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| Holi Festival in Nepal |
Holi (होली Holī) is a Hindu spring festival
in India and Nepal,
also known as the "festival of colours" or the "festival of
love". The festival
signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, end of winter,
and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive,
and repair broken relationships, and is also celebrated as a thanksgiving for a
good harvest. It lasts for two
days starting on the Purnima (Full
Moon day) falling in the Bikram Sambat Hindu Calendar month of Falgun, which falls somewhere between the end
of February and the middle of March in the Gregorian calendar.
The first day is known as Holika
Dahan (हॊलिका दहन) or Chhoti Holi and the second as Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi or Dhulivandan.
Holi is an ancient Hindu religious festival which has become
popular with non-Hindus in many parts of South Asia, as well as people of other
communities outside Asia. It is
celebrated at the approach of the spring equinox,] on the Phalguna Purnima (Full
Moon). The festival date, which is determined by the Hindu calendar, varies from year to year on
the Gregorian calendar,
typically coming in March, sometimes in February. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal,
and their diaspora in other regions of the world. In recent years the festival
has spread to parts of Europe and North America as a spring celebration of
love, frolic, and colours.
Holi celebrations start on the night before Holi with a Holika bonfire where people gather, do religious
rituals in front of the bonfire, and pray that their internal evil should be
destroyed as the bonfire starts. The next morning is celebrated as Rangwali
Holi - a free-for-all carnival of colours where
participants play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured
water, with some carrying water guns and coloured water-filled balloons for
their water fight. Anyone and everyone is fair game,
friend or stranger, rich or poor, man or woman, children and elders. The frolic
and fight with colours occurs in the open streets, open parks, outside temples
and buildings. Groups carry drums and other musical instruments, go from place
to place, sing and dance. People visit family, friends and foes to throw
coloured powders on each other, laugh and gossip, then share Holi delicacies,
food and drinks. Some customary
drinks such as those that include bhang (marijuana) are intoxicating. In the evening, after sobering up,
people dress up and visit friends and family.
