Holi ( Holi ) — is one of the most colorful holidays of Hinduism, Bengal New Year. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Phalgun, arriving in February-March.
Holi — a holiday of spring, filled with sunlight and the cheerful fury of a magnificent flourishing nature. Apparently, he is older than the legends that explain his origin these days, — there are many elements of primitive orgies in honor of deities and fertility forces, elements close to holidays of different peoples of the world.
There are several legends related to the origin of the Holi holiday. According to one of them, the name Holi came from the name of the demonic Holika. Prahlad — the son of an evil king, worshiped Vishnu, and nothing could dissuade him of this. Then the king’s sister is a demonic of Holik, who was not believed to be on fire, persuaded Prahlad to go up to the fire in the name of God. To everyone's amazement, Holik burned down, and Prahlad, saved Vishnu, came out unscathed. In memory of these events, on the eve of the holiday, Holi burned a stuffed evil Holika.
In addition, the Holi holiday is associated with the story of how Shiva incinerated with his third eye the god of love Kamu, who tried to get him out of meditation, after which Kama remained incorporeal. But at the request of Shiva Parvati’s wife and Kama’s wife, goddess Rati Shiva returned Kama’s body for 3 months a year. When Kama finds the body, everything blooms around, and happy people celebrate the most fun holiday of love.
If tons of sweets are eaten on Divali, then on Holi everyone is drunk with a bhang — drink, which includes either juice or hemp leaves and dairy products. Varieties of bhang: bhang lassi — yogurt with conopl leaf juice, thandai lassi — a mixture of milk, sugar, spices, almonds and, of course, leaves ( juice ) hemp. Indian cuisine is characterized by an abundance of seasonings, which are added to all dishes, even milk.
On the same day, Gaura Purnima — the day of the Gauranga phenomenon, a holiday dedicated to the phenomenon of Gauranga ( Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ), which about 500 years ago laid the foundation for the movement of Sankirtan, is celebrated, worshiping God through the chanting of his holy names. Sankirtana-yagi ( worship ) gave the foundation to Gaudivayshnavism, one of the spiritual directions of the Vedic religion ( Hinduisma ). This holiday is also widely celebrated today in India and abroad.