2023.
Why is it celebrated?
There are two Hindu legends that are thought to contribute to the meaning of Holi. The first revolves around demon siblings Hiranyakashipu and Holika. Hiranyakashipu believed he should be worshipped because he was invincible. But his son Prahlada remained loyal to the Hindu god Vishnu.
So Hiranyakashipu came up with a plan to kill his son, with the help of sister Holika - Prahlada’s aunt. She took Prahlada into a bonfire but her magic cloak, which protected her from the flames, flew off her and onto him.
Holika was killed and Prahlada was saved. Hiranyakashipu, meanwhile, got his comepuppance when Vishnu appeared as a half-human, half-lion and destroyed him with his claws. It is thought that the festival takes its name from Holika - and the story is the reason why the first evening takes place around a bonfire.
The second legend is believed to explain the festivities on day two - it revolves around the Hindu god Krishna, who was self-conscious of his dark blue skin. He wanted it to be fair, like the milkman Radha who he loved.
His mother Yasoda suggested he painted Radha’s face any colour he wanted to make himself feel better. So the mischievous Krishna did just that - and the pair were still madly in love after the prank. Some people believe that is why people pelt each other with gulal at the festival. And it may also explain why it is known as the Festival of Love.
Where is Holi celebrated?
Holi is a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. It originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent.
But it has become popular in other regions of Asia and in the West thanks to South Asians who have settled there. Suriname, Jamaica, South Africa, the United States, Australia and the UK are just some of the countries where it is now celebrated.
When is Holi this year?
Holi festival begins on Wednesday March 8 2023. Its date is determined by the Hindu lunar calendar, which means it is not the same every year, though it does fall around the same time.
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