The festival of Holi is finally here, and the excitement levels are sky-rocketing. Holi 2020 will be celebrated on March 9-10. It happens to be one of the most ancient and famous Hindu festivals, which sees jovial participation from non-Hindus as well. The festival celebrates the victory of good over evil. Holi is celebrated annually, with zeal and enthusiasm. But do we know why do we celebrate Holi? There’s much more than spraying colours and splashing water on each other when it comes to Holi. If you are looking for information on Holi, why it’s celebrated and much more, then you have come to the right place. Why do we celebrate Holika Dahan? Who is Prahlad? In this article, we bring you the mythological stories and legends behind the celebration of Festival of Colours. Holi 2020 Messages in Marathi: WhatsApp Stickers, GIF Images, Rang Panchami Greetings and Photos to Send Wishes on Holika Dahan. 

Holi Legends and Mythological Stories

The most famous legend is from Bhagavata Purana. There lived a demon king named Hiranyakashyapa, who had earned a special boon that gave him five superpowers. He could neither be killed by a human, nor by an animal; neither at day, nor at night; neither on land, nor in water; neither indoors, nor outdoors, neither by Astra (projectile weapons) nor by Shastra (handheld weapons). He believed that he was a God, and forced everyone to worship him. Holika Dahan 2020 Date and Shubh Muhurat: History, Significance, Puja Vidhi and Auspicious Time to Burn Holika a Night Before Rangwali Holi. 

However, his son Prahlada was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, which infuriated the demon king even more. He attempted to kill his son several times but failed every time. At last, he asked his sister Holika (who was blessed with a cloak that made her immune to injuries from fire) for help. She tricked Prahlada into sitting on a pyre with her. And at the very same moment, the wind blew, and that cloak encased Prahlada, resulting in Holika succumbing to fire. Holi 2020 Sweet Recipes: From Baked Ghujiya To Ghevar, Indian Mithaiyaan To Make At Home This Year. 

It was then when Lord Vishnu took the form of Narasimha avatar, in which he appeared as half-human, and half lion (neither human nor animal). He took Hiranyakashyapa at the doorstep (neither indoors, nor outdoors), on his lap (neither on land, nor on water), at dusk (neither night, nor day), and killed him with his claws (neither projectile nor handheld weapons). The burning of Holika and the death of the demon king signifies the celebration of the Holi festival.

Another legend says Lord Krishna, in his childhood, developed a dark-coloured skin due to demon Putana’s poisoned breast milk. As Krishna grew up, he was discontent with his skin colour thinking if the fair-skinned Radha will not like him due to his colour. Irate with his son’s constant bickering, Krishna’s mother advised him to tell Radha to apply the colour of her choice, for which she did eventually. Since then, Radha and Krishna became a couple. To signify this saga, the festival of Holi is celebrated because of this reason too, in parts of India.

There is another legend, which involves Lord Shiva, Parvati, Kamadeva (God of Love), and Rati (Kