In the week leading up to Holi, a bunch of bananas sits on the island
reaching a peak over-ripeness that is perfect for malpuas. Early in the morning
on Holi, the tantalizing aroma of the freshly fried “banana pancakes” wafts
through the house. Only about half the batch sugar-syrup drenched yumminess
makes it to the evening family visits. The first one or two are consumed in the
name of quality control — we can’t possibly serve imperfect sweets to the
aunties and uncles! No one fesses up to having sneaked the rest throughout the
day, but you know dad had at least one.
Maybe your family makes gujias instead? Or mathris? Whatever you make, Holi
is an opportunity to indulge in all sorts of sweet delicacies after a day of
playing with abeer (colored powder) and gulaal (colored water).
To the uninitiated, we introduce Holi as the festival of colors, a
celebration of the triumph of good over evil, a welcoming of the spring season.
A crazy fun time with friends and family. At its core, I think Holi is a
celebration of the perseverance of faith.
According to the Puranas, King Hiranyakashipu’s faith is rewarded with a
boon that makes him nearly invincible. But his faith is selfish, born of an ego
that makes him forget that no one is above God (Vishnu). His son, Prahlad, on
the other hand, has an unwavering faith in Vishnu. Spoiler alert, Prahlad’s
faith in Vishnu triumphs over Hiranyakashipu’s narcissism.
In other mythology stories, Kama (the Hindu Cupid), interrupts Shiva
during a meditative state and is immediately vanquished. Rati, Kama’s wife,
meditates for 40 days, demonstrating her faith. This convinces Shiva to revive
the God of love, and Kama’s return is celebrated as Holi, 40 days after Vasant
Panchami.
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| Holi 2016 - a tamer celebration than usual |
We smear color on each other because Krishna was afraid Radha and the
other Gopis wouldn’t like him because of his blue skin, but his mother had
faith the girls would see past his color and love him anyway.
As with everything in India, Holi is celebrated in a unique way in each
state. From a seven-day mela (fair) in Kanpur (outside of Braj), to the Dol
Jatra in West Bengal, where images or statues of Krishna and Radha are paraded
through the town on a decorated swing, to Lathmar Holi in Uttar Pradesh where
the ladies get to “beat up” the men with laathis (long sticks) in jest, and
Holla Mohalla, a display of martial arts prowess of Sikhs in Punjab, Holi
brings together entire communities in the spirit of forgiveness and uninhibited
happiness.
Whether you’re in India, the USA, or Guyana, nearly everyone starts the Holi
celebrations with a bonfire on Choti Holi, the night before the colorful
celebration. This is a nod to the story of Holika, King Hiranyakashipu’s
demoness sister who tried to destroy Prahlad in a pyre but ended up perishing herself.
If you’re celebrating a tame Holi, with polite smears of dry color on
each other’s faces, you can deck out in whatever you like. If you’re like me
and plan on taking a long shower afterwards, wondering how you still have color
in your hair days later, you might have a designated set of “Holi clothes” that
come out once year, faint patches of color a testament to past years of fun.
The day’s not over until you’ve washed away the colors, gorged on too
much food and mithai, and enjoyed a silly, relaxed time with family and friends.
The lighthearted day is our annual reminder that as long as we hold strong
throughout the year, there will always be something to celebrate.
