Holi is all about having fun, playing with color and getting doped, all with the permission of the Gods!

The sternest of Gods would forgive you any number of indiscretions on Holi. After all, it commemorates the day when Kamadeva (the Lord of Love) dared to strike Lord Shiva's (Lord Shiva forms a part of the holy trinity which include Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu) heart with one of his arrows. It is the universal day of goodwill and the refrain of "don't mind, it's Holi" fills the skies along with colors that the festival is associated with.

Holi, more than any other festival, spells pure fun. You can take a pichkaari (a water gun) and drench the pretty neighbour that you have been eyeing for many months, and she's not going to take offence.

You can hide on the rooftop and throw balloons of colored water on passers-by. At the very least no one will mind if you put a tika (a long bindi on the forehead) of colored powder (gulal or abir). You can even visit the neighbours and polish off the sweets that are made for the occasion.

The festival typically begins on a solemn note on the previous evening with a bonfire, and carries on to the next day till about mid-afternoon, when people return to their houses awash in colors. After that, you can expect retribution for any unwanted pranks.


The Legends
Kama got his dues when The formidable Shiva, angered at being disturbed while meditating, opened his famous third eye and reduced him to ashes. But he was brought to life again when his wife, Goddess Rati, implored Shiva for mercy.

That is only one of the legends that surrounds this colorful festival. Another one revolves around Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu. His father, who did not approve of his worship, tried to kill him by various means. When all else failed he told his sister, Holika (who was supposed to be immune to fire) to take Prahlad in her lap and sit in the fire. The fire reduced Holika to ashes, while Prahlad remained unharmed. Thus the ritual of lighting a bonfire on the eve of Holi.

Many legends revolve around Lord Krishna, the eternal prankster and the Casanova from amongst the Indian pantheon of Gods. When Putna, the she-demon, was sent by the cruel king Kamsa and Krishna's uncle to kill the child Krishna under the guise of feeding him, he sucked her to death instead, and her death is celebrated as Holi. Those who attribute the origin of festivals to seasonal cycles maintain that Putna represents winter, and her death the cessation and end of winter.

Legends also associate this festival with the later years of Krishna's amorous life. Depicted in miniature paintings as a festival popular amongst Krishna and his gopis (milkmaids), Holi has been instrumental in providing color in many lives.

An amazing number of paintings, sculptures and other art forms, especially of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries celebrate Krishna and the gopis (milkmaids) passion for each other. The Rangamala miniature paintings found in Rajasthan depicting Krishna with the gopis, and especially with Radha (his favorite), constitute one such rich collection.

In Books
Holi is an ancient festival and ancient scriptures like Dashakumar Charit and Garud Puran mention Holi. Ratnavali, a drama written by Harshdev in 7th century, contains descriptions of Holi. It was celebrated as Vasantotsav (the festival of spring) or Madanotsav (the festival of love) in the play Mrichhakatikam written by the sanskrit playwright, Shudrak.

Rich with possibilities of romance, intrigue and sensuality, the festival was used in the main plot by numerous ancient Indian playwrights like Bhavbhooti and Kalidasa. Celebrated in Maharashtra as dhooli vandan (greetings with dust), the festival is, in many ways, a celebration of three elements: water, earth and fire. Celebrated over two days, where the first day involves a bonfire and the second playing with water, color and dust (colored powder), it is truly a spring festival.

Celebrated in Maharashtra as dhooli vandan (greetings with dust), the festival is, in many ways, a celebration of three elements: water, earth and fire. Celebrated over two days, where the first day involves a bonfire and the second playing with water, color and dust (colored powder), it is truly a spring festival.

The Right Time For Colors
It's that time of the year when winter has just passed and there are tiny green leaves on trees. There are shades of red and yellow everywhere and the just-bloomed Gulmohurs (red flowers), silk cottons and mango trees add more color. In many parts of India tesu flowers (red in color) are soaked overnight so that the water turns red. This water is used instead of color.

The month is that of Phagun (spring), and there is a whole school of semi-classical genre of music that revolves around the festival. The tithi (date) is Dwadashi, the twelfth day of the waxing moon of the month of Phalgun.

