Holi
Splashed with Colors
of Friendship
Holi is wild and raucous, a frolic of friendly
playfulness. During
Holi,
India’s streets are overtaken by crowds awash with colored
powder.
Not only clothes, but faces, arms and hair are smeared
and
sprayed with every color of the rainbow. People sing, dance, play,
hug
each other and smile with such child-like joy that it makes one
wonder
where so much happiness comes from! No religious festival in
the
world compares to Holi in terms of engaging young and old alike. It
is
a celebration of love, forgiveness, hope and just plain fun.
What is Holi?
Holi
is a community’s exuberant expression
of
joy to welcome the warmth of spring. In a
refl
ection of nature’s abundance,
Hindus
celebrate with bursts of
color,
camaraderie and shared
abandon.
It begins on Purnima,
full
moon day, in the Hindu
month
of Phalguni (February/
March)
and lasts for as long as 16
days.
How does the
festival start?
Many
communities create a central
bonfi
re on the night before
Holi,
starting with kindling and
logs
and adding organic debris
as
they clean up their property.
The
fi re symbolizes the torching
of
negative or troublesome
experiences
and memories.
An
effi gy of Holika, a demoness
personifying
negativity, is
consigned
to the fl ames, and
freshly
harvested barley and
oats
are offered. The embers
are
collected to light sacred fi res, and the ashes are used to
mark
the forehead as a blessing.
When does the
color fun begin?
On
the day of Holi, people celebrate by playing,
dancing
and running in the streets. Water
pistols
are fi lled with colored water and
squirted
on family, friends and strangers alike.
Dye
powders and water balloons are a big part
of
the play. The wise wear old clothes, usually
white,
in anticipation of the mess! Virtually
anything
goes, including ribald humor, practical
jokes
and sexual teasing—all excused with
the
saying, “Don’t mind, it’s Holi!” (Hindi: Bura
na
mano, Holi hai.) Men are at the
playful
mercy
of women, who dance with them and
even
dress them in drag. Especially in North
India,
people celebrate with abandon, even
splashing
color on their homes as a prelude to
the
more sober custom of renewing the paint
with
shell-based white. Deities and images
of
ancestors are hand-painted and placed in
beautiful
altars. Dramatic events
feature
devotional songs and the
retelling
of the love epic of Radha
and
Krishna. Bonds are renewed,
particularly
among in-laws and the
extended
family. Etiquette on Holi
requires
that one accept all overtures
with
an open heart, burying
grievances
to begin relationships
afresh.
People of all walks of life
mingle
and greet, applying vermilion
on
each other’s foreheads in an
uninhibited
exchange of goodwill.
What are the
delicacies
of this festival?
Special
sweet and savory treats
including
mathri, puran poli and
vadai
are made. Many communities
make
an intoxicating, cooling
drink,
called thandai, made of purifi
ed
water, sugar, seeds of watermelon,
muskmelon
and lotus, along with nuts, cardamom, fennel, white
pepper,
saffron and rose petals
Tidbits
About Holi
What is the meaning behind the bonfi
re?
Love,
positive
values
and goodness are celebrated on Holi. Their triumphs over
divisiveness
and negative forces have been reinforced in legends,
such
as that of Holika and her brother Prahlad. The famous king
Hiranyakashipu
had earned a boon
that
made him virtually indestructible.
Blinded
by this power, he thought he
was
God, the only being worthy of
worship.
His young son Prahlad was
devoted
to Lord Vishnu and refused
to
obey his father. Infuriated, the king
devised
the cruelest punishments. In
one
attempt, Prahlad’s evil aunt Holika,
who
possessed the power to withstand
fi
re, tricked him into climbing a burning
pyre
with her. Prahlad’s love for true
Divinity
protected him from the fl ames.
Holika
burned while Prahlad lived. The
bonfi
re of Holi is symbolic of this victory
of
good over evil.
How did the
frolicking with color originate?
Legend
has
it
that Krishna noticed one day how much lighter Radha’s complexion
was
than His own. His mother playfully suggested that
He
smear Radha’s cheeks with color to make Her look like Him,
which
Krishna did. The strongwilled
Radha
gleefully retaliated,
and
a merry chaos ensued. Another
legend
has it that Krishna
celebrated
this festival with His
friends
and the gopis. They danced
and
frolicked, fi lling the air with
color
in a joyous welcome of
spring.
Is this a romantic
occasion?
The
festive dancing
and
camaraderie create the perfect
environment
for matrimonial
alliances.
Young people fi nd mates,
and
families formally seal marital
agreements
during these days.
Making
Safe,
Natural
Colors
Dyes
made of toxic chemicals are too
often
used during Holi. The food-based
recipes
below, along with edible food
coloring,
offer safe alternatives for all
colors.
RED: Soak red pomegranate rind in
water overnight. A pinch of edible
gypsum mixed with turmeric powder
in water gives a bright red. Soak red
hibiscus fl owers in water overnight.
YELLOW: Turmeric powder makes a
terrifi c yellow.
BROWN: Soak betel nut in water
overnight and dilute as necessary. Or
boil tea or coffee in water.
PURPLE: Boil blueberries in an iron
vessel and let stand overnight.
MAGENTA: Slice or grate one beet root.
Leave overnight in water. Dilute as
needed for different shades.
