Holi – The Festival of Colours

There’s one holiday besides Christmas that sparks real joy whenever I think about it. It’s the Hindi Festival of Love, or Festival of Colours, called Holi.

Holi is a festival in India during the middle of March. It’s a time when inhabitants in Indian cities can usually be seen hurling bright colored powder at each other, and sporting several different colors of that powder all over their clothes and skin themselves.

So, what is Holi actually celebrating? If you think this festival couldn’t just be about the general notion of “love and peace,” you’re right. It’s a festival celebrating the love between two gods, Radha and Krishna. Radha is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and of course devotion. Krishna is a supreme god even on his own.

There’s more to the story, though. See, Radha is an avatar for Lakshmi and Krishna is an avatar for Vishnu. Lakshmi is one of the principle gods in Hindi and is the goddess of good fortune and wealth. She is also the wife of Vishnu. Vishnu is known as the “the Preserver.” He’s the triple deity of what Hindu believes to be the supreme divinity. This belief appears slightly similar to the Holy Trinity seen in some Christian denominations.

Perhaps even more interesting is that Vishnu is seen as a supreme god who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. This should sound familiar to many monotheistic religions as well, making it all the easier to relate to.

What makes Holi a beautiful festival is that it is celebrating a love so deep that it’s said to transcend generations and reincarnations. A god and goddess who keep choosing each other lifetime after lifetime. Holi is a festival about good triumphing over evil. And it’s a festival to celebrate the end of winter and beginning of spring. Most of all, though, I think it’s also a time that the Hindu people celebrate love and community in each other.