Holi – just the name fills the imagination with colors.  Right from Sandhya in Navrang, naughtily singing Arey ja re hat natkhat…., to Amitabh Bacchan in Baghban, recreating Raghuvira avadh me, Holi has managed to capture and entertain audiences for almost five decades.

A coupled celebration of two days starting with Holika Dahan, Holi literally means 'burning'. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap.  Hiranyakashyap’s son, Prahlad was an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana, which he detested highly as he wanted to be the only God for his Kingdom. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage to herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she enters the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.

The legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with play of colors as he started the tradition of smearing colors on his beloved Radha and other gopis.  Gradually, the play gained popularity and became   a tradition.

People gather wood for the lighting of the bonfire called Holika at the major crossroads of the city. On the eve of Dhuleti, Holika Dahan takes place.  Next day, is the main day of Holi celebrations. The day is called Dhuleti and it is on this day that the actual play of colors takes place. Days before Dhuleti, markets get flooded with colors of every hue.  This aptly sets the mood of the people till the actual day of Dhuleti.

The tradition of playing colors is particularly rampant in north India and even in that region; there can be no comparison to the Holi of Mathura and Vrindavan. In Rajasthan In Maharashtra and Gujarat too Holi is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and fun. People  take  extreme delight in spraying colored  water  on  each other  with  pichkaris (water gun sprinklers) or pouring buckets  and  buckets  of  it.  Singing Bollywood Holi numbers and dancing on the beat of dholak is also a part of the tradition. Amidst all this activity people relish gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other traditional Holi delicacies with great joy. Drinks, especially thandai laced with bhang are also an intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. 

In   south India, however, people follow the tradition   of worshiping Kaamadeva, the love god of Indian mythology.  People have faith in the legend which speaks about the great sacrifice of Kaamadeva when he shot his love arrow on Lord Shiva to break his meditation and evoke his interest in worldly affairs.

After, an eventful and fun-filled day people greet friends and relatives by visiting them and exchange sweets forgiving and forgetting any bitterness of the past.  Holi special get-togethers are also organized by various cultural clubs to generate harmony and brotherhood in the society.

Just at the beginning of the year, people start looking for the Holi Date in their Calendar. This is because Holi is the first major Hindu Festival of the year. This year Holi falls on Wednesday, March 10, 2009 followed by Dhuleti the next day.

Ideally, the joyous festival of Holi is meant to celebrate the arrival of Spring while the colors used in Holi are to reflect of the various hues of spring season. But unfortunately, in modern times Holi does not stand for all things beautiful. Like various other festivals, Holi too has become ruthlessly commercialized, boisterous and yet another source of environmental degradation. To  de-pollute  Holi and make it in sync with nature,  as  it  is supposed  to  be,  several social and  environmental  groups  are proposing a return to more natural ways of celebrating Holi.

Holi festival lovers will be thrilled to know that it is possible to make simple natural colors in ones own kitchen. Here are some very simple recipes to make natural colors:

Method of Preparation: