Holi festival 2019

Beating drums, colors soaring higher than birds, people sharing sweets, that’s the general scenario if you land between February and March in India. As that’s the time when the whole India warmly welcomes spring and celebrates Holi. The over brimming joy of togetherness makes everyone flush with happiness. Part of which is due to the relief from the humdrum and monotony of everyday existence.

The festival of colors is grandly celebrated in the state of Uttar Pradesh where you will see another transition to the festivities. When Holi is celebrated, bright colors and happiness soak each and every corner of the state and bring much joy to the lives of the people.

How is Holi celebrated in Uttar Pradesh 2019?

Uttar Pradesh celebrates Holi a little extravagantly than the rest of the India. The Braj region in India, the cities of Uttar Pradesh, mostly in Mathura and Vrindavan make the festivities all the more special. According to some legends, it is celebrated as a divine connection of love between Lord Krishna and Radha. Therefore, people re-enact the fun-play of these divine lovers.

Apart from play of colors, exchange of sweets and other fun, there are also unique rituals followed only in Uttar Pradesh. Barsana celebrates the festival with a unique ritual of lath-maar practice where women hit men with sticks for fun. People indulge in play of colors, dry and water. Sweets, music, dance and fun make the festival even more special for all to have fun with friends and families.

Rituals

Rituals are a way to make festivals more meaningful and fun to enjoy. A day before Holi, a bright bonfire is lit at almost every place in Uttar Pradesh, referred to as Holika. It symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. According to legends, the demon king Hiranyakashyap had conspired with his sister Holika to kill his son Prahlad for him being a big follower of Lord Narayana. However he was not successful in his mission. His son was saved by the grace of God whereas his sister was consumed by the fire.

All the people participate to light the fire. A pot of new barley seeds is kept under the pyre. When the fire burns out, these seeds are consumed by the people. Often predictions are made about the future harvest on the basis of the condition of seeds or the direction of the flames. The ashes of this fire are considered very auspicious and often either the ashes or the smoldering fragments of wood are taken back home. They light their fires at home with these embers and keep the ashes which they believe will protect them against diseases.

Festivities

On the day of the festival, the air of almost every town is dipped in various colors like gulaal. Youngsters apply it on each other and on the feet of the elders of the family. Pichkaris (water guns) of various shapes and sizes crowd the markets. The sight of everybody pouring color on each other and whole heartedly participating in the mirth makes a perfect picture of happiness.

The delights of sweets like Gujiya, mathri and laddoos are associated with the festivities. Bhang or Cannabis in drink form is also consumed by the people. In fact, on the banks of the River Ganges, people sit drenched in colors and prepare the drink and this has a very intoxicating effect.

When is Holi Festival 2019 in Uttar Pradesh

The festival of colors is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phagun as per the Hindu calendar. It generally corresponds to the month of March in the English Calendar. In 2019, the great Indian festival falls on March 21.

Barsana Holi ( Uttar Pradesh )

Holi, the festival of colors is celebrated with a great deal of fervor and enthusiasm throughout the state of Uttar Pradesh. But differences mark the way in which they are celebrated. The small town of Barsana located at a distance of about 42 km from Mathura is well known for its distinctive manner of celebrating Holi. Barsana, the birth place of Radha, Lord Krishna’s beloved attracts a large number of visitors each year when it celebrates Holi.

Description of the Barsana Holi, Uttar Pradesh

On this particular day, the men of Nandgaon come to Barsana. Their intention is to take over the temple of Shri Radhikaji. But the women of Barsana are reluctant to allow them to do so. They resist them with bamboo sticks. This is why here Holi is also popularly known as Lathmar Holi.

The men are unable to strike back. All they can do is to splash colors on the women. The men who are caught are rather unfortunate. The men are forced to clad themselves in women’s clothes, apply cosmetics and dance like ladies in front of everybody.

This is embarrassing to them but others have their fair share of laughter. However everything is done in the right spirit. It is a mock battle and both the victors and the vanquished enjoy everything thoroughly. According to legend, Lord Krishna met with similar kind of treatment from the gopis.

Just the reverse happens on the next day. The men of Barsana drench the women of Nandgaon.

The air reverberates with holy songs on the occasion of Holi. These songs known as Hori are based on the conservations between Krishna and Radha.

It is indeed a delight to watch all the people participate in this unrestrained merry making. It is pleasantly entertaining and provides everyone with a lot of joy.

Time for celebrating the Barsana Holi, Uttar Pradesh

Barsana Holi is celebrated on the ninth day of the month of Phalgun according to the Hindu calendar. It corresponds to the month of February or March.

It is best to plan a visit to Barsana when Holi is celebrated. The State Tourism Board has arranged a special viewing of the celebrations in a ground on the outskirt’s of the town. You can witness the brilliance and splendor that marks Barsana Holi easily.

Nandgaon Holi (Uttar Pradesh)

The festival of Holi is celebrated with a great deal of joy and enthusiasm in Uttar Pradesh. It heralds the advent of spring and adds a lot of color to the lives of the people. Different places of Uttar Pradesh have unique ways of celebrating the festival. The people of Nandgaon celebrate Holi in a distinctive fashion and attract a large number of visitors.

Description of the Nandgaon Holi,Uttar Pradesh

Nandgaon is part of Braj Bhoomi, the region where Lord Krishna is said to have spent his childhood. On the day of Holi, the men of Nandgaon go to Barsana and dowse the female folk. They try to take over the temple of Radhikaji. However the women of Barsana resist their attempt to do so.

On the next day, the men folk from Barsana come to Nandgaon. Nandgaon is at a distance of about 7 km from Barsana. They come in a grand procession carrying the flag of the Larily Lal Temple in Barsana. Their objective is to win over the temple of Shriji in Nandgaon, whereas the men of Nandgaon try to take the flag from them. Now we can witness a mock battle between the men of Barsana and the women of Nandgaon. This is one of those rare battles which you are sure to enjoy thoroughly. The women try to ward off the men using lathis and understandably so because their men were met with similar treatment from the women of Barsana just the previous day. The men in return drench them in colored water. They use kesudo and palash to soak them. This is indeed a very enjoyable sight. The gleefulness of the girls while splashing the multitudinous colors is nice to see. It is a pure expression of joy and the men also thoroughly enjoy playing with them.

Time for celebrating the Nandgaon Holi,Uttar Pradesh

Nandgaon Holi is celebrated in the Hindu month of Phalgun on full moon day. It corresponds to the month of March in the English calendar. Source