Holi 2021 Date in India: The main celebration of 'rangwali Holi' is preceded by 'Holika Dahan', wherein people perform rituals around a bonfire.
Holi 2021 Date: One of the most prominent and joyous of all festivals celebrated in the country — and also by Indians living abroad — is the festival of Holi. Also known as the ‘festival of colours’, Holi is celebrated to mark the arrival of spring. This year, Holi will begin on March 28, which is a Sunday, and end March 29; the dates, however, may vary.
Typically a Hindu festival, Holi sees the participation of people of all faiths, because it is such a happy occasion, one that marks the victory of good over evil.
The main celebration of ‘rangwali Holi‘ is preceded by ‘Holika Dahan‘, wherein people perform rituals around a bonfire. According to Indian mythology, King Hiranyakashyap was blessed with a boon that said he could not be killed by a human or an animal; neither indoors nor outdoors; not in the day, or at night; neither on land nor on water or air. No weapon could harm him either.
Power-hungry, Hiranyakashyap wanted everyone to revere him. His own son Prahlada, however, remained devoted to Lord Vishnu. This angered the king, who then resorted to cruel means to get his son to worship him. Hiranyakashyap’s sister and Prahlada’s aunt, Holika, tricked him into sitting on a pyre. But the cloak Holika was wearing to protect herself from the flames flew off and encased Prahlada, who survived.
Lord Vishnu, meanwhile, appeared in the Narasimha avatar — that of half-lion, half-human — at dusk, and grabbed the prideful king near his doorstep, placing him on his lap and killing him with his powerful claws. Thus, marking the victory of truth and devotion.
It is said that the festival also commemorates Radha and Krishna’s love. It is believed that Lord Krishna — another avatar of Lord Vishnu — had complained to his mother Yashoda about him having a dark complexion, and Radha being fair. To placate Krishna, his mother had suggested he paint Radha’s face with colours. This playful episode came to be celebrated as Holi.
As such, on this day, people come together and smear colours dry and wet on each other. They also play with water-filled balloons and water guns, besides gorging traditional sweets and delicacies like gujiya and bhaang.
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