Holi is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. Although I was born and raised in the U.S., I have celebrated this festival with my family and friends year after year with great enthusiasm. Holi is centered on forgetting enmities to essentially celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and since it is celebrated in March (this year, March 29, 2021), it also marks the arrival of Spring.
The story behind Holi is that, in the Hindu religion, there was once an evil King named Hiranyakashyap, who had a sister named Holika and son named Prahlad. Hiranyakashyap was blessed by Lord Vishnu (the protector of the universe), which meant that no man, weapon, or animal could kill him, which made him extremely arrogant. He ordered his kingdom to worship him instead of God, and most people obeyed, with the exception of his son. Upon seeing his disobedience, Hiranyakashyap planned with his sister to kill his son. They both agreed, and followed through with the plan. However, at the end, his sister was the one who was killed, and his son came out safely. Thus, people started celebrating Holi as a victory of good over evil.
This celebration is called the “festival of colors'' because large groups of people gather in the streets to play with powder colors and apply them to each other, dance together, and distribute sweets. Water guns and water-balloons are also used to play and color each other Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the celebration of Holi has been cancelled almost everywhere, due to the whole festival being centered around people gathering to celebrate together. However, people can still celebrate with their families safely at home!
In short, Holi spreads love and brings harmony and happiness. This colorful festival unites people and removes all sorts of negativity from lif