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Holi, festival of colour, todayFriday - 02nd March 2007 |
| KATHMANDU, Mar. 3: Fagu festival or Holi is being celebrated today by smearing "Abeer" or red vermilion powder and throwing colour and water-filled balloons at each other. An important festival of the Nepalese people, Holi begins on the eighth day of the new moon and ends with the burning of the "Cheer', which was installed earlier, on the full moon day Saturday. The festival is celebrated in the hilly areas including Kathmandu valley today (Saturday) and in the Terai region Sunday. The festival of Fagu or Holi is a government holiday. The festival revolves around mythology of the demon king Hiranya Kashyapu ordering his sister Holika to enter a fire with Pralhad, son of the demon king and a devout follower of Lord Bishnu, in her lap so that Pralhad would stop chanting the name of the Lord. The catch was that Holika wouldn't burn in the fire because of a boon she had received from god. But it so happened that the fire burned Holika whereas Pralhad remained unharmed and came out of the fire still chanting the name of god. From then onwards, the festival has been celebrated by smearing colour in enjoyment. There is also a saying that Lord Bishnu had told Holika that the boon she had received would be meaningless if it was misused. Elders believe that any premonitions can be avoided if "Tika" made from the ashes of the 'Cheer' is put on one's forehead or kept in the house. It is, however, undesirable that revelry in the form of pelting unexpecting pedestrians with water-filled balloons from the upper windows of houses is often a common sight in town. |
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