HAPPY HOLI!

Holi is one of the most celebrated Hindu festivals, historically celebrated predominantly in India where it originated, but more recently spread to other regions of Asia and beyond. This festival, also known as the “festival of love”, “festival of colors”, and “festival of Spring”, signifies the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm in celebration of the arrival of Spring. On this day people unite together forgetting all resentments and bad feelings towards each other. Holi also celebrates the blossoming of love, and for many it's a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. A traditional Holi ritual starts with the lighting of a bonfire one day before the day of Holi, a process that symbolizes the triumph of good over bad. This first evening is known as Holika Dahan (burning of deman holika) or Chhoti Holi and the following day is known as Holi, Randwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, or Phagwah. On the day of Holi, celebrants play with friends and family and in the evening of Holi they show love and respect to their close ones. The vibrancy of color, and the belief that color brings positivity into life, are important to the Holi tradition, and the Holi festival includes showering friends and family with colored powders, known as abeer, or gulal. These powders also have a medical significance, as they have traditionally been made of neem, Kumkum, haldi, bilva, and other medicinal herbs suggested by Ayurvedic doctors to help with any fever or cold that may come with the changing of the weather and the season. For those celebrating Holi, we wish you all a very happy and wonderful day and may all of our lives always be filled with the colors of joy and happiness. HA PP Y H OL I! To get a glimpse of what it’s like to be at a Holi festival, check out the video below. Sources: [hinduamerican.org, time.com]