The festival of colors, or Holi, is a very popular festival that is celebrated all over India with a lot of pomp and show. Various Indian gifts are exchanged on this occasion, especially among the little ones who enjoy this day a lot. There are many rituals and customs associated with this festival which change from region to region. It is important to know about these interesting traditions so that you can send Holi gifts to India accordingly. As the festival is celebrated in various forms in various regions it has distinct rituals and traditions. To know such rituals and traditions that each region bestows you can find this article helpful as we have dedicated this article to the unfolding of such customs.
Basant Utsav is celebrated in the Bengal region where the festival is also known as Dol Purnima. Various cultural programs like dances and recitals are organized along with processions depicting the greatness of Lord Krishna. Musical instruments like ektara and veena are played and people sing and dance to its melodies and tunes. The whole view is serene, recreational, and picturesque in itself. The festival of Holi is incomplete without colors or Phag, it’s the life of this festival in West Bengal too. Phag is first applied to the pictures of deceased family members by the young people then they apply it to the feet of their elders to receive blessings. After that, the gulal or phag is applied to everyone. Away from the daily chaos Holi festival is celebrated in a delightful manner at Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Shantiniketan. The students have dressed in saffron-colored clothes with garlands of flowers, they sing and dance in the presence of their teachers and guests. Then the auspicious color is smeared on everybody’s forehead.
An interesting way of celebrating Holi takes place in Uttar Pradesh in the form of Lathmar Holi. The festival of Holi is said to have originated in this region where women chase men with sticks or lathis on this event. The major ritual of Holi celebration in UP is that people light bonfires known as Holika or Choti Holi on the day prior to the main Holi. The tradition signifies the victory of good over evil and finds its roots in the various legends associated with the festival. This ritual is mainly associated with the demon king Hiranyakashyap.
The festival is also the celebration of the barley harvest. On Chhoti Holi, people come together to light a fire. They bury a pot of new barley seeds under the pyre for roasting. These seeds are eaten after the fire is extinguished. Divinations for the coming harvest are cast by interpreting the direction of the flames or by the state of the seeds in the buried pot. People sometimes take embers from the fire to their homes to rekindle their own domestic fires. The ashes from the Holi fire are also believed to provide protection against diseases. Apart from all of these, the whole state gets into a frenzy while celebrating the festival of colors. Pichkaris, gulals, and water balloons are very commonly used among old and young alike.
Imagine if your favorite festival Holi is celebrated with wrestling, loud whoops of delight and with mouth-watering food of Langars, you’ll be thrilled, won’t you? That’s a typical Holi celebration for the ever-sprightly and benevolent Punjabis. On the second day of the lunar month of Chet, Punjabis from all over the world send gifts to India and greetings as their token of love. The diversities of Indian culture gives a unique chance to every religion and state to express themselves in various festivals. As we all know that people in Punjab loves social gathering and their festivities are much more fun-filled so it’s not just Holi for them but a Hola Mohalla which is sure sui generis in itself.
The festival of Holi symbolizes the victory of good over evil. It also marks the advent of spring and people celebrate it joyously with a splash of color. It is the most boisterous of all Hindu festivals, observed all over India, especially in the North. It heralds the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The night before the full moon, crowds of people gather together and light huge bonfires to burn the residual dried leaves and twigs of the winter. People throw colored water with pichkari, balloons, and gulal at each other and make merry.
As expected from the Goans, the festival is accompanied by fanfare. Performance on drum beats and epic enactment of mythology are religiously followed. Vivid and vibrant colors of gulal and Neel are abundantly used. Shigmotsav is highlighted with performances of troupes in the form of parades and cultural dramas. At dusk, huge effigies are taken in processions, and prizes are given away. The Panjim Shigmotsav Samiti also organizes a parade in Panaji. Besides, numerous temples around Goa also make special arrangements for Holi celebrations. Of interest are the celebrations at Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco Da Gama, and Margao. The foreign tourists join the locals in celebrating this day with fervor and gaiety. The celebrations begin in the early morning and continue till late afternoon. Smoking weed and consuming bhang is a common aspects of these celebrations.
Though the origin of the celebration of Holi is shrouded in legends and mythology, the most important aspect of this festival is that it helps bridge social taboos and builds new relationships and lasting camaraderie, which are the sustaining force of the orderly growth of the nation that is sometimes disturbed by divisive forces. The exchange of colors on the occasion strengthens unity among people and in a way promotes national integration.
Uttarakhand celebrates Holi in a remarkable fashion. Uttarakhand or Uttaranchal, commonly known as the land of gods (Devbhoomi), is the northern part of India and is especially known for its natural beauty. During the medieval period, the region of Uttaranchal was consolidated with the Kumaon and Garhwal Kingdoms and thus the Holi in Uttaranchal is commonly known as Kumaoni Holi. Chharodi is the main play of colors where people use Abeer and Gulal prepared with natural elements like flowers.
The states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh celebrate the festival of Holi as Rang Panchami. Here a human pyramid is formed which is drenched with colors and Holika Dahan begins this festival. A very Royal Holi takes place in Rajasthan which can be considered to be the epitome of royalty. Decorated horses lead a royal procession during the day while Holika Dahan is performed in a grand manner in the evening.
Many wonderful Holi gift ideas can be found in this online gift store which can make this festival even more cherished. You can send colors that are very much in demand on this day and hence can make great gifts. The Rich Flamboyant Colours come in a set of twelve and they have to be mixed with water. For the little ones, there are amazing pichkaris or spray guns available on this online gifting portal. Knowing about all these unique traditions of Holi must be making you even more eager for this day. But if you cannot be with your loved ones, you can still send gifts to India from the USA for them. There are also other varieties of gifting options here that can make any festival or event memorable.
