Holi is a spring festival also known as the festival of colours & love. It is celebrated with
enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun
which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar. Though it is related with religious concept, people celebrate this festival to forget all the pain & stress of life involve in colourful day. It is the day where all family members gather together and wish each other.
Preparations:
"Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration.
Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making
preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can
be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in
innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children who
wish to collect them as Holi memorabilia and of course, to drench everybody
in the town.
Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they
cook loads of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for
the relatives. At some places specially in the north women also make papads
and potato chips at this time." - source: http://www.holifestival.org
The Water Ballon, Colourful powders, Water Guns (pichekari), Bhang, musics are the few attractive ingredients of this fest.
Season of Bloom:
"Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is so
gay. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the
arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes
as Holi promises of bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the
arrival of Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops
promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom colouring the
surroundings and filling fragrance in the air." - source: http://www.holifestival.org
"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.
