Holi - the festival of colors - is undoubtedly the most fun-filled and boisterous of Hindu festival. It's an occasion that brings in unadulterated joy and mirth, fun and play, music and dance, and, of course, lots of bright colors!
Happy Days Are Here Again!
With winter neatly tucked up in the attic, it's time to come out of our cocoons
and enjoy this spring festival. Every year it is celebrated on the day after
the full moon in early March and glorifies good harvest and fertility of the
land. It is also time for spring harvest. The new crop refills the stores in
every household and perhaps such abundance accounts for the riotous merriment
during Holi. This also explains the other names of this celebration - 'Vasant
Mahotsava' and 'Kama Mahotsava'.
"Don't Mind, It's Holi!"
During Holi, practices, which at other times could be offensive, are allowed.
Squirting colored water on passers-by, dunking friends in mud pool amidst teasing
and laughter, getting intoxicated on bhaang and reveling with companions is
perfectly acceptable. In fact, on the days of Holi, you can get away with almost
anything by saying, "Don't mind, it's Holi!" (Hindi = Bura na mano,
Holi hai.)
The Festive License!
Women, especially, enjoy the freedom of relaxed rules and sometimes join in
the merriment rather aggressively. There is also much vulgar behavior connected
with phallic themes. It is a time when pollution is not important, a time for
license and obscenity in place of the usual societal and caste restrictions.
In a way, Holi is a means for the people to ventilate their 'latent heat' and
experience strange physical relaxations.