GREEN: Purée spinach, coriander or
mint leaves in water. Strain and use.
Vaikunta Ekadashi
When
Heaven’s Doors Open Wide
T o those with a pure heart, the gates of Vishnu’s
spiritual world are
always
open. But on a precious few days, it is said, that passage is
open
to all, allowing devotees to more easily reach Vaikunta, the
abode
of Lord Vishnu, Supreme God to hundreds of millions of Hindus.
This
is the essence of Vaikunta Ekadashi, a festival marked by fasting,
devotion
and pilgrimage to famous temples, when devotees draws
closer
to God in a most personal way.
Who is Lord Vishnu?
In
the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism Vishnu
is
the Supreme God, venerated as the allpervading
essence
of all beings, the master
of
time, the One who supports, sustains
and
governs the universe and
all
elements within it. In the sacred
Puranas, Vishnu is described as the
color
of dark blue clouds, having four
arms,
holding a lotus, mace, conch
and
a chakra. Through the ages, He
manifests
in several forms, or avatars,
such
as Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, to
guide
humans on the path of dharma.
Vishnu’s
constant companion is the
Goddess
Lakshmi. He represents the
potential
and She the wealth of potential
brought
to fruition.
What is Vaikunta
Ekadashi?
Ekadashi
is the eleventh lunar day
of
every fortnight. Of the two dozen
ekadashis
in a year, Vaikunta Ekadashi
reigns
supreme. It is known as
Mokshada,
“bestowing liberation.” On
this
day, the doors to Vishnu’s divine
abode,
called Vaikunta, are open wide to all who seek salvation, moksha.
This
occurs in the bright fortnight of December/
January,
the Hindu month of Mrigashira.
According
to mythology, devas and demons
churned
the Ocean of Milk for 1,000 years
and,
amrita, the nectar of immortality, appeared
on
this day.
What do Hindus do
on Vaikunta Ekadashi?
Devotees
maintain a total or partial fast and
observe
mauna, silence, while remembering
Vishnu
in prayer. While many Hindus fast on
all
ekadashis, Vaikunta Ekadashi is observed
with
utmost diligence and self-restraint. A
common
observance is to consume only water
or
milk.
What are the
temple observances?
Devotees
fl ock to Vishnu shrines, especially
famous
ones such as the Venkateshwara
temples
in Tirupati and Pittsburg, and the
Ranganathar
temple in Srirangam. In
Srirangam
the festival spans 21 days
divided
into morning and night observances.
Lord
Vishnu, adorned in
diamond-studded
armor, is brought to a
1,000-pillared
hall through the northern
gate,
called swarga vaasal, “heaven’s
entrance,”
which is opened only this one
time
each year.
What else is
celebrated around this time?
In
the northern hemisphere, winter solstice
occurs
in this month, heralding longer,
warmer
days and agrarian prosperity.
This
transition to the year’s fortuitous
half
is celebrated with beautiful patterns,
called
rangoli, drawn with colored rice
fl
our on the fl oor outside homes. Hindus
believe
that at this time the divine
celestials
are most attentive to the pleas
of
mankind. Devotees rise early, perform
ablutions
and, throughout the month
visit
temples with prayers in heart and gifts in hand.
Tidbits
About Vaikunta Ekadashi
What is the legend
of Ekadashi?
In
an ancient
story,
Ekadashi is a devi, or angel, born of Vishnu’s
mind,
a fi erce defender of righteousness, a protectress
of
those in need. Strengthened by unfailing
devotion
to God Vishnu, she was feared
by
the forces of evil and ignorance. Vishnu
offered
her the boon of being rich, famous,
powerful
and beautiful in the world of mortals.
But
she declined, saying she wanted
only
to share her blessings with humans
who
fast and pray to Him on ekadashi.
Vishnu
granted her wish, decreeing that
anyone
worshiping Him by fasting on the
eleventh
day of the moon would be allowed
access
through the celestial gates. In the epic
Mahabharata, Lord Krishna relates Ekadashi’s
story
to King Yudhishthira, praising
her
and recommending fasting as an ancient
and
effective spiritual practice.
How is the fast broken?
The
Ekadashi
fast
is normally broken the next lunar
day,
dvadashi, by partaking of fruit, herbs and milk.
The
Indian gooseberry, amla, known as a
wonder
food, is eulogized in the Puranas as the ideal
nourishment
to jump-start the system after a fast.
Does
Religious
Fasting
Make Sense?
Fasting
in Hinduism indicates the denial
of
the physical needs of the body
for
the sake of spiritual gains. According
to
scripture, fasting helps create
an
attunement with the Absolute by
establishing
a harmonious relationship
between
the body and the soul. By fasting,
the
devout exercise control over
their
rioting senses and desires. It is a
sacrifi
ce made to the Self, by the self.
By
turning within in meditation, they
rein
in the mind. Since the body
is
mostly composed of fl uids, it is
infl
uenced by the phases of the moon,
as
is the mind. The rishis, ancient
Hindu
scientists, established these
connections
and recommended fasting
and
meditation based on the moon
cycle,
such as on ekadashi. This causes
a
natural slow down of the system and
the
opportunity to reconnect with
one’s
deeper being.
Fasting
breaks life’s repetitious regimen
and
brings clarity, empowering the
individual
to resume normal activities
with
greater vigor and conviction.
Om
Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Hinduism
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