The arrival of the spring season gives the essence of a beautiful festival of Holi. There is no other festival in this world like Holi that has its connection with colors. This great festival of India is enjoyed by every age group of people in their own way. This festival is also a great messenger of love, peace, and harmony among us. I hope that every one of us know about the burning of Holika before the festival celebration. I think many students are not knowing that why Holika Dahan takes place before Holi.
Short and Long Essay on Why Holika Dahan is Celebrated a Day before Holi in English
You can read these essays to know Why Holika Dahan is Celebrated a Day before Holi:
10 Lines Essay on Why Holika Dahan is Celebrated a Day before Holi (100-120 Words)
1) Holika Dahan is a ritual that people observe a day before Holi.
2) Holika Dahan is meant to burn out all the negativity and do a fresh start.
3) It is associated with the famous mythological story of Hiranyakashyapu.
4) Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashyapu who tried to kill Prahlad.
5) Holika Dahan signifies burning of Holika, the evil.
6) Holika Dahan symbolizes the success of good over bad.
7) People use to collect wood and waste and then burn them as Holika Dahan.
8) Holi the festival of colors got its name from the name of Holika.
9) People sing and dance around the burning bonfire to enjoy the end of evil deeds.
10) It is celebrated a day before so that people burn negativity and enjoy Holi the next day with happiness.
Short Essay – 250 Words
Introduction
The festivity of enjoying by splashing colors over each other is none other than the festival of Holi. It marks the onset of spring and is commemorated on full moon day in the month of Phalguna. This festival is celebrated among people of all age groups in the nation with great fervor and joy.
Holika Dahan marks the beginning of Holi
The initiation of the celebration of the festivity of colors begins from the burning of Holika that is observed one day before the festival. This day is popularly called Choti Holi. The ritual of Holika Dahan in the festival of Holi is linked with a mythological story. It is believed that the burning of the Holika is the end of the negativity with a new beginning. The people enjoy this ritual by singing songs, dancing, and clapping around the burning Holika.
The beauty of the Holi celebration in Mathura and Vrindavan
The festival of Holi is celebrated in different ways in different states of India. The most amazing celebration of Holi is observed in the Mathura and Vrindavan districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The Holi celebration is very special in Mathura because it is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The celebration of the festivity here is influenced by the eternal love of Radha and Krishna.
Holi is celebrated here for the duration of a week and is played using colors, sticks, flowers, dust, etc. Lathmaar Holi is played here that enhances the beauty of the festival. In this girls and women beat men with sticks and men splash colors on them. The people from different parts of the nation and world gather here during the festivity to see and participate in the Holi celebration of Mathura and Vrindavan.
Conclusion
There is a lot of excitement in people to celebrate this festivity of colors and love before its arrival. It is important for us to play safe Holi by using natural colors instead of chemical colors.
Also Read: Essay on Is Holi a Harvest or Religious Festival
In the same context, I have provided a long essay that might help you in getting an idea and reason behind the traditions of this festival. It will be an aid to students of schools and universities in writing an essay on this topic.
Long Essay on Holika Dahan: A Ritual Before Holi Festival (1000 Words)
Introduction
India is known as the country of religious diversity and therefore people residing in this nation celebrate different types of festivals. Festivals make people rejoice with their family, friends, and loved ones. Holi is one of the biggest festivals of India that is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy. It is the festival that fills us with the joy of love with colors in the most pleasant weather of the year.
Holi – The Festival of Colors and Love
The beginning of every New Year is marked by the celebration of the first biggest festival of the year called Holi. It is a great Indian festival that is celebrated in the month of Phalguna after ending of the winter. It is also denoted as the harvest festival. Holi is popularly known as the festival of colors and love. It is celebrated by the people in all the parts of India. The celebration of the festival is not similar in every state of India. People of different states celebrate this great fest in their own way according to their cultural tradition.
Celebration of the Festival of Colors
- The Night Celebration of Holika Dahan – The celebration of this great festival begins a day before by burning of the Holika on Puranmasi. It is also called Choti Holi. People burn all the waste materials from houses and wood pieces, branches of trees, leaves, etc. that have been collected from a month in form of a heap. They celebrate this ritual by dancing and clapping around the fire. This tradition is connected with an old age belief. It is considered that all the evil and negativity is burnt in the fire and the next day the festival of Holi is celebrated with great Joy.
- Holi Celebration – The next day after Holika Dahan is the celebration day. People on this day wear white-colored clothes. Men wear white kurta-pajama and women can be seen in white saree or suits. People on this day gather together in the morning and play Holi with each other by splashing colors, gulal, and water. Mud, waste, cow dung, and flowers are also used at some places to play Holi. There is also the provision of drinking buttermilk with Bhang on this day. People after drinking buttermilk play colors and dance with great joy. Children enjoy this festival a lot. They form their own groups and play with colors. They also throw water-filled balloons on each other and people passing by. It is very difficult to identify people with colored faces.
The color playing ceremony is ended in the afternoon and people retire to their houses. They take bath to remove the color from their faces and body. Further, they get ready for the evening celebration of the festival. People dress in new attire and visit their friends, relatives, neighbors, and close ones. They meet each other and wish them ‘Holi Mubarak’ by embracing each other. Gujhiya is the sweet delicacy that is served on this day along with several other snacks.
The History behind Celebrating Holika Dahan
There are many stories prevalent as the reason behind the celebration of this festival. Long ago there lived a Demon king called Hiranyakashyap. He attained different powers and blessings of God by his prayers. He was also blessed with immortality. He was very proud of his powers and started considering himself as God. The people in his kingdom worshipped him only as their supreme power. He had a son named Prahlad who was the great devotee of Lord Vishnu. This act of his son made him filled with rage and anger. He tried to kill his son in several ways but was unsuccessful every time as Prahlad was saved because of the blessings of God.
Holika was the sister of the demon king. Hirannayakashyapu decided to kill his son by making him sit in the fire with his sister Holika. Holika was blessed with a magical cloak that would prevent her from burning after she wore it. She did the same and sat in the middle of the fire by taking Prahlad in her laps. It was due to the blessing of God that Prahlad was safe and Holika was burnt to ashes. Later Hiranyakashyapu was killed by Lord Vishnu in Narsimha avatar.
Why Holika Dahan is Celebrated a Day before Holi?
This tradition has been in practice for a longer period of time. According to Hindu mythology, it is stated that Hiranyakashyapu the demon king asked her sister Holika to sit in the fire with Prahlad in her lap. She was blessed with a magical cloak by Lord Brahma that would prevent her from any harm. She sat on fire with a motive to kill Prahlad but Prahlad was safe because of the blessings of God. The magical cloak flew and was wrapped around Prahalad’s body and Holika was burnt to ashes. Since then the celebration of this tradition is continued till today.
The festival Holi itself derives its name from Holika. The safe rescue of Prahlad is the motive of the celebration of the festival as Holi. The bonfire is burnt one night before the Holi celebration. The bonfire is considered as the burning of Holika and her evil deeds in the fire. People burn the wood pieces, waste material from their houses after cleaning, etc., and dance around the fire for celebrating the burning of the negativity. It is considered that every kind of evil and negativity is burnt in the bonfire and hence there will be a new beginning ahead with the celebration of the festival.
Every celebration is made on behalf of a strong motive behind that. The Holi is celebrated in the happiness of victory of good over evil that is best demonstrated by the safe rescue of Prahlad and burning of evil motive i.e. Holika. Therefore Holika Dahan is celebrated one day before the celebration of Holi.
Conclusion
Holi is a great festival that symbolizes the victory of good deeds over the evil motive. The festival of colors makes everything in the surroundings appear colorful. Colors are capable of filling joy in everyone’s life and so is this festival. The festival of Holi inculcates the feeling of love and happiness among people and gives the message of unity and brotherhood.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
Ans. Holi is called as Hola-Mohalla in Punjab.
Ans. Lath Maar Holi is popular in Barsana, a town of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh.
Ans. The bonfire signifies the burning of Holika and her evil motive in the fire.
Ans. Holika Dahan in south India is known as Kama Dahanam.
Ans. Bhai Dooj is celebrated in Madhya Pradesh after the Holi celebration.