Rangotsav Holi (Holi – The festival of colours)

Rangotsav Holi (Holi – The festival of colours) 

Holi is an ancient Sanātan festival also known as the "Festival of Love", the "Festival of Colours", and the "Festival of Spring". Besides India, Holi is celebrated all across the world wherever Sanātanis are living. However, for the last many years, this colourful festival has broken the bounds of culture and religion, thereby becoming popular among the foreigners from all religions and sects representing a feeling of global ones and goodwill. In India, due to cultural diversity Holi is celebrated in distinct ways in every Indian state and thus have different names such as Holi, Rangwāli Holi, Dol Purnimā, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, Ukuli, Manjal Kuli, Yaosang, Shigmo or Phagwāh, Jajiri, Dol Jatrā etc.

The festival celebrates the victory of Lord Vishnu as Narasimha Narayana over demon Hiranyakashipu thereby signifying the victory of good over evil. The festival also celebrates the eternal and divine love of Radha and Krishna. The return of the god of love (Kāmdev), after he has been burnt to ashes by Lord Shiv's anger; is celebrated on the 40th day after Vasant Panchami festival as Holi. The Kāmdev legend and its significance to Holi has many variant forms, particularly in South India.

The festival of Holi is divided into two parts – Holikā Dahan and Rangwali Holi. Holi celebration starts with Holikā Dahan which takes place in the evening of Purnima (full moon day) of Sanātan calendar month Phālgun (normally coincides with the month of March). Preparation of Holikā Dahan starts a few days before the event which includes collecting wood, dried shrubs, and grass, cow-dungs which are used to make a pyre. On top of the pyre is an effigy to signify Holikā who tricked Prahalad into the fire. This pyre is made in open spaces – normally at chaurāhās (crossroads), fields or temple premises. At an auspicious moment, fire is lit to this pyre. Peoples surrounding this bonfire celebrates by dancing, singing local songs and wishing each other. As the flames subside, the peoples take out long iron scoops to pick up the dying embers and take to their home where they circulate it throughout the house to purify it with its smoke and heat. Some peoples also carry the shrub of green gram which is partially burnt and brought back at their home to spread the smoke which is considered holy.

The second part of Holi festival begins the next day with peoples playing colours with each other. The dry colour which is available in Red, Cyan, Green, Yellow colours is called ‘Gulāl’. The wet colours are available in the form of crystals which are dissolved in water to form the water colour. The water colour filled in buckets are being are being sucked and filled into water-gun (pichkāri) are then sprayed on each other thus making the ambience colourful. In older times, these colours used to be made from various kind of flowers, herbs, vegetables, natural minerals etc.; For example, saffron colour is derived from Tesu flowers (Hindi name: Palāsh, Botanical name: Butia monosperma) similarly yellow colour is derived from turmeric (Hindi name: Haldi, Botanical name: Curcuma longa). The celebration continues from morning to afternoon. After each stop of fun and play with colours, people offer Gujiyā, Mathri, Malpuās and other traditional delicacies. Cold drinks, including drinks made with marijuana (Bhāng), are also part of the Holi festivity. At afternoon everyone cleans up and after taking rest, at evening peoples formally meet each other at their home and express their wishes and goodwill for each other.

Ancient Origin (Historical Study)

(By Dr. Lalit Mishra, Founder -- Indology Foundation)

Holi is expression of joy and pleasure that is integral to human existence. The earliest reference to celebration of "Holi" comes from Taittiriyā Aryanakā (TA) where we find a vivid description of the manner it was celebrated. 

Taittiriyā Aryanakā describes that the festival is celebrated in Vasant ritu (Spring season) in the company of Vasus, people wear beautiful cloths and apply cosmetics and colours to enjoy for its the arrival of new Samvatsar as its directed by the Savitā, the goddess of aspirations.

सारागवस्त्रैः जरदक्षः  बसंतो वसुभिस्सह

संवत्सरस्य सवितुः प्रैष्कृत्प्रथमः स्मृतः (Taittiriyā Aryanakā, 1.2.5)

Linguistically, the term Holi is a deformation of the term Hola which is acknowledged first in Grihyasutrās, for instance, the Laugākshi Grihyasutrā where Hola is said to be celebrated by the woman following the Indrāni, the consort of Indra.

राका होलाके (Laugākshi Grihyasutrā, Part II 73.1)

Obviously, "Hola" marks the first exuberating stop of after completion of the year, in later day texts Hola is identified with soft grains of new crops before the stage of harvesting.

Summing the Grihyasutrās and Aryanakā citations, it can be said that the festival of Holi must have been in practice in early 2nd millennium or late 3rd millennium B.C.

Hola is a festival of people, A passage of Aitreya Brahman related to Rigveda, reminds of Udichyās who remember their place of origin as "Hola", currently, they stay in Pātan region of present Gujarāt, in abundance. 

Therefore, based on the word-affinity, Holi can be taken as a festival which might have started in Pātan area of Gujrat, but no other evidence is found.

It is said in Satpath Brahman (6.2.2.18) that, the first night of Samvatsar is the full moon of Falgun month, which means Vedic Samvatsar starts with Holi and Holi is a festival to celebrate the new year. 

!! एषा ह संवत्सरस्य प्रथमरात्र्यर्फाल्गुनपूर्णमासी !!

Satpath Brahman (6.2.2.18)

‘Holi is tied to season of Vasant (Spring), can't be moved to Winter or Summer.’ – as stated in Tandya Mahabrahman, Gopath Brahman and Taitiriya Brahman.

Archaeological records of Holikotsav's ancient Mauryan period (250-300 BC) has been found in Ramgarh caves, located in the middle of the small hills of Kaimur under Vindhya plateau, which comes in Ambikāpur district of Chhattisgarh. 

The festival is, of course, also mentioned in religious texts like the Vishnu Purana and Mimāmsa Sutra, dating back from the 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE.

In his poem and his play, Kumārasambhava and Malvikāgnimitram, dated to the 4th and 5th centuries CE, he mentions the celebration of the festival of Holi.

In historical evidence, the Holi has been described in Ratnāvali of King Harsh (about 600 A.D) and in Das Kumar Charit of Dandin (about 800 A.D) and further by the foreign travellers who came to India in Islamic and British periods. 

It is in the medieval period, starting with the 15th CE, that Holi makes it to art and sculpture. Interestingly, the first reference to someone playing Holi comes from South India, in the Vijayanagar city of Hampi. Here, you can find a sculpture panel depicting revellers celebrating with music, dance and what looks like a primitive version of the pichkāri or water gun.

At a 16th century structure, Mahanavami Dibba (Hampi), there is a relief exhibiting the play of Holi. Niccolo de Conti, an Italian traveller contemporary to King Krishna Dev Rai writes:

“. . . there are also three other festival days, during which they sprinkle all passers-by, even the king and queen themselves with saffron water, placed for that purpose by the wayside. This is received with much laughter.”

The festival of colour - Holi, changed its way as India entered the foreign rule of under the Mughals and British. Several accounts of the celebration during this period could be found in the manuscript records of the medieval and modern period. 

However, after the independence, Govt of India haven't adopted its new year from the day of Holi but it selected Shak Samvatsar (which was started by invading Shak’s in 78 CE). Majority of Sanātan organizations celebrate new Hindu year based on Shak calendar which needs correction.

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