The festival of Holī: Hinduism at its eclectic and democratic best

The eagerly awaited Spring Festival of Holī is upon us, with its burst of exuberance, colour, music, intoxication, singing and dancing. With its flirtation and sanctioned transgression of social norms immortalised by Bollywood classics like "aaj na chodenge bus humjoli khelenge hum holi…", "rang barse bheege chunar wali"; and its message of burying the hatchet "holi ke din… dushman bhi gale mil jaate hain", Holī captures the imagination like no other festival. It lets us revert to childhood, to let go the mundane, to “officially” let our hair down.

Not surprising then, that its spirit and message have transcended geographical and religious boundaries. Holī is celebrated not just by Hindus but non-Hindus, non Indians even, with tremendous enthusiasm and abandon, as seen in festivals like “Holi in Barcelona” (http://holifestivalbarcelona.blogspot.com.es/) and “Festival of Colours” in Bambra, Australia (http://www.festivalofcolours.com.au/). Foreign tourists participate with great enthusiasm at the festival of Holī at Hampi, Karnataka: http://www.kevinhaasphoto.blogspot.in/2011/05/holi-in-hampi.html

Every March since the early '80s, crowds have gathered at the ISCKON temple at Spring Fork, Utah, home to a significant Mormon community. They come for the “Utah Festival of Colours”. Of late, the festival has drawn nearly 65,000 people, making it the largest Holī celebration in the world. Attendees spend the weekend throwing colours in the air and at each other, participating in kīrtana, chanting the names of Hindu gods, particularly Krishna. Ethnomusicologist Sara Black Brown, studying the socially binding influence of participatory music at the festival (kīrtana) says that it mediates otherwise contentious boundaries of social difference between religious groups, between those who identify with Eastern or Western cultures, between the familiar and that which seems foreign. She says it is safe to assume, however, that most of the festival goers make the trek just for the novelty of being able to throw colour at complete strangers without being arrested! Learn more about the Utah Festival here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6sf84Uej4

Anthropologist McKim Marriott working at Kishan Gahri, a village located across the Jamunā from Vrindāvan and Mathurā has similar tale to tell about this “feast of love” – which he had to attend a second time to record his findings, since the first time around, the sarpanch gave him a delicious milk drink with only half a cup of “something” added, the name of which he didn’t recognise, but later learned was bhāng… He tells of the mischievous pilfering of his chārpai (wooden cot) for the Holī  bonfire. He observes with wonder the gender rivalry and role reversal in play, the ṭolīs of young men singing ribald songs, naming women of the village in them. He records with some amazement the suspension of rigid caste formalities as part of the Holī celebration. The spirit of Holī “…inundates all hierarchies of age, sex, caste, wealth and power”.

With its multiple origin stories, names and types of celebration, Holī is Hindu eclecticism and democracy at its richest. This festival is variously known as Vasantotsav in Northern India, Phagwa or Phagunotsav in Rajasthan, Rangapanchami in Maharashtra, Dol, or Dol Yatra in Bengal, Kaman-pandigai and Kāmadahana in Southern India. It is celebrated for several days leading up to the full moon (pῡrṇimā) of Hindu month of Phāgun. Most famously it is celebrated to commemorate the incineration of the asurī Holikā who was trying to kill the child Prahlāda, a devotee of Viṣṇu by sitting in fire. The bonfire symbolises not just the death of Holikā, but also the end of Winter and the coming of Spring, the triumph of light over darkness, life over death and of good over evil.

An ancient spring celebration, it is mentioned in Jaimini’s Mimāṃsasῡtras (circa 300 BCE) and in the Kāṭhaka gṛhyasῡtra of similar antiquity. Sanskritist Bibek Debroy confirms it has Purāṇic roots, featuring in the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, while @suhasm tells  me Vasantotsava features in the 7th century Sanskrit play Ratnāvali by King Harsha, as well as the Virῡpākṣavasantotsava Champu. It marks the birth of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, 16th century saint renowned for his Krishna-bhakti. As the work and writings of Chaitanya’s followers spread from his native Bengal to centres like Kāśi and Vrindāvan, Holī came to be associated more closely with Krishna.  As Dol it symbolises the swinging of Krishna in the full moon light at Vrindāvan, and as Holī it is best known to replicate the līlā – or (love) play of Krishna with Radha and the gopis in Vrindāvan.

The legend of Ḍhunḍī is less well known than that of Holikā, or Pῡtanā for that matter. Ḍhunḍī was a fearsome ogre, who liked to eat little children. Having done austere penance, she had received boons and was practically invincible. However there was a chink in her armour – the  pranks and abuses of little boys, thanks to a curse of Shiva. The boys of the village where she lived got high on bhāng and created a right din - beating drums, shouting obscenities at her, and chased her out of the village forever. In Southern India, another story associated with Shiva is related on this day – that of Kāmadahana – the destruction of the god of love by Shiva. Kāma, accompanied by his companion Vasanta (Spring personified) tried to afflict the Lord during his austerities and was burnt to cinders by Shiva’s third eye. The impact of coming of Spring, the attempts of Kāmadeva and his destruction are described most stunningly in Kālidāsa’s Kumārasambhava (Chapter 3) You can read it here: https://archive.org/details/KumarasambhavaCantosI-vii-SanskritCommentaryEnglishTranslationNotes

Finally in tribute to my idol Yāska, Sanskrit etymologist of the fourth century BCE, I would like to propose a speculative etymology for Holī, which comes from the Sanskrit Holākā/Holikā, as @SNChd informs me. Working backwards, separating the stem from the suffix, I’m left with hol/hola, which further reduces to the root √hul, meaning to cover, to conceal, and also to kill. While it doesn’t address the “Spring” aspect of Holī adequately, it certainly extends to the killing of Holikā, and the covering of any one around you, known or unknown, with colour. As to concealing, Swami Satyaprakashanand says of Holī, “The heads and faces of the participants become so besmeared with powder that one cannot recognise even his own houseboy, unless one is clever enough to look closely into his eyes.” Travel writer Mark Moxon, writing from Hampi says “Five minutes after joining the throng it doesn’t matter whether you are black or white. Because everyone is purple…” Best wishes to all for Holī from #SanskritAppreciationHour on Twitter. Have a good one!