Holi is a colourful festival that unites all the members and promotes social harmony among individuals. Let us read the Essay on Holi that gives the history behind it to celebrate.
Essay on Holi for Students and Children
Essay on Holi
Introduction of Holi
Holi is the festival that gives us a message of the victory of good over evil. It is one of the most important and rejoicing festivals of the Hindu religion.
It is one of the biggest festivals in our country which comes every year during the month of Phalgun or March. Holi is a well-known festival celebrated especially in India and Nepal.
This festival which is known as a colourful festival is celebrated every year with great zeal and enthusiasm by followers of the Hindu religion.
This Colourful festival is also known as the festival of love because people forget their old enmity and indulge in this festival to celebrate brotherhood.
All people young and old, men and women, boys and girls who celebrate this festival look forward to this day with great joy and play with colours and have delectable dishes.
Why Holi is celebrated?
There is an interesting story behind the festival of Holi. The Hindu religion believes that there was a devil king named Hiranyakashyap long ago. Devil Hiranyakashyap was against lord Vishnu. The Devil king had the blessings of Lord Brahma.
He received the boon from Lord Brahma that no man, god, goddess, animal, bird or weapon could kill him. Moreover, he received the boon from Lord Brahma that no one could kill him on earth, sky, water, palatal, either inside the home or outside.
That Devil Hiranyakashyap took benefit of this blessing and started torturing to Rishi-Muni and the person who worshipped the God. He started killing everyone who worshipped God.
Hiranyakashyap had a son named Prahlad and a sister called Holika. Holika had also a boon from Lord Brahma that she would never be able to get hurt in a pyre of fire.
Prahlad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Prahlad was not in favour of his father and denied to worship his father instead of God. Prahlad was always absorbed in worshipping Lord Vishnu.
He refused to worship his father. Prahlad tried many times to make him understand his father was afraid of lord Vishnu and to worship God.
That evil king was very stubborn and refused to worship Vishnu. Instead of worshipping him, he wanted to take revenge for his brother’s death. Devil king Hiranyakashyap wanted to kill his son Prahlad for announcing the name lord Vishnu.
The devil King, Hiranyakashyap tried various methods so that his son would worship the king himself instead of his Lord. Hiranyakashyap was determined to kill his son.
That devil king poured Prahlad into the boiling water, throw him into the mountain ditch and many other methods to kill him. But each time God saved Prahlad.
Seeing all his plans fail, he finally ordered his sister Holika to kill Prahlad. As Holika had a boon of Lord Brahma. So, she sat in the pyre of fire with Prahlad in her lap.
But, Prahlad did not get afraid of it and continued announcing the name of his lord. His God Vishnu protected him from fire and he came out from a pyre of fire.
But, his aunt Holika was burnt and died in the fire. While she was burning, Lord Brahma told Holika that the boon is for her protection neither to kill another.
Also, the evil king Hiranyakashyap was killed by Narasimha whose body was half male and half lion. Narasimha was the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
These all events are messages to us that goodness always dominates over evil. In honour of this event before one day of Holi, this festival is celebrated as ‘Holika Dahan’ also called ‘Chhoti Holi’
How Holi is celebrated in India?
People celebrate Holi with the greatest warmth and enthusiasm, especially in North India. One day before Holi, people conduct a ritual called ‘Holika Dahan’. On the festival night, a huge fire is made. Heaps of wood, dung, thorns and other things are collected and burnt. Great preparations are made for this fire.
It reminds the story of Holika and the devil king Hiranyakashyap. This ritual symbolizes the burning of evil powers. During Holika Dahan, people gather around it to seek the blessings of God. People start to enjoy colour several days before the festival of Holi.
Especially, children start buying colours and balloons. Women start buying food items for preparing delicious dishes. Children are very excited about Holi.
In the morning after the Holika Dahan, people get up early in the morning and offer Pooja to god. On Holiday many kinds of sweets and other fine things are made by women in their homes. The most important food item is ‘Gujiya’ which is made in each family. Sweets are also bought from the market.
People dress up in white clothes and play with Colours. People become wild with joy. They make watercolours and go to the houses of their friends and relatives. Colours with water are rubbed on each other’s faces and immersed in water.
Everyone looks coloured and funny on this day. Children run around splashing watercolours using water cannons or ‘pitchers’ by spraying colours with their friends.
After playing sufficiently with colour they go to bathe and take food with family and their friends. They visit their close friends and relatives in the evening and wish each other Abeer. They eat sweets and delicious items.
They dance and sing beautiful Holi songs on the way. They are given special sweets and betels. Some give a special drink called the ‘bhang sharbat’. People of all ages relish hold’s special delicacy ‘Gujiya’ ardently.
Precautions while playing Holi
Holi is undoubtedly the most colourful festival. We should enjoy it in a decent way. But, some people throw mud, dirty water, eggs, paints and grease on one another. These are very bad activities which should be discouraged as it leads to disharmony among people.
We should use natural and organic colours instead of synthetic ones. Synthetic colours tend to harm their eyes and skin. There is great joy in this festival if we celebrate Holi in a civilized way.
Conclusion of essay on Holi
Holi is one of the topmost colourful festivals. It brings harmony and happiness to the country because people forget their old enmity and start with new days. It unites all the members and promotes social harmony among the individuals. Let us celebrate Holi to make it a colourful day and behave like civilized people.
I hope guys you love to read this essay on Holi.
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