The vibrant festival of Holi is just around the corner and we can’t wait to celebrate the festival of colours. It is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Phalguna, which usually falls in February or March. This year it will be celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm across India on Monday, March 25.
This colorful festival is essentially an opportunity to spread joy, delight, and happiness and to welcome the arrival of spring. It is a celebration of joy, love, and human unity, as well as the triumph of good over evil, symbolized by the vibrant hues of colored powders and water.
How Holi Is Celebrated In Different Parts Of India?
1. Lathmar Holi In Uttar Pradesh
In northern India, especially in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi, Holi is a highly observed festival. People dance, sing and throw colored powder at each other as they gather around bonfires. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
2. Menduru Holi In Andhra Pradesh
In the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, the Festival Of Colours is celebrated as ‘Meduru Holi’. People take part in processions in which colored powder is thrown at each other, along with traditional music and dance. Another notable custom is the singing of devotional hymns to Lord Krishna.
3. Kumouni Holi In Uttrakhand
Kumaoni Festival Of Colours is celebrated in a number of places in the Uttarakhand region around Kumaon. This festival, which is more of a musical affair than a colour-themed celebration as in other states, heralds the start of the sowing season for the farming community. They light the Holika pyre, often called ‘cheer’, a blaze with a green paiya branch in the centre.
4.Rang Panchami
In the western Indian state of Maharashtra, Festival Of Colours is celebrated as ‘Rang Panchami’. On this day, people play with coloured powders, sing and dance to the rhythm of dhols, while indulging in traditional sweets and savoury foods. Several parts of the state also witness the special custom of people singing and playing musical instruments on the streets.
5. Udaipur Holi Festival Of Colours
As the name suggests, Udaipur throws a fantastic Festival Of Colours celebration. In the city that used to be under their control, the Mewar royal family continues to observe the traditional celebrations of the dynasty. On the eve of Festival Of Colours, the current administrator lights a bonfire and destroys the effigy of Holika.
India is a multicultural country and the many states have their own traditions for celebrating Holi. The following is a list of some of the ways in which different regions of the country celebrate the festival of colours.