Festival of Colours: Holi

“On the day of Holi, hearts blossom, colours blend into one another, and forgetting grudges, friends and foes embrace each other.“

Mumma, why don’t we play with anything else on Holi? Why do we play with colours? Everyone applies Holi gulal to each other and brings colours, but is there a reason why we celebrate this festival of colours? Today, my child kept coming back to ask me this while I was in the kitchen preparing Holi delicacies and making malpua.

For a little while, I stepped out of the kitchen and told my child the story I had heard in my childhood about why we celebrate Holi.

The Story of Holi

The demon king was Hiranyakashyap. Prahlad, his son, was an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. But Hiranyakashyap viewed Lord Vishnu as an adversary. He attempted to stop Prahlad after learning of his devotion to Vishnu, but when Prahlad resisted, Hiranyakashyap tortured him. By the grace of Lord Vishnu, Prahlad was saved each time he threw him from a mountain and attempted to have him crushed beneath an elephant’s feet.

Holika, the sister of Hiranyakashyap, was endowed with a boon that prevented her from burning in a fire. Holika attempted to kill Prahlad by sitting him in her lap and going into a flaming fire at Hiranyakashyap’s order. But thanks to Lord Vishnu, Holika was burned and Prahlad was once again unharmed. Following that day, the celebration of Holika Dahan, which represents the victory of good over evil, and this festival started being celebrated.

After listening to the story, he took a malpua and, while eating it, went off to play with his sister.

Holi is truly a festival of colours, with happiness hidden in every shade. In India, this festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm everywhere. On this day, many delicacies are prepared, and everything is made at home. In some places, gujiyas are made; in others, sweets or nimkis. Puri and jackfruit curry are a must on the menu.

I follow a very strict diet, but since it’s Holi today, it’s okay to indulge a little, ha…ha…ha…

On this day, we prepare dishes like malpua, dahi vada, custard, and puris at home, and I’m making them all today. After playing with colours, everyone in our house takes a bath and cleans off the colours. In the evening, all family members dress in new clothes, offer malpua as prasad to God, and the younger ones sprinkle gulal on the feet of the elders to seek their blessings. Then, we visit the neighbourhood to apply gulal to one another and exchange Holi greetings.

Dear readers,

In India, Holi is celebrated in different ways in different regions, with varied delicacies prepared for the occasion. For me, no matter how or what you make to celebrate, the most important thing is to stay happy and spread joy. That’s what this festival is about—combining different colours to become one. Holi is a beautiful reminder for humanity, teaching us the power of unity through diversity.

Happy Holi to all!

Thank you for reading!

~Preeti😊