Last Sunday, marked the beginning of one of the biggest Hindu festivals, celebrated widely across South Asia: The Festival of Colors, also known as Holi. This two-day-long festival is packed with rituals and celebrations and marks two major things for the Indian population: the triumph of good over evil and the beginning of the harvest season. 

The eighteen-century-old festival marks the burning of Holika, the sister of a demon king after she attempts to kill her nephew for worshipping Lord Vishnu. Holika, who was supposed to be immune to fire, sat in a pyre holding her nephew to kill him. But in the end, he came out unscathed due to his belief in Lord Vishnu and she died on the spot. This led to families coming together for a puja or a big community bonfire every year on “Choti Holi” (small Holi) or Holika Dahan. The main festival day’s origins are rooted in Lord Krishna (Lord Vishnu’s reincarnation)  playing pranks as a young boy. On Rangwali Holi- Holi celebrated with colors or Dhuleti, people fill the streets playing with colored powders and water guns—they’re trying to get color on as many people as possible. By bringing together family and friends, Holi generates great excitement and joy.

Color is an extremely important part of this holiday. During the celebration of Dhuleti, people generally wear all-white outfits (they won’t ever be fully all-white again) to symbolize peace, humanity, and brotherhood which links back to the story of Holika and the triumph of good over evil. Each of the main colors used for playing Holi has its meaning too. Red powder generally symbolizes love and fertility, yellow symbolizes sanctity and remedy (turmeric is often used for many home remedies in India), green symbolizes nature and new beginnings, blue represents Lord Krishna, and orange marks courage. This importance in color symbolism mixed with the brightly colored decorations makes it easy to see why Holi is known as the Festival of Colors.

Holi is mainly celebrated in the Indian and Nepali regions but is observed by Hindus across the world. In addition to Nepal and India, Holi is celebrated in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indian communities in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each region has its way of observing this special day. One great example of this lies within the subregions of India, most notably Assam, Karnataka, and Manipur.

In Assam, some call Holi, ‘Doul Mahotsav’ which translates to mean ‘Festival of Happiness’. For their celebrations, the people of Assam will celebrate the expulsion of winter by making and lighting fireworks all across the state. The Assamese celebrations also include lighting bonfires, flying lanterns, and on the last day, the throwing of color on the participants. The celebrations are lively, respectful of all, and an overall joyous occasion. 

In Karnataka, the children take a key role in the Holi celebrations. In the weeks before Holi, children will collect money and wood- the money for a gift, and the wood for a large burning on what is called “Kamadahana” night. This burning is done to represent the burning of past winter weather and removal of all the old while color is thrown to bring in the new. 

In Manipur, Holi is celebrated for 6 days and according to tradition, starts with the preparation of a thatched hut of twigs and sticks. This thatched hut is then burned, which signals the beginning of the festivities. Holi in Manipur is also connected to the festival of Yaoshang in the way that the hut burning begins both the festivals. On the second day of Holi, the boys will play Holi with the girls, the catch being that the girls will take money from the boys who play with them. All of the variety in the Holi festival enhances the cultural effects and unity of the countries as a whole. Holi has been adapted and celebrated differently, which makes it an exciting and unique experience wherever you go to observe it. 

The celebration of Holi across the world sparks joy and excitement in anyone who partakes. This tradition-rich holiday brings many into the streets for a colorful and thrilling adventure. Holi has become so ingrained in different cultures that even famous artist Coldplay has used the celebration in a music video. Overall, the symbolism of the colors, burnings, and decorations relays a common theme of hope for all who know of the festival. Holi is a once-in-a-lifetime experience whose culture and excitement should be experienced by all.