Festival of Colours: Know the History Behind Celebrating Holi

The colorful streets, filled with laughter, the air thick with the beats of joyous celebrations, is what Holi truly is. It’s a celebration that means colors, turns out to be. ‘Holi’ was never just a festival or a celebration. In fact, ‘Holi’ is the union of history, mythology, and tradition through the ages. Scroll down to know the history of the festival. 

 

The Legend of Prahlad

 

Long before the vibrant colours became prominent in the streets of India, the festival of Holi was based on stories and legends that had been handed down from generation to generation. One of the most famous stories is that of Prahlad and Holika, the story of faith that triumphs over evil. Long story short, King Hiranyakashipu, allured by power, decided to wipe out his son, Prahlad, for his devotion towards the Lord Vishnu. He sought the help of his sister, Holika, who was endowed with a cloak that made her immune to fire. However, as it would be foreordained, Holika was devoured by the flames while Prahlad remained safe and unharmed. The moment of triumph thus became the very foundation of Holi, signifying the burning away of the negativity and a new hope to rise again.

 

Krishna and Radha’s Tale 

 

Holi is not only a festival that narrates mythological victories but is celebrated as the festivals of love and pranks. Folk tales say young Krishna with the night-sky complexion, was wondering whether the fair-skinned Radha could take him as a spouse. In playfulness, he had colored her body with many hues, thus starting a custom of coloring loved ones, cutting a Gordian knot between appearance and caste that was blown wide open in vibrant colours bringing people from distant parts of the society close together.

 

In History and Culture

 

Holi has passed through several eras and transformations and has also stepped out of the realm of myth and divine. History has always found the Mughal emperors celebrating the festival with great gusto, the courts themselves were painted in colors of joy. Medieval Indian poets, from Kalidasa to Amir Khusrau, celebrated the wildness of Holi in their verses and included its magic into literature, making the festival a cultural bridge linking people from different religions and areas.

 

The Festival of Colours 

The loveliness of Holi lies in its changing nature, which allows it to be assimilated with the flow of time without letting its core get compromised. In a world where, as of now, divisions dominate the aspect of unity, the festivity of Holi comes in as a refreshing change in color discrimination. It is the festivity that brings differences to its end with an overflow of mirthful laughter, when all else is drowned out in that one single laughter; this is the one brief moment when the world itself is but a canvas that gets painted in joy.

 

The Spirit of Holi

 

Faces of festival colors are always remembered and become etched in our hearts as the night sets in. Holi is not an event, it is an emotion and an ongoing culture which reminds one to celebrate, forgive, and embrace the beauty of life with a few blemishes in between. Therefore, stepping into the chaos of colours for this Holi, one must know that you are part of the story that has already been written in the canvas of history, love, and absolute joy.