A prominent colorful festival of India, Holi is grandly celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm in all across the country. The beating of nagada’s (drum), bright colors in the air, people with smiling faces, the sweetness of love, the arrival of the Holi festival brings excitement and happiness among people. It usually falls on the last full moon day of Falgun according to the Hindu calendar, i.e. in the month of March. The over brimming joy of togetherness and positivity makes the ambiance lit up with festivity mood.
Dates of celebration: 9th & 10th March 2020
History of the festival
According to Hindu Legends, the festival relates the most with the folklore of demon King Hiranyakashyap who was worshiped by the people in his kingdom but his son, Prahlad was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. This act of Prahlad disappoints Hiranyakashyap the most and he asked his sister Holika to enter in a blazing fire along with Prahlad in her lap. Since Prahlad was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, the fire cause no harm to Prahlad while Holika was burnt to ashes. Since then, people light a bonfire called Holika on the eve of Holi and celebrate the victory of good over evil.
Places of celebration –
Jaipur, Rajasthan: The Pink City of India, Jaipur celebrates this fiesta in an absolutely different way. On the occasion, Holi is a two-day celebration, where the first day being Holika Dahan and the second day is Dhulandi. On the eve of the first day, people worship the bonfire as a symbol of prosperity. On the day of Dhulandi, people play apply bright colors to their friends and family for fun and take blessings of elder ones.
Mathura Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh: A little extravagant and loads of fun, some of the most prominent regions of Uttar Pradesh like Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate the festival in a special way. As per the Hindu mythologies, Holi is a divine celebration connected with the love between Lord Krishna and Radha. In Barsana, people celebrate the festival with a unique ritual of Lath-maar Holi where women hit men with sticks for fun.
Places to visit in India will make all the arrangements of celebrating Holi with locals for our esteemed guests in the most renowned places like Jaipur, Pushkar, Udaipur, etc. The grounds of celebration will be hand-picked where only a limited crowd is permissible. All of the best arrangements for food, festive snacks, music, and playful ambiance will be arranged under the leadership of an expert. Also, some special Holi Packages can be designed where you can enjoy this colorful festival with a local family and get all the joys of festivity in India.