Holi is one of the most popular festivals of India that signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is observed every year on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun i.e. between February and March. Usually it’s celebrated for two days with great joy and enthusiasm.
The essentials of the festival include Abeer i.e. powdered color and Bhaang, which is mixed in Thandai to enjoy the sweet flavor of the drink. Nowadays, loud music, pool parties, and drinks have become common in celebrations.
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Stories behind the Holi Festival
Much like most of the Indian festivals, Holi also has a cultural significance. Basically, the reason behind celebrating Holi comes from the mythological stories of Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna.
King Hiranyakashipu killed by Lord Narsimha
As per mythology, King Hiranyakashipu, the ruler of demons, wanted to avenge the death of his brother. So, in order to gain power, he prayed to Lord Vishnu for years and then finally the lord gave blessed him a unique boon.
He could not be killed by a human or an animal, indoor or outdoor, neither with a projectile or a handheld weapon, neither on land, water or air, neither during day nor at night. With this power, he thought that he had become undefeatable, however, his own son named Prahlad was a true devotee of Lord Vishnu. When Prahlad denied worshipping his father, the demon asked his sister Holika (who was immune to fire) to help him kill Prahlad.
Holika covered herself with a fire resistant cloak and sat on a pyre with Prahlad on his lap. However, with Lord Vishnu’s blessings, the cloak flew to Prahlad, killing Holika in the fire.
In order to kill the arrogant Hiranyakashipu, Lord Vishnu appeared in the Narsimha avatar of half-human and half-lion. He took the king to the doorstep, placed his body on his thighs, and killed him with his claws at dawn.
Lord Krishna and his blue skin
Another popular mythological story relates to Lord Krishna and his blue skin color. As per the stories, it’s said that when Krishna was a kid, he was fed poisoned breast milk by demon Putana to kill him. Although that didn’t harm Krishna, his body turned blue because of the poison.
While he was growing up, he used to think that his skin color would make him look different among girls and they wouldn’t like him. To this, his mother asked him to meet Radha and rub any color of his choice on her face. Since then people started celebrating Holi by smearing each other with colors.
