Holi Package 26 Feb - 02 March 2010

Holi Festival India

A kaleidoscope of sounds and songs, a heady sense of revelry, the distribution of sweets--and all of them surrounded by a riot of colors mark the eagerly awaited festival of Holi.

The colorful festival is celebrated in the Spring Season just as the cold winters recede from North India. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with King Hiranyakashyap who ruled the Raakshas (Demons). Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him. But to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad, became an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika, to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage on herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she entered the fire alone. As a result, she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion.

Therefore, the festival celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion. Legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with play with colors as the Lord started the tradition of play with colors by applying color on his beloved Radha and other gopis. Gradually, the play gained popularity with the people and became a tradition.