IndexWhat is Holi? Holi?History of Holi:Holi Celebrations:Works Cited:What is Holi? Holi? Festival of joy? Festival of happiness? Festival of emotion? Festival of Colors? No, it is more than this especially when we talk about India and then about UP and Bihar. Let's welcome Holi, let's celebrate Holi, let's spread the color of happiness, joy, let's share our happy moments, our sad moments and many more things to share. Above all, meeting and greeting our friends and relatives at dawn is too special, coloring them with beer and gulal, eating sweets brightens up our day. From morning to evening we enjoy Holi. We have colored ourselves with different colors that indicate the happiness, joy, pain, sadness of our life. It's the celebration of love. The date of Holi is different every year in India! In most of India, Holi is celebrated annually at the end of winter, the day after the full moon in March. On the eve of Holi, large bonfires are lit to celebrate the occasion and to burn away evil spirits. This is known as Holika Dahan. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Let me tell you how it all started, the real story of Holi, why do people start enjoying it as a festival? History of Holi: Hiranyakashipu was a king of ancient India who was like a demon. He wanted to take revenge for the death of his younger brother who was killed by Lord Vishnu. So, to gain power, the king prayed for years. In the end he was given an advantage. But with this Hiranyakashipu began to consider himself as God and asked his people to worship him as God. The cruel king has a young son named Prahalad, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Prahalad had never obeyed his father's order and continued to worship Lord Vishnu. The king was so hard hearted and decided to kill his son, because he refused to worship him. He asked his sister 'Holika', who was immune to fire, to sit on a fire pyre with Prahalad in her lap. Their plan was to burn Prahalad. But their plan did not succeed as Prahalad who recited the name of Lord Vishnu was safe but Holika was reduced to ashes. The defeat of Holika means the burning of all that is evil. Subsequently, Lord Vishnu killed Hiranyakashipu. But it is actually Holika's death that is associated with Holi. For this reason, in some states of India such as Bihar, a pyre in the form of a bonfire is lit the day before Holi to remember the death of evil. But how did colors become part of Holi? This dates back to the time of Lord Krishna (reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Krishna celebrated Holi with colors and thus popularized the same. He played Holi with his friends in Vrindavan and Gokul. They played pranks all over the village and so they made this a community event. That's why to this day Holi celebrations in Vrindavan are unmatched to see their shops fill up of new crops celebrate Holi as a part of their happiness. Holi is also known as "Vasant Mahotsava" and "Kama Mahotsava" Holi celebrations: Day 1 - The day of full moon (Holi Purnima). water are arranged in small brass vessels on a thali. The celebration begins with the eldest male member sprinkling color on his family members. Day 2 - This is also known as 'Puno'. burned and people even light bonfires to remember the story of Holika and Prahalad. Mothers with their children make five clockwise turns around the bonfire to seek the blessing of the God of Fire. Here, 95(1), 179–187.