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Holi 2019: 10 Things You Should Know About the Festival of Colors

Wish you all a very happy and safe Holi 2019! When is Holi? Holi, which is also referred to as the ‘Festival...

Written by Deepanshu Gahlaut · 2 min read >
Happy Holi – Things You Should Know About the Festival of Colors

Wish you all a very happy and safe Holi 2019!

When is Holi?

Holi, which is also referred to as the ‘Festival of Colors’ is almost upon us. Commencing this March 20th till 21st, people from all around the world will unite over the two days holiday to welcome the season of Spring and to celebrate Holi.

One of the most colourful and joyful of Hindu festivals, Holi is celebrated every year to say ‘Bye-Bye’ to winters and ‘Hello’ to Spring by playing with colours. On this day people play, chase and colour each other with dry or coloured water.

Holi is an Indian festival of great significance, exuberance, and great enthusiasm. This is beloved and celebrated all over the world, however, the best place to enjoy this is India itself.

History of Holi – Why it is celebrated?

There are two popular reasons why Holi is celebrated:

Reason #1. Indians celebrate Holi to say goodbye to winter and to welcome the season of Spring, which brings growth and happiness.

Reason #2. Holi word originates from “Holika”, who was the sister of Hiranyakashipu – the Demon King. The story goes as follows: Lord Brahma approved Hiranyakashipu a boon that made him virtually invincible and indestructible stating that he cannot be killed inside the home or outside; not during day or night; not on earth or in the sky; neither by Shastra nor by Astra neither by a man nor an animal.

So, Hiranyakashipu declared himself to be the “God”

Hiranyakashipu’s son Prahlada disagreed with this and rebelled against him. This enraged Hiranyakashipu and he ordered Prahlada to be killed. He tried to kill the little child many times –but failed.

Finally, he ordered Prahlada to sit on a pyre with his evil sister Holika. Holika was approved a boon by Brahma that prevented her from getting burnt by fire. As ordered, Prahlada sat on Holika’s lap and started praying to Lord Vishnu.

prahlad-holika

Lord Vishnu saved the little child while the fire burned Holika. The death of Holika represents the end of proud and evil. So, the day after Holika bonfire is celebrated as Holi.

Top 10 Things about Holi – Facts and Figures

Here, I collected some facts, figures, and fun about this festival of colours. And, I’m sure that after reading these you would surely want to experience Holi and colours at least once in your lifetime. 🙂

Holi is a spring festival which is also known as the festival of love and festival of colours.

It is celebrated on the Phalguna Purnima (Full Moon).

Holi is primarily celebrated in India, Nepal, and other parts of the world where Indian or Hindus live.

➳ Holi is popularly known as ‘Phagwah’ in Assam, ‘Fagu’ in Nepal, and ‘Dol Jatra’ in West Bengal.

➳ The Holi celebrations start with Holika Bonfire – the night before Holi. On this day people gather, sing, dance, and bonfire – burn rubbish as a part of the celebration. On the next day, people play with colours. This day is popularly known as “Dulahndi

➳ Holi is celebrated differently across different states in India. The popular one is “Lathmar Holi”, followed in Uttar Pradesh. According to this Lord Krishna used to visit Barsana in Mathura with his friends to put colour on Gopis and Radha (Lover of Lord Krishna). In response, Radha and the other Gopis chased them and beat them up with sticks.

➳ Holi is the only single day of the year when parents encourage their children to get filthy.

➳ On this day people hug and wish each other “Holi Hai”.

➳ Holi is one of the Indian festivals when people can celebrate together unbound by gender, caste or ethnicity.

➳ Marijuana-infused goodies such as “Bhang Thandai” and “Bhang Lassi” are the unofficial drink of Holi. 🙂

I wish you and your family a very happy and colourful Holi 2019. Play it safe and spread the love on this day!

Written by Deepanshu Gahlaut
Deepanshu Gahlaut is a seasoned marketing professional with over a decade of experience, specializing in SEO and digital growth strategies. Currently leading a dynamic team at Ace Cloud Hosting, Deepanshu has a rich history of scaling brands across sectors like accounting, technology, and ed-tech. A HubSpot-certified growth hacker, he has contributed to popular marketing publications and blogs in both English and Hindi. Beyond marketing, Deepanshu Gahlaut is a passionate poet, songwriter, and avid cricket fan. Profile

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