HOLI-2

HAVE A NICE DAY!
                                 

 LORD RADHA KRISHNA   

    sri.s.v.varadarajan

                               HOLI FESTIVAL-2

    There is an interesting puranic story for this festival.We have heard about Hiranyakasibu, the demon who hated Lord Vishnu. He ordered that no body should offer prayers to that Lord.But his son,Prahalada was an ardent devotee of Lord Hari. Therefore Hiranya Kasibu got angry and ordered him to desist from doing this and began troubling him in various ways. He even tried to kill his son and was not successful.The demon had a sister named "Holika" and she had some extraordinary powers (super human); one such power was that fire would not burn or do any harm to her body.Therfore,taking advantage of this facility,Hiranya kasibu asked her to jump into fire taking with her Prahaladha. The idea was to  kill the boy.She also obeyed and entered the bed of burning fire along with Prahaladha.Immediatly , a strange and unexpected thing happened. Holika was burnt to ashes in the fire and Prahaladha came out wholly unscathed by the grace of Lord Vishnu. To celerbrate this miraculous event, it is said 'Holi' is being celrbrated. During Holi , the preveious night people pile up wooden sticks and wood pieces in the open ground and light fire. When flames come up,people sing and dance around the fire place merriliy and chit-chat.


   'Holi' is also associated with Lord Krishna and Radha and their pranks.In the city of Brindavan ,Holi is therefore celebrated in a slightly different manner .The festival is meant to bring back the memories of the divine love between Krishna and Radha.Based on this concept ,ladies merrily dance accompanied by pleasing songsand beating tune with painted sticks (kolattam)


To be continued


    





























   

HOLI -1

HAVE A NICE DAY!

 HAPPY HOLI 

     sri.s.v.varadarajan

                               HOLI FESTIVAL
                           saturday,19-03-2011


     We can get an idea of a country's culture and arts from the festivals observe by the people of that country.As we have already observed elsewhere, festivals are designed to develop friendship, affection,closeness and also cooperative spirit among people. Thia affords an opportunity for the people to come out of their routine  life and mingle with others in their neighbourhood irrespective of their status or other differences.


     Holi is a festival of this kind and is very popular event in the northern parts of India. It is celebrated by almost all the people just like 'Pongal' festival in south India. For the farmers  in North India, this is a harvest festival for the Rabi crops of wheat. This is the beginning of of a new year for them coming up in February-March each year. People forget their differences and enmity and try to become friends during this festival.People celebrate this by smearing the faces of each other with color powder and coloured water. Males,females,young and old, all enjoy this gaiety and humor. They sing and dance and make fun in groups. They go round the streets and greet their friends in their houses who also join the group. The visitors are offered sweets by the house mates and they all exchange greetings with great abndon and friendly feelings.People shout with joy "Holi hai".


To be continued