Holi the festival of love and colors is celebrated by Hindus all around the world. This beautiful festival of spring marks the eternal and divine love of Radha Krishna.
The arrival of spring or the end of winter, the blossoming of love or the festive of forgiveness, Holi holds different significance for different peoples.
Holi starts on the evening of the Purnima (Full Moon Day) falling in the Hindu calendar month of Phalguna with Holika Dahan (burning of Demon Holika) followed by Holi in the next morning.
Holi is known by different names Holi,Dol Purnima, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, Ukuli, Manjal Kuli, Yaosang, Shigmo or Phagwah, Jajiri, Rangwali and is celebrated in different parts of the world such as Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji ,Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 countries where Holi is celebrated with much energy and enthusiasm…
Holi in Nepal:
The stunning fiesta of Holi in Nepal begins a week ahead of the official full moon day known as ‘Fagu’ in Nepali.
A week long colorful celebration is followed by few rituals which consist of a ceremonial pole called ‘Chir’, which is installed on the first day of celebration. Chir is a bamboo stick or a wooden pole which is placed erectly in the street at Basantapur. The pole is decorated with a lot of colorful clothes and other materials which represents good luck charm. The festivities continues around the pole for a week and the chir is taken to a bonfire at the end of the celebrations.
And on the official eve of Holi, Chir Haran or Holika Dahan is celebrated and the bamboo stick is taken to a bonfire followed by the scorching of the colored decorates. This also marks the official beginning of the festival of Holi.
Holi in South Africa:
Holi has become extremely popular in regions of South Africa with the enthusiasm of Gujarati’s and other Indians settled in South Africa. The tradition has been kept alive from a past few years and this festive of color and love is celebrated with much delight.
People celebrate this day with pure joy by lightning bonfires( Holika) and playing with colors, meeting their friends and relatives with keeping the value of Indian culture in their hearts. A line-up of South Africa’s biggest DJs are organized, thousands of people are dressed in white dance, drink and throw colors at each other.
With the largest immigrant Indian community with around one million of Indians in the country, many Indian festivals are celebrated in South Africa.
Holi in Guyana:
Guyana a dense rainforest country located on the South America’s North Atlantic coast celebrates Holi with upmost zeal and excitement.
The festival of Holi was first observed by Guyanese some 180 years ago when their East Indian fore parents first came to Guyana and now the country accounts for 33% of Hindu’s.
Holi is popularly known as ‘Phagwah’ in Guyana and is considered as the most joyous and colorful festival. Holi today has become a part of their national psyche and happens to be a national holiday in Guyana.
A month long Phagwah celebration starts on Basant Panchmi when homage is done to Saraswati Devi the goddess of knowledge and a castor oil tree is planted as a symbolic act. The Guyanese celebrates this long festival from Panchmi to Holika Dahan by singing special melodies of chowtaal ÔdhamaarÕ and jati renditions that can be heard across the country at Hindu temples and homes.
On Holika Dahan the castor oil plant is burnt commemorating Prahlad’s legendary devotion to Lord Shiva and also the triumph of good over evil. On Phagwah morning people wish each other and spray colors and abeer as a custom.
Holi in Australia:
Australia also marks a large scane Holi celebration by hosting different events specially in Melbourne.
Here people celebrate Holi by playing with non-toxic colors. People dress up in white attend fun events to play Holi with their friends and family. The enthusiasm can be seen in the eyes of Australians when Holi is around the corner, the streets of Australia paints in the rainbow of colors.
Australians Celebrates Holi to keep the Light of Love Burning in Hearts of people.
Holi in USA:
The beautiful experience of the chaotic spectrum of colors is no doubt seen in a country with a large population of Indians settled.
USA celebrates this festival with high energy and the celebrations are particularly marked in the city of New York.
Many grand events, Holi meets are organized including Dance performance, fashion shows and music concerts where many Bollywood actors are seen.
With Holi parades taken out, people can be seen having so much fun, playing with colors. With this amount of festivities New York seems like a part of India.