Holi is a festival which has always been associated with colours, family gatherings, lots of sumptuous food and lots of fun games and activities. A playful festival that holi is, it starts a day before the colour smearing day when holika is doused into the fire. The effigies of Holika who is the sister of Hiranyakashyap, the demon king is set ablaze which symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
The day holi is celebrated, no special ritual is performed on that particular day, rituals take place a day ahead. ‘Holika Dahan’ is that part of the holi celebration which symbolises the victory of good against the malecious.
Who is ‘Holika’?
Legend has it, Hiranyakashyap was a demon king who won over the entire earth. He forced everyone in his kingdom to worship him but his own son Prahlad refused to worship him and instead laid his faith on Lord Vishnu. In utmost rage, he decided to kill his son but everytime failed in his attempt. Hiranyakashyap had a sister named Holika who was blessed with a boon which made her immune to fire. Prahlad’s father turned to his sister to kill his son. Holika sat into the pyre and asked Prahlad to sit on her lap. But the whole plot for killing Prahlad backfired and she was burned to death since her boon said she would be untouched by fire only if she was alone. Hence Holika paid price of her cruel intensions and young Prahlad who chanted the name of Lord Vishnu was saved.
What is holika dahan?
Holika Dahan is mainly the puja which takes place the previous day where woods are gathered atleast 40 days in advance of the main ritual. A log of wood is placed in a prominent place on the Vasant Panchami followed by people’s extended gathering of twigs, branches and other materials to be burnt. On the day the ‘Holika Dahan’ is supposed to take place, an effigy of Holika and Prahlad is made and is set ablaze. People chant Rakshoghna Mantras from the Rig Veda to cast away evil spirits. The ash which is left are collected by the people and smeared in the limbs, which is an act of purification.
The festival of Holi and rituals surrounding it varies from state to state for example in Vrindavan and Mathura, Holi is celebrated with great pomp and joy in every temple housing the idols of Radha and Krishna. In Bengal Holi is celebrated as Dol yatra where idols of Krishna and Radha are placed on the swing. Orrisa too indulges in the festival in the same way except it places Jagannath in the swing. Holi may have a diffrent names, a diffrent style of being celebrated but at the end its the essence of the colurs which remains the main highlight of the festival.
