One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar.
Holika-Dahan
The previous day of the festival is called Holika Dahan(The dahan in fire of Holika the sister of hiranyakashyap) or Choti Holi. People collect wood, twigs and branches of trees and set up a fire. People sing and around the fire. They believe that the bonfire set up symbolizes the victory of Good over Evil.
Preparations
Entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get abuzz with activity as shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children.
Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they cook lots of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for the relatives. At some places specially in the north women also make papads and potato chips at this time.
Play of Colors
Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day when it is actually the time for the play of colours. Shops and offices remain closed for the day and people get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright colours of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons and passers by. Women and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying colours and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day.
Expression of Love
Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved. This has a popular legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna started the trend of playing colours. He applied colour on her beloved Radha to make her one like him. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the masses. No wonder, there is no match to the Holi of Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana - the places associated with the birth and childhood of Radha and Krishna.
Ecstasy of Bhang
There is also a tradition of consuming the very intoxicating bhang on this day to further enhance the spirit of Holi. It is so much fun to watch the otherwise sober people making a clown of themselves in full public display. Some, however, take bhang in excess and spoil the spirit. Caution should therefore be taken while consuming bhang delicacies.
Sober Evening
After a funfilled and exciting day, the evenings the spent in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings.
It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friend on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colouful festival and strenthen the secular fabric of the nation.
Holi is the day of colors, which is celebrated all over India with great zeal. It symbolizes the victory of 'good' over 'evil'.holi best wishes cards
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Celebrate the spirit of Holi with these fun activities for Holi in the office. With these activities, you can engage your employees and boost their productivity and morale, building their strength. When the employees are engaged they can give their best to the organization.
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