06/03/2023
HOLI 8 March 2023
Holi, also known as the festival of colours, is one of the most important festivals celebrated in India. Holi is a celebration of the divine love between Lord Krishna and Radha and the victory of good over evil. It is also marked as a harvest festival, commemorating spring's arrival and the end of winter.
Legend associated with Holi elaborates the story of king Hiranyakashipu, his son Prahalad - a devotee of Lord Vishnu, and his demoness aunt, Holika. Indian mythology says that Hiranyakashipu was blessed with a boon - he could not be killed by a man or animal. Therefore, he forced people to worship him. However, when his son became a devotee of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship him, Hiranyakashipu asked his sister Holika to kill him by sitting on a pyre while wearing a flame-shielding cloth. However, Prahlad prayed to Lord Vishnu to protect him - summoning a gust of wind that transferred the cloth from Holika to him. Thus, a day before Holi, Holika Dahan is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.