Holiday Holi

India gave the world, perhaps, the brightest holiday in the world, whose name is Holi. The holiday is celebrated on the full moon day, which falls on February-March, and according to the Indian calendar for the month of Phalnun or Pornmashi. The dates are not fixed and often change. The Indian holiday of Holi is dedicated to the coming of spring, filled with sunlight and blooming nature. In the spring festival there are elements of primitive orgies dedicated to deities and fertility forces, as well as similarities to the holidays of different countries.

History of Holi

The emergence of the holiday was preceded by several legends, which for hundreds of years passed from generation to generation.

1. The legend of Holik. The name was the name of Holika, the sister of the fictional King Hiranyakasipu, who had authority over all the people who worshiped him. However, the charms did not work for his little son Prohlad, since he was an adherent of the supreme God Vishnu. Hiranyakasipu ordered his sister to kill her son. Endowed with talent to pass through the fire, Holika took the boy and went into the fire with him. Prokhlad began to pray to Vishnu and escaped from the fire, but Holika perished, because she lost her strength due to the fact that she entered the fire not alone. In memory of this, the effigy of Holiki is burned and general festivities are arranged.
2. The legend of Kamadev. There is a tradition that one day the Indian Lord Shiva was enraged by the God of Kamadev's love for trying to get him out of meditation. Angry Shiva incinerated it with his third eye, after which Kama became incorporeal. However, the women asked the all-powerful Shiva to return the Body of Love to the God, and Shiva did this, but only for three months. When Kamadeva gets a body, everything starts to bloom, and people are happy with the most gay holiday of love. In the days of Holi, many people bring Kame a sacrifice - mango flowers and various fruits.
3. The story of Radha and Krishna. This story is also the occasion for the Holi holiday. Young Krishna fell in love with the girl earthly girl Radha. However, there was one fundamental difference between them: Krishna was very different from mortal people and the girl was afraid of him. Then his mother Yasoda suggested coloring his face in colored powder, after which he would become interesting to the girl. So it happened, and the tradition of being blotted with colored powder went to people.

How to celebrate the holiday colors Holi?

Preparation begins a few weeks before the Indian holiday. Youth ransack local neighborhoods, hunting for combustible materials for a fire . People seek deception to get materials, or even steal them - it is considered a special valor. With the onset of the evening, fires are kindled and the scarecrow of the evil Holly is organized. It is believed that fire helps to drive away the cold and evil spirits that remained after the winter. Mass festivities warm up the performances of local celebrities.

On the day of the holiday, Hindus dance special dances, which symbolize Krishna's advances with a young girl. Young men entice girls, attracting something to their attention, and doused with tinted water. The girls take offense, and the boys ask for forgiveness with a characteristic gesture - they take up the lobes of their ears. As a token of forgiveness, they pour young men with water or are coated with a colored powder . Traditionally for the powder used tinted medicinal powders of herbs (bilva, him, chalde, kukum and others). The more paint on the body and clothing of a person, the more luck it will bring.

The holiday of spring Holi continues on a visit to each other and drinking a special national drink of bhanga. The basis of the drink is dairy products and juice or cannabis leaves. There are many varieties of bhanga: based on yogurt, milk, spices, almonds and other additives.