Hindus across the UK and around the world have started to begin celebrating Holi.
Originating in India, Holi is a two-day ancient Hindu festival also known as the Festival of Love or the Festival of Colour, popularly associated with the legend of King Hiranyakashipu, signifying the triumph of good over evil, of devotion overpowering egoistic ambition.
The festival celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring, a day for friends, family, and strangers to come together to play, laugh, and mend any broken relationships.
Holi celebrations start on the night before known as Holika Dahan, where people gather and perform religious rituals in front of a bonfire, praying that their internal evil is destroyed the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire.
The following morning is Rangwali Holi, the day people most associate with the festival, when people play with colour. In India where the weather is warmer, people play with coloured water and powder, but in places such as the UK where the weather is often cold during March, organic coloured powder is preferred.
Colour is used in the festival as it celebrates the relationship between Radha, a goddess and chief consort of deity Krishna. Krishna was born blue believed that Radha would not talk to him because of the colour of his skin.
It was then that Krishna’s mother advised him to put colour on Radha and then they wouldn’t look different at all. They fall in love and get married which is where the significance of colour comes from.
The playful throwing of natural coloured powders, called gulal also has a medicinal significance where the colours are traditionally made of neem, kumkum, haldi, bilva, and other medicinal herbs suggested by Ayurvedic doctors.
Seema Buttoo, a faith advisor for Bradford Hindu Council and a Hindu faith tutor for Bradford Council for over two decades, said: “Holi is celebrated around this time. A bit like Easter, Holi changes every year as Hindu festivals are based on the lunar calendar.
“Today, people remember the story of a devotee called Prahlad, who was only five years old when he stood up for what was wrong in his kingdom – his own father who told him that there was no such thing as a God, and he should be worshipped as a God himself.
“The King’s son didn’t stand for this because he knew his father was wrong and his belief in Lord Vishnu saved him from death twice.
“So, Holika Dahan reminds people that when things are wrong, you take a stand and raise your voice to bring justice to the table.”
Many will be celebrating Holi over the weekend, due to school and work commitments.
Here are a list of Holi events taking place across the UK:
Thu 13 Mar – Fri 14 Mar: Holi Hai! Where night meets colours – Soho Rooms, 25 – 27 Mosley St, Newcastle
Sat 15 Mar 12:00 – 16:00: GemArts x Baltic Holi Festival of Colours – Baltic centre for Contemporary Art, S Shore Road Gateshead
Sat 15 Mar 12:30 – 20:30: Leeds Holi Fest – Project House, Armley Road, Leeds.
Sat 15 Mar 11:00 – 16:00: Holi Festival of Joy and Colours – Haverstock School, 24 Haverstock Hill, London
Sat 15 – Sun 16 Mar: The London Biggest Holi Festival – Brentford Studios, Kew Bridge Distribution Centre, Unit 1, Lionel Road, Brentford
Sat 15 Mar 17:00: London Holi Fest – Cranford Community College, High St, Hounslow
Sun 16 Mar 13:00 – 18:00: Besharam Rang Holi Party – Haverstock School, 24 Haverstock Hill, London
