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Holi
- Activities
The festival of colors, Holi, is enthusiastically celebrated in all parts of India every year at the end of March or the beginning of April. But whereas the overall pattern of celebrations is the same everywhere, there are a little variations from region to region. And also, the flavor of Holi celebrations has witnessed changes over time. It has become more wild and frenzied now than it was way back in centuries. People seem to have found newer and more innovatively fun ways of celebrating Holi these days.
On a broader note, this community carnival of colors-Holi-brings people closer booting out all unpleasantries and ill-feelings. Young or old, friends or strangers, Holi gives the license to celebrate to all and sundry because it's an occasion to revel in goodwill, cheer and colors ! Just the evening before the actual Holi day, people make huge bonfires and start celebrating Holi. The idea of burning is closely associated with the festival of Holi because it means the destruction of all vice from the face of the earth at the advent of a glorious spring.
People dance around the fires and sing traditional Holi songs and the ashes from the fire are taken home as 'prasad' (consecrated material) because it's believed to have medicinal values. People smear the holy ashes on their bodies and plunge headlong into the Holi celebrations next day with colored water (gulal) and colored powder (abeer). Also, the embers from the Holi bonfires are taken back home by the revelers to make their own domestic fires. In some regions, it's also observed that people roast barley seeds in the fire and predict the next year's harvest after analyzing the direction of flames or just by looking at the roasted barley seeds. Interesting, isn't it ?
Well, what's even more interesting is the next day, 'Dhuledi', which is the actual day of Holi, when the smearing and squirting of colors is taken up on the Holi agenda by the kids and adults alike. This day witnesses a riot of colors, in the truest sense of the term. The young men and women are, of course, a wee bit more thrilled about Holi than the olders. Because, Holi is the festival of youth and the festival to go wild and get charged up ! From the morning of the Holi day, the youngers take to the streets with the 'pichkaris' (long syringes or sprinkler filled with color) in their hands, water balloons thriftily tucked to themselves and shouting and screaming "Holi hai" (It's Holi) in frenzied excitement. The tendency to color anyone you see rules the hearts and it doesn't hurt to let others turn you red, green or blue…does it ?
Along with the throwing of jets of color and water balloons on whoever comes by on Holi, people also go round the streets beating drums (called 'dholaks'), singing and dancing merrily. It's also a common practice to indulge in drinking the 'bhang' on this colorful day of Holi ! The 'bhang' is an intoxicating substance mixed to the 'thandai' (a rich milk-based cool drink) and is a major drink of the Holi festival. It's this 'bhang' which makes the younger generation look forward to this one day of the year-that's Holi.
Holi is not only celebrated within the boundaries of India. It even spills over to other countries across the globe. In North America, for instance, people celebrate Holi with as much spirit and enthusiasm as in the Indian territory. The NRIs of the US hold cultural programs including songs, folk dances, skits of Indian flavor and many more entertaining stuffs to celebrate Holi.
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