HOLI (revised)
Being one of the most spirited festivals in India, the celebrations of Holi takes place with a lot of joy and verve throughout the country. Rightly known as the 'festival of colours', the whole scenario on the day of Holi is mind-blowing. The festivity takes place for many days all over the country and people are seen tossing ‘gulaal’ (coloured powder) on each other and rejoicing as they go around meeting people in their unrecognizable conditions.
Colours magically connect with the emotions and moods of all human beings, and effectually make us jovial and happy. As the red mixes with the green, blue with pink, orange with purple and a hundred other colours blend with each other, it simultaneously teaches us the power of unity and oneness. Marking the beginning of the spring season, Holi is celebrated every year in the month of March.
The most awaited fiesta is celebrated with full enthusiasm not only in the Indian states. Countries all across the globe are seen drenched in vibrant and dynamic colours.
Like any other festival in India, Holi too has a very prominent and embossed part in history.
The Legend:
Back in the days when the gods and goddesses made regular forays into the mortal territories, the demon king Hiranyakashyap was trying to stop his son Prahlad from chanting Lord Vishnu’s name. Hiranyakashyap wanted all the people of his territory to chant his name and become his devotees, but he failed to make his son do the same. Exasperated by his defeat he devised an evil plan with his sister Holika who was granted the boon that she would be unscathed by fire. Holika entered a blazing fire with Prahlad, confident that Prahlad would die while she would come out unharmed. However, Holika failed to realize t...
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...phants too being a part of the whole procession. One place to avoid during this festival will surely be South India as it focusses mainly on traditional ways and uses lesser colours.
So be in India on 17th March this year and witness the happiness, jovial exuberance, unconditional human spirit, and an entire country drenched in fun-smashing colors, accompanied with scrumptious food and drinks. Experience the day as it begins with a colourful ambience and leaves with a multi coloured hue in the air!
Holi is a very carefree festival that’s great fun to participate in if you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. You'll end up saturated in water, with color all over your skin and clothes. Some of it doesn't wash out easily, so be sure to wear old clothes. It's also a good idea to rub hair oil or coconut oil into your skin before hand, to prevent the color from absorbing.
The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be! And Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday, but it should be. Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain on midnight, the 15th of September, 1810. And it took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.
Jewish Historical Origin/ Time of Year The Jewish religious tradition of Rosh Hashanah celebrates the birthday of the world and a time of divine judgment. It is then followed by another holiday, called Yom Kippur, ten days later. These two traditions are called the High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah encapsulates four major and interconnected themes, which are: The Jewish New Year, The Day of Shofar Blowing, The Day of Remembrance, and The Day of Judgment (Layton, 2014).
"Molly Ockett Days Festival Beginning to Truly Honor Native Namesake." Indian Country Today Media Network.com. Gale Courey Toensing, 3 Dec. 2013. Web. 08 May 2014.
I am going to tell you about a famous, yet kinda eerie celebration that takes place in mexico. This is a tradition celebrated by the Mexican Natives, most Mexican Americans (including myself) don’t even acknowledge this day, unless they happen to be visiting mexico at the time of this event.
...ind of festivals and holidays, of-course one does not have weekend off in India. But as similar to here India also has the day to celebrate LORD KRISHNA’s birthday similar to CHRISTMAS which is JESUS CHRIST’s birthday. Moreover there is a New Year day which the next day of ‘DIWALI” the festival of lights. Indians also have an independence day that falls on August, 15 similar to American Independence day that is on July, 4. Also both these though being among the largest democracies of the world had housed various cultures, given home to different types of people but still maintained unity in diversity.
It is a holiday with a complex history, and therefore its observance varies quite a bit by region and by degree of urbanization.
...as a very important day. Diwali; the word itself meaning “row of lights,” is another prominent Hindu holiday and occurs on what we know as New Year Eve—December 31st. It is a festival lights in which last for a five days. The lighting of candles signifies the welcoming of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Gambling is a norm on Diwali as it is seen as a way of assuring good luck for the upcoming year. The fourth day of Diwali is especially significant as it is the beginning of the lunar month of Karttika. On this particular day many celebrate religious customs to signify the New Year according to the Vikrama calendar (“Religion Facts,”n.p).
Perterson, L.K., & Cullen, Cheryl. 2000. “Hindu symbolism and colour meanings dominate Indian culture and society,” in Global Graphics: Gloucester, Massachusetts:Rockpoint Publishers, pp.175-176.
Out of the 365 days in a year, Diwali, known as the “festival of lights,” is by far the most important day to celebrate for every Indian. Like much of Indian and Hindu tradition, this holiday comes with a historical background framing its significance. The history of Diwali reflects the memory of Ram shooting an arrow through Raven’s stomach because Raven kidnapped Sita. In Hinduism, ladies are highly regarded because following that event, Ram doubted Sita for her purity and gave her the Agni pariksha (the fire test). Although the test proved her purity and bravery, Sita became upset and appealed to mother earth to conceal her within. Mother earth, understanding her sorrow, accepted her. This event from the time of the gods forecasted the biggest factor to tear apart marriage in Hindu culture by investigating the theme of doubt. The profound religious meaning behind this is opaque and is further formed by uniting family and friends together to celebrate the festival of lights. Another important holiday is Holi, the festival of color, which occurs around the season of harvest. Today, it is celebrated by spreading many colorful powders on everyone participating. The deeper significance behind Holi is between the power of truth, honesty, and good karma versus evil. Lord Krishna was born with a darker skin color and his love, Radha, was born with a fairer skin tone. Once Lord Krishna had a blue skin color
There are two holy days in the Hindu religion named Diwali and Holi. Diwali is a festival of lights, and is India’s biggest and most important festival of the year. It is mainly celebrated in the months of October and November. This festival is a great time for family to get together and be together. Holi is another festival that family gets together. Holi is a festival of colors. Holi is a holiday where they get together and dance, play, and bring joy onto their home. Depending on the region, some cover their body is many different colors to celebrate the day.
From the rich traditions of food, architecture, clothing, celebrations, popular film industry and reputation has built India and the Indian heritage a leading culture in society. India is the second largest country in the word with many diversified groups who follows different religions and speaks different languages. The Taj Mahal is one of the main significance advance Indians have made and the other various temples that they have also created. Temples are the places where Hindus go to worship their gods. As for cuisines, the Indian cuisines are found in many different kinds of food, in fact the Indians have also changed many styles of American cooking to compliment Indian style cuisines.The use of spices and herbs are typically used by Indians, which is generally how many Indians cook. The clothing that women wear are very traditional one main importance the sari which the women wears and the men Kurta which is a long shirt that crosses the knee and usually have designs. These are traditional clothes that are worn to signify the importance of the Indian culture in everyday life. Indian marriage or a Hindu ceremony is what I enjoy most about my Indian heritage. First the bride must have little kids rub dye on her skin which is done in white sari to demonstrate her purity. When this is done the next day is her marriage where she dresses in an all red sari which can only be worn in marriage. This is also a
...ot of respect to the dead. All the ceremonies of India make up the customs which make up the culture. (“Customs of India”)
Nowadays, the actual Parades are organized mainly of large colorful floats pulled by tractors or Mack trucks. These floats are usually two stories with large statues and decorations, telling the story of each floats theme. Parades also consist of Marching bands, ROTC/Color Guards, Radio Stations vehicles, and even policemen. The Krewe of the float are dressed in mask and costume for their float. The average Krewe member might spend around three to four hundred dollars on beads and such. While beads and pearls are the main...
Pandey, T. N., 2014. Lecture 1/9/14: Culture of India: Aryan and Indigenous Population. Cultures of India. U.C. Santa Cruz.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the important and widely spread holidays celebrated in India. It is a celebration of lights, and for many, it is truly a sensory experience; some families decorate their houses with all sorts of lights and open up to the neighbors, sharing their love and their food.