Significance of Holi: Legendary tales around Festival of Colours

3 legendary tales on why we celebrate the festival

There are 12 months in the Indian calendar. Each month is holy in its own way, starting with Shukla Padyami (the day after new-moon day) and ending with full-noon day. In fact there are two ways to calculate the lunar month---one is ending with Poornima and the other is ending with Amaavasya. In the first calculation the first day starts after the full moon and in the second calculation after the new moon (or no moon).

However, in the hoary past, the months ended with full moon day. As per that calculation, the year ends with Phalguna Shukla Poornima, which is known as Holi Poornima (Holi Punnami) and then the New Year starts. This is what we call Ugadi which comes 15 days after Holi Punnami.

“Holi Poornima has three different mythological references,” said Late Swamy Paramarthananda at Sri Ramakrishna Mutt, Hyderabad, speaking on ‘Hindu religion and culture.’

After Sati Devi sacrificed her life by jumping into the fire in Daksha Yagnam, Lord Shiva sat in meditation. He had earlier granted a boon to demon king Tarakaasura that no one except His (Lord Shiva’s) own son could kill him. Sati Devi was reborn as Parvathi. Fed up with Tarakaasura’s evil deeds, the Devas wanted to get Lord Shiva married to Parvathi to beget a child who alone could kill Tarakaasura. Parvathi Devi, who nursed a secret desire to marry Lord Shiva, was appointed to serve the meditating Shiva. At the same time the Devas requested Manmatha to induce Shiva to be amorously disposed towards Parvathi. But Manmatha was reduced to ashes by the fire of indignation of Lord Shiva. Commemorating that event, people perform ‘Kama Dahana’ on the eve of the Holi festival.

There is another story-- Prahlada was the son of Demon King and Vishnu-hater Hiranyakasipu. But he became an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu with his mind and intellect absorbed in Him. His father tried in vain to persuade Prahlada to banish the thought of Vishnu. Ultimately he asked his sister Holika to kill Prahlada. Holika had been granted a boon----the power to sit in raging fire without getting burnt. She wanted to kill Prahlada by burning him. Her Modus Operandi was to take the child into her lap and sit in the fire, and then come away leaving the child in the fire. But due to Vishnu Maaya it was Holika who was burnt to death and Prahlada emerged unscathed. This incident took place on the Full Moon day. On this day, every year, people celebrate the destruction of the evil force.

In north India, from Maagha Shukla Panchami people start collecting all sorts of old, discarded articles, particularly wooden ones, make a bonfire of them on the eve of Maagha Poornima and burn Holika in effigy.

The third story goes like--There was once a demon called Dundhi. She started killing systematically the kings of Raghuvamsa. However, she could not bear the cries and shouts of children which to her were like a killer drug. Coming to know of her weakness, children in large numbers started shouting at the top of their voices caused a lot of cacophony and drove her away. Commemorating that event, too, people of all ages, particularly children, daubed with and doused in colours and coloured water, have great fun on this full moon day.

Holi, the festival of colours, is just around the corner. While the festival is a celebration of colours, it comes with its downsides – dry hair and skin. Here’s a sneak peek into the lives of a few actresses, their memories of the festival, and a few tips on how to protect your hair and skin.

Deepika Padukone

Holi has been one of my favorite festivals since childhood. I used to play Holi after coming back from school with my friends in the building.

It’s important to take care of your hair and skin, given that there is so much exposure to colours and chemicals. I usually massage my hair with coconut oil. It not only protects my hair from the harsh colours and chemicals but also provides nourishment. Try and cover your hair with a scarf or bandana so the chances of colour entering your scalp are minimal. For my skin, I moisturise well and use an SPF before I set out to play Holi. This helps me in removing the colour from my skin more easily and protection from the sun.

I am shooting for ‘Tamasha’ and ‘Bajirao’ so we may play Holi on the sets. This year will be a working Holi for me. I love having chaat on Holi. My favourite Holi songs are “Balam Pichkari” and “Lahu Muh Lag Gaya”.

Vidya Balan

My fondest memory is that of my father filling balloons with water early in the morning. We'd go on to the terrace and throw balloons on each other. Once we were done, the adult Holi would begin, which meant rang and mild bhang, and dancing in the building compound. My watchman would also help us with buckets of water from the tanks. I love dancing to “Rang Barse” and “Shubha Mudgal Ab Ke Sawan” on the day. I’m hoping to play Holi with friends. Imarti from Sattu in Sindhi Society, Chembur, is my favourite Holi delicacy.

Kriti Sanon

I used to celebrate Holi every year with my sister Nupur and all our friends in our colony's central park. Once we found a broken bath tub on a terrace and filled it up with colour, water and mud, and then each person was thrown in. We ate pakodas and had thandai and danced on Holi songs. This year I will be celebrating Holi with my family. My mom makes the best gujiyas and I can’t wait to gorge on the delicacy. The universal Holi anthem “Rang Barse” is my favourite.

I ensure that I oil my hair with coconut oil. It takes care of my hair and protects it from the damage of the harsh colours. Additionally, I prefer tying up my hair while playing. Open hair tends to tangle and damage the hair even more. You can don a fashionable side braid or a side ponytail too. I also try and moisturise my skin with coconut oil before stepping out to play Holi. By doing so the colour doesn’t seep into my skin and it is easier to take off the colour.

- YV Ramakotaiah