Happy Day - 8 with Happy Holi :)

Happiness is to play Holi with both my girls, putting just kumkum on each other faces. Glad to know that Ananyaa remember's it from last year too and asking me if I got any other color then just red. Well what to explain her, it was my mistake, her baa got some colors from India last year to play holi, but I don't know where I kept it and was not finding one when it was actually needed. She made a face for not having other color, but then she was ok after I explain her. Though daddy didn't participate following baa, we 3 enjoy in our way and then posed for picture too. 

Holi is Indian Festival of Colors, which remarks the Beginning of Spring, Vasant Utsav, celebrated on Phagun Purnima, full moon day. Festival was knocking my door and I was missing sitting far away from its origin. It’s not like we don’t celebrate overseas. I do my best to celebrate at home, so that my Kids learn about our culture, not only that it’s sigginificans behind festival as well. We played Holi today with kumkum at home putting on each other’s face after puja and wished each other Happy Holi. I even told my Big One, story related to Holi, and she was listening mumma quietly. So here is what I told her, I hope I am right to most extent of it. In India most of people celebrate Holi putting colors on eachother.

Holi has an ancient origin and is also celebrated to good over Evil. It is said that in ancient time there was a demons king named Hiranyakasipu. His son Prahlad was greatest devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyaksipu didn't like this. So he tried to kill his son by many devils, but he failed. At last he called her sister named Holika, who had a magic robe. This robe had the power to save the wearer from burning in fire. Hiranyakashyap ordered his sister to sit on burning fire along with prahlad. He thought that her sister would not be harmed by fire because of the magic robe and Prahlad would be burnt to death. But the result was the opposite to what the evil demon king planned. From that day Holi is celebrated in India. It symbols the victory of true faith and love for God. Every year people do Bonfire, means Holika Dahan and Pray God to finish evil. The ritual symbolizes the victory of good over evil which continuous today too. And then next day people use to play Holi with colors.

Holi is also celebrated in memory of the immortal love of Lord Krishna and Radha Th.e young Krishna would complain to his mother Yashoda about why Radha was so fair and he so dark. Yashoda advised him to apply color on Radha's face and see how her complexion would change. Since then holi is celebrated as the remembrance of the divine love of RadheKrishna.

If I recall my child hood, what not I have done, I have played Holi with Mud, Toothpaste, water, color and Oil too. I was missing those pichkari (water gun) , in which we use to fill water and sprinkle on each other, and water balloons which we use to throw, people walking on street and then they wonders, who did that. I have memories of playing holi with Friends, Family, with Society people, after my marriage and then hubbys friends too.

Well I was happily telling her about festival. But inside me, I was feeling little sad that will my girls will ever enjoy true form of Holi !!!! Fingure crossed.

Anu Shah