The Rituals
You wear the oldest clothes you can lay your hands on. Unless you are a part of the Hindi filmdom - then you wear the crispest of whites. The Holi celebrations at late Raj Kapoor house, the showman of Hindi cinema, are still famous.

Gods too indulge mortals completely, as this festival does not require the worship of any of the vast Indian pantheon. One of the rituals includes gallivanting around the neighborhood with a group of friends and visiting people's houses to have sweets made for the occasion.

Then there are rituals that have been made up over the years: like throwing everyone who comes to play Holi to your house into the big tub of water and color kept just for that purpose in the yard; like being doped on Bhaang mixed in thandaai (a drink made of pepper, milk, saffron, khus-khus and almonds) and like being beaten up by sticks…but we will come to that later.

The Regional Touch
Each State has its own rituals like any other Indian festival. In Bengal, they place the child-god Krishna in a cradle in front of the bonfire and worship him. On the day of the festival, known as Dol Jatra or Dol Purnima, the idol of Mahaprabhu Chaitanya (a saint of Bengal) is taken round the main streets of the city.

In the south of India, where legends about Kamadeva are prevalent, Holi is known by three different names - Kamavilas, Kaman Pandigai and Kama-dahanam.

In North India and Uttar Pradesh, effigies of Holika are burnt in huge bonfires, a tradition even followed in Gujarat and Orissa. Gram and stalks from the harvest are also offered to Agni (the Fire God) with all humility. In Dulandi Holi played in Haryana, the sister-in-law beats her brother-in-law with her sari rolled up into a rope.

In Maharashtra, Holi is also known by the name of "Shimga" and Rangpanchami. The fisherfolk celebrate it on a large scale with some hilarious singing, dancing and merry-making thrown in.

Holi: The Lordly Way
But the most famous Holi has to be that of Barsana, (a small town in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh) the house of adolescent Krishna's love, Radha. Romance is not quite what comes to mind when you see men from Nandgaon (Krishna's home) being beaten up with sticks from Radha's village, after they have been provoked by the colorful language.

Celebrations start a week earlier than the rest of India. Men of Nandagaon raid Barsana with hopes of raising their flag over Shri Radhikaji's temple. They receive a thunderous welcome as the village women greet them with long wooden sticks. The men are soundly beaten as they attempt to rush through the town and reach the relative safety of Shri Radhikaji's temple. Men are well padded with foam, since they are not allowed to retaliate. In this mock battle, the men try their best not to be captured. Unlucky captives can be forcefully lead away, thrashed and dressed in female attire before being made to dance!

Poets like Surdas, Nand-das, Kumbhan-das and others have recounted tales of Krishna being captured and forced to wear a sari, make-up and then dance before being released by the gopis of Vraj.

The next day, men of Barsana reciprocate by invading Nandagaon. Clouds of pink and white powder mark the frenzy of activity taking place in its narrow streets. The women of Nadagaon beat the invaders from Barsana. There are even vantage points for tourists who choose to look on. A large open ground, on the outskirts of the town, is specially set aside for the most magnificent display of the festivities.

The next day, the temples in Vrindavan (close to Mathura) celebrate the festival. The temple of Bakai-Bihari, the beloved lord of the 15th century saint Haridas, is at the center of the festivities. Clouds of pink and white descend upon the pilgrims, as the Lord of Vrindavan plays Holi with all his visitors.

The festival moves on to other parts of Vraj. Gulal-Kund in Vraj is a beautiful little lake, set in delightful groves near the mountain Goverdhan, in the Mathura district. Here, the festival is commemorated on a more regular basis. Pilgrims, who visit the Holy Land of Vraj, can see the re-enactments of Holi throughout the year. Local boys, acting in the Krishna-Lila drama troupes, re-enact the scenes of Holi for the pilgrims.

The next day onwards it's business as usual in both God's houses and men's. And spring can be a hard taskmaster. One returns to the business of living with fun to last a year.

- Shalini Seth

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