Happy Holi

Holi, the Hindu celebration that marks the coming of Spring, starts tomorrow on March 6th.

It’s a festival of color and includes singing, dancing, bonfires, and most importantly, color!  Participants throw lots of powdered paint and colored water.

Like most Hindu holidays, Holi has its roots in Hindu mythology. BBC Religion notes that Holi celebrates Lord Krisna who was mischievous “and threw coloured water over the gopis (milkmaids). This developed into the practical jokes and games of Holi.”

And lighting of bonfires during Holi has its origins in the story of Prince Prahlad. He worshiped Lord Vishnu instead of his father, the king. So the king’s sister , Holika, “tricked her nephew Prahlad into sitting on her lap in a bonfire in order to destroy him.” He survived and she burned. BBC notes she that she’s sometimes burned in effigy today during Holi.

Here’s a great slideshow of images from this year’s Holi from USA Today. And The Atlantic Magazine has a terrific gallery of images from last year’s Holi celebration and absolutely worth showing students.

And here’s an excellent short clip about the holiday from last year from PressTv.