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Gulal, Gujias, Splash of Water……….Hurrrrrrrry its Holi time again!
Holi Festival 2013 is celebrated on 27th March 2013. As per Hindu calendar the festival is held on Phalgun Purnima (full moon day) which usually falls in the month of February or March. Holi signifies the win of virtue over evil and brings people together. The festival celebrates the spirit of togetherness. Basically Holi is all about colors, music, dance and Bhang.

How People Celebrate
Evening before Holi a bonfire is organized for the ritual of Holika Dahan. This part of the ritual is associated with a legend. According to the mythology demon King Hiranyakashyap attempted to kill his own son Prahlad because he wanted everyone to worship him but his religious son was an adherent devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hence, he asked his sister Holika to sit on fire with his son as she had a boon of being resistant to fire. When she entered into fire along with Prahlad she burnt to ashes for taking another person along to the fire but Prahlad remained unaffected. Since then the festival is celebrated as victory of good over evil.
Around bonfire people sing and dance. Dolis beat the Dols and people sing and dance and finally the ritual is concluded by applying Gulal and offering sweets to each other.

In the next morning on Holi day locals do pooja ceremony at home and start doing preparation. Elder members of the household start making delicious cuisines some other members especially the little ones get engaged in shopping for colors, pichkaris, filling buckets and balloons with colored water. Though now-a-days populace prefer to purchase colors from shop but still many prepare them at home:
Natural colors:
•    Henna powder + Flour for green shade
•    Haldi + Basen for Yellow Shade
•    Red Sandal Wood Powder or Dry red hibiscus flowers for Red Shade
•    Jacaranda flowers for blue Shade
•    Beet root for meganta shade
•    Kattha  for Brown color
•    Boil dried fruits of Amla or black grapes for Black shade
There are many more ways to prepare colors. Use their juice or paste to apply. They are healthy and good for skin unlike the synthetic colors which have harmful chemical substances….

On this day people play with vibrant colors, Abeer and Gulal are main out of them . People through the colors, apply gently on others faces or mix them with water to splash them on others.
Recipes for Holi
Recipe preparation for Holi festivals begins a 5-6 days before.  Saankhein, Puran Poli, GUJIA, Papri, Dahi Bhalle, Malpua, Sweet Kachoris, Saffron Syrup are some of the famous recipes of Holi festival.

Enjoy Holi
The colorful festival of India is celebrated across the nation irrespective of caste, color and creed. To witness its true spirit make your presence felt on this land on 27th March 2007.   Some of the best places in India to enjoy Holi are Vrindavan-Mathura, Varanasi, Pushkar and Brij Bhoomi.
“Play Responsibly, Don’t Use Synthetic Colors”
HAPPY HOLI TO ALL
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