Holi

नेपालीमा

होली पर्व अथवा फागु पूर्णिमा खासगरी नेपाली तथा भारतीयहरूले प्रत्येक वर्षको फाल्गुण शुक्ल पूर्णिमा दिनमा मनाइने हिन्दूहरूको प्रमुख चाड हो । हिन्दू संस्कृति अनुसार यसको इतिहास त्रेता युग सँग जोडिएको छ । त्रेता यूगमा भगवान विष्णुका परम भक्त प्रह्लादसंग यस चाडलाई जोडेर हेरिन्छ, हिरण्यकश्यपुका पुत्र प्रह्लादलाई आफ्नै बहिनी (प्रल्हादकी फुपु ) होलिकाले आगोमा भष्म पार्न लाग्दा होलिका आँफै आगोमा भष्म भएकी थिइन र बिष्णु भक्त प्रल्हादलाई केही नभएको त्यही दिनको सम्झनामा होली पर्व मनाउन सुरू भएको मानिन्छ । यो चाडले वसन्त ऋतुको आगमनको शङ्खघोष गर्दछ । होली रङ्गहरूको चाड हो । होलीको दिन मानिसहरूले एक अर्कामाथि विभिन्न प्रकारका रङ्गहरू हालेर एक अर्कालाई रङ्गिन बनाउँछन् । होली पर्व मनाउनुको पौराणिक कारण र इतिहास छ । होली खेल्ने दिन भन्दा एक दिन पहिला राती होलीका दहन गरिन्छ । राती होलीका दहन गरिसके पछि बिहान पानीमा रङ्ग घोलेर एक अर्कामाथि फाल्ने चलन छ । सानासाना बालबालिकादेखि वृद्धवृद्धासम्म सबैले होलीमा रमाइलो गर्छन् । युवा-युवतीहरू गीत गाउँदै-नाच्दै होली खेल्छन् । भनिन्छ कि होलीको दिन पुरानो कटुता समाप्त गरेर, दुस्मनी बिर्सेर मान्छे एक-अर्कासित एक अदित्तिय सम्बन्ध स्थापित गर्दछन् । यस पर्वलाई फाल्गुण पूर्णिमाको दिनमा मनाउने भएकाले यसलाई फगुआ पनि भनिन्छ । होली पर्व घरपरिवार-साथीभाइ आपसमा रङमा रङ्गिएर उल्लासपूर्वक मनाउने फागुन पुर्णिमाको अवसरमा पहाडदेखि तराई र गाउँदेखि सहरसम्मका केटाकेटी, युवायुवती तथा प्रौढहरूका हूल तथा जत्थाहरू हातमा रङ र रङ्गीन घोल पदार्थ लिएर गाउँदै, बजाउँदै, रमाइलो र होहल्ला गर्दै आपसी रिसईबीलाई बिर्सेर उत्साह र उमङ्गका साथ मनाइने रङ्गीन पर्वको रूपमा लिइन्छ । फागुन शुक्ल…

History

The Holi festival is an ancient Hindu festival with its own cultural rituals, which emerged before the Gupta period. The festival of colours finds mentioned in numerous scriptures, such as in works like Jaimini's Purva Mimamsa Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras, with even more detailed descriptions in ancient texts like the Narada Purana and Bhavishya Purana. The festival of "holikotsav" was also mentioned in the 7th-century work, Ratnavali, by King Harsha. It is mentioned in the Puranas, Dasakumara Charita by Daṇḍin, and by the poet Kālidāsa during the 4th-century reign of Chandragupta II. The celebration of Holi is also mentioned in the 7th-century Sanskrit drama Ratnavali. The festival of Holi caught the fascination of European traders and British colonial staff by the 17th century. Various old editions of the Oxford English Dictionary mention it, but with varying, phonetically derived spellings: Houly (1687), Hooly (1698), Huli (1789), Hohlee (1809), Hoolee (1825), and Holi in editions published after 1910.

Celebration of Holi in other Indian religions

Sikhs have traditionally celebrated the festival, at least through the 19th century, with its historic texts referring to it as Hola. Guru Gobind Singh – the last human guru of the Sikhs – modified Holi with a three-day Hola Mohalla extension festival of martial arts. The extension started the day after the Holi festival in Anandpur Sahib, where Sikh soldiers would train in mock battles, compete in horsemanship, athletics, archery and military exercises. Holi was observed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his Sikh Empire that extended across what are now northern parts of India and Pakistan. According to a report by Tribune India, Sikh court records state that 300 mounds of colours were used in 1837 by Ranjit Singh and his officials in Lahore. Ranjit Singh would celebrate Holi with others in the Bilawal gardens, where decorative tents were set up. In 1837, Sir Henry Fane who was the commander-in-chief of the British Indian army joined the Holi celebrations organised by Ranjit Singh. A mural in the Lahore Fort was sponsored by Ranjit Singh and it showed the Hindu god Krishna playing Holi with gopis. After the death of Ranjit Singh, his Sikh sons and others continued to play Holi every year with colours and lavish festivities. The colonial British officials joined these celebrations. The festival has also traditionally been observed by Jains and Newars (Nepal).

Celebration of Holi in India during the Mughal rule

In Mughal India, Holi was at times suppressed, and at others celebrated with such exuberance that Hindu citizens of all castes could throw colour on the Muslim Mughal Emperor. According to Sharma (2017), "there are several paintings of Mughal emperors celebrating Holi". Grand celebrations of Holi were held at the Lal Qila, where the festival was also known as Eid-e-gulaabi or Aab-e-Pashi. Mehfils were held throughout the walled city of Delhi with aristocrats and traders alike participating. This changed during the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb. He banned the public celebration of Holi using a Farman issue in November 1665. The celebration was later restarted again after the death of Emperor Aurangzeb. Bahadur Shah Zafar himself wrote a song for the festival, while poets such as Amir Khusrau, Ibrahim Raskhan, Nazeer Akbarabadi and Mehjoor Lakhnavi relished it in their writings.

Main day

The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali Holi (Dhuleti) where people smear and drench each other with colours. Water guns and water-filled balloons are often used to play and colour each other, with anyone and any place being considered fair game to colour. Groups often carry drums and other musical instruments going from place to place, singing and dancing. Throughout the day, people visit family, and friends and foes come together to chat, enjoy food and drinks, and partake in Holi delicacies. Holi is also a festival of forgiveness and new starts, which ritually aims to generate harmony in society. Many cities in Uttar Pradesh also organise Kavi sammelan in the evening. Groups sing and dance, some playing drums and dholak. After each stop of fun and play with colours, people offer gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other traditional delicacies. Cold drinks, including drinks made with marijuana, are also part of the Holi festivity.

Traditional sources of colours

The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral fever and cold. The playful throwing of natural coloured powders, called gulal has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of palash, neem, kumkum, haldi, bilva, and other medicinal herbs suggested by Āyurvedic doctors. Many colours are obtained by mixing primary colours. Artisans produce and sell many of the colours from natural sources in dry powder form, in weeks and months preceding Holi. Some of the traditional natural plant-based sources of colours are:

Related festivals

• Ananta Chaturdashi
• Ashtimki
• Atwari
• Bhai Dooj
• Bhairava Ashtami
• Bisket Jatra
• Buddha's Birthday
• Chaurchan