Who is holi celebrated by

When Krishna was a baby, he acquired a distinctive blue skin colour after drinking the poisoned breast milk of the she-demon, Putana. Later, when he became young, he would often feel sad about whether the fair-coloured Radha or other girls in the village would ever like him because of his dark colour.

So when Krishna applied colour to Radha, they both became a couple, and since then, people have started playing with colours on Holi. Celebrating the colourful festival of Holi involves a number of rituals:.

Preparing the Holika pyre. A few days prior to the festival, people start collecting wood and other inflammable things for the bonfire. The combustible materials are then gathered in a pyre in colonies, community centres, parks or other open spaces. On top of the pyre, an effigy of Holika is placed to be burned as per the legend.

Holika Dahan. The first day of the festival is celebrated as Holika Dahan or Chhoti Holi. After sunset, people gather around the pyre, perform puja prayers and then light it. People even sing and dance around the pyre, as it symbolizes the triumph of good over bad. Playing with colours. This is the day when people apply colours to one another, party and enjoy. Children and youngsters play in groups with dry colours called abir or gulal, pichkaris water guns , water balloons filled with coloured solutions and other creative things.

You might even find groups of people with drums and other musical instruments on streets, dancing and singing their way from one place to another. The special feast. Gujiya is a special sweet, which is made in every household in India during Holi. It is a dumpling filled with khoya a dairy product and dried fruits. The customary drink of Holi is thandai , which generally contains bhang marijuana.

Other mouth-watering delicacies enjoyed are gol gappe , papri chaat , dal kachori , kanji vada , dahi bhalle , chole bhature , and variety of namkeen. The after-party. After playing with colours during the day, people clean themselves up, bathe, sober up and get dressed. They then go visit their relatives and friends and greet them for the festival.

Holi celebrations are carried out in different manners in different parts of the country. It is hard to tell how many people celebrate Holi festival. In the night before Holi, people gather together, perform religious rituals usually in front of a bonfire, and then pray for the destruction of their internal evil. The next morning, people start the real carnival, by smearing each other with colored powders and drenching each other in open streets, parks, and grounds outside temples and buildings.

And sometimes water guns and water-filled balloons are used for fun. There are groups of people sing and dance from place to place carrying drums and other instruments.

People will also visit their families and friends to color each other, and then share Holi delicacies. People playing Holi in a temple in India. Holi is an important festival observed across the whole India, a variety of activities are held during it.

Generally speaking, the festive air of Holi in North India, especially in the Golden Triangle Tourist Circuit Delhi, Jaipur, Agra is more vivid and jubilant than that in the southern part of India, which is quite solemn and more focused on religion and temple rituals.

The celebration is seen in every nook and cranny of these cities, so there will be no worries missing out the event. The Holi festival is widely celebrated across India with different customs and celebrations in each region. Then where is the best place for Holi India? Different strokes for different folks. It depends on what you want to experience. On the morning of Holi Festival, Delhi ushers in a grand carnival, a large number of people, young and old, men and women, go out to the streets, smear colored powders and water to each other, sing and dance, chant and enjoy Holi delicacies, and say "Holi hai It is Holi!

The best place to celebrate Holi in Delhi is the residential neighborhoods in South Delhi, where you can join the residents in a wonderful traditional celebration. Held in New Delhi, it is a carnival with non-toxic colors, street food, thandai a yogurt drink with spices , dance and music from folk to rock music to get everyone in the mood.

There are also many Holi parties with live performances, music, dance, colors and more held in many places in Delhi to celebrate the spirit of Holi. Tip: Avoid backpacker area in Delhi, e. The Jaipur Elephant Festival is usually celebrated annually on the eve of or the day of Holi, featuring elephant beauty contests, elephant polo and elephant dance.

It starts with a traditional procession of elephants lovingly painted and beautifully decorated with glittering ornaments and embroidered velvets.

However, it has been canceled since , due to protest from animal rights groups. Rajasthan Tourism organizes a special event for visitors on the lawns of Khasa Kothi Hotel on the morning of Holi as an alternative of the Elephant Festival. The event features local Rajasthani folk music and the colored powders, but no elephants.

You can take part in the event even you are not a guest of the hotel. In Agra, Holi is celebrated in more or less the same way as in its neighboring places like Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana.

In Barsana , thousands of people celebrate Lath Mar Holi in the Radha Rani temple, when women beat up men with sticks and men protect themselves with shields, while those on the sidelines feel extremely excited, sing Holi songs and shout "Sri Krishna".

In Vrindavan and Mathura the birthplace of Lord Krishna , the festival is celebrated with special puja and traditional celebrations to worship Lord Krishna, who is also called Makhan Chor literally means Butter Thief. The celebrations include Matki Phod breaking of the pot.

A pottery pot filled with buttermilk or other dairies is hung high with a rope in the street. Then group of boys and men form a pyramid by balancing on each other's backs or shoulders to reach and break the pot with the top person's head, while girls and women surround the human pyramid, sing songs and sprinkle colored water to them to distract them and make their job harder.

Udaipur is also a great place to embrace the true spirit of Holi and experience Holi in the most luxurious settings. On the eve of Holi, there will be a grand and elaborate procession of royal band, decorated horses, etc. Later, the sacred fire will be lit and a Holika statue will be burnt. It features folk dances, singing, drums, cocktails, and an elaborate dinner and fireworks, and attended by dignitaries, guests and foreign tourists. Join in the royal celebrations of the festival with Udaipur's Mewar royal family, and you will have a unique and memorable experience.

Holi Festival in Pushkar, a small holy town in Rajasthan, begins in the eve of Holi with a big bonfire. Local men gather around an unlit bonfire on a square, throw garlands and wooden branches onto the fire, and then light the bonfire. Soon the flames grow higher than two stories. After the flames die out, everyone brings pieces of burning embers to their home, which symbolizes bringing good luck to the home.

The color-throwing festivities start early in the morning of Holi. A dance party is held in the central square of Pushkar with everyone covered with beautiful colors. In addition to Holi, Pushkar celebrates the annual Camel Fair in which thousands of camels gather on this beautiful desert town. Everyone is invited to participate, regardless of your religion and cultural background: It's a celebration of love and inclusion.

The Holi festival takes place on the last full moon day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month. On the second day, the festival of colors is celebrated. In , Holi starts on Sunday, March 28 and ends on March On the day of Holi, families and friends gather in their backyards, terraces, neighborhoods, or driveways like us to play Holi with brightly colored powders to throw and smear on clothes and faces.

The celebration brings in mesmerizing hues of blues, yellows, magentas, greens, violets, and more. Clouds of colors dancing in the wind carry the message of love, harmony, and happiness. The dry powder colors we use for Holi are called gulal, and colors mixed with water are called rang. In our celebrations, we set up tables with bags of colors and water balloons, pools filled with colored water, and water blasters or pichkaris.

We party with upbeat Bollywood music, local brews or thandai, tasty mithais, and fun-filled chatter—all are essential elements of Holi. Since throwing color powder can be messy, Holi celebrations are hosted out of the home, in backyard or driveways or parks—not indoors. Kids especially enjoy playing with water balloons and jumping in colored-water kiddie pools. And I have more tips for celebrating Holi with kids. Water play is optional, but it is included in traditional Holi celebrations to help the color powder stay on longer.

The combination of water and color powder stains clothing, so dressing accordingly is important. Traditionally everyone wears white to Holi, so the colors stand out.