Holi festival being celebrated with great zeal (photos included)
This festival is traditionally observed as a celebration of family and social unity, as well as the triumph of truth over falsehood.
KATHMANDU: Holi, the festival of colors, is being celebrated with great zeal in the country’s hilly regions on Monday (today) and Tuesday (tomorrow) in Terai districts.
This festival is traditionally observed as a celebration of family and social unity, as well as the triumph of truth over falsehood.
It is an important major Nepal-wide festival along with Dashain and Tihar (Dipawali).
On the occassion of Holi festival, traditional concerts with various celebrity guests are held in most cities in Nepal, including Kathmandu, Narayangadh, Pokhara, Itahari, Hetauda, and Dharan, and are broadcast on television.
People celebrate Holi by exchanging colors and spraying colored water on one another as they walk through their neighborhoods.
Throwing water-filled balloons at each other, also known as lola, is a popular activity (meaning water balloon). During Shivaratri, many people mix bhang (made from cannabis, milk, and spices) into their drinks and food. It is believed that the combination of colors at this festival removes all sorrow and makes life more colorful.
According to the legend, the fire-resistant Holika sacrificed herself and her son Prahlad to Lord Bishnu in exchange for his religious devotion. Her son Prahlad, on the other hand, was unharmed, whereas Holika was burned to death for inflicting injustice on her son. Hindus have celebrated Holi ever since as the triumph of justice over injustice.
The auspicious occasion of colors is widely celebrated by the majority of all ethnicities in the nation.
People of all ages gather in groups to celebrate this festival. The children were discovered to have improved the festival by playing pichkaris (water gun).
People of all religions celebrate Holi because it promotes social harmony. Various festivals held in Nepal, a lovely country with multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural characteristics, are thought to foster strong social unity.
Terai Holi observed on the day following the Hilly Region
The terai Holi is celebrated the day after the hilly region as in this celebration of justice, people collect wood and have bonfires, to symbolize the death of Holika which is called “Holika Dahan”.
“Holika Dahan” means flaming fire after sunset on the full moon day of Fagu Purnima, reflecting the death of the fire immortal Holika, who was unaware that she would not have gotten burned if she walked through the flame alone.
Holi is celebrated on the exact day of Fagu Purnima in Nepal’s hilly region. The festival officially begins with the placement of “Chir- a long bamboo stick wrapped in various colors of cloth” in Kathmandu durbar square. Which officially welcomes the ceremony by being burned to ashes the day before.
The Terai people, on the other hand, seem to find this Holi celebration to be quite unique and modern. However, only in Terai can we witness the festival’s true depth and essence, as well as its uniqueness.
Basantapur Durbar Square has long been the focal point of Kathmandu’s Holi celebrations. Take a look at the photos taken by Makalu Khabar photojournalists.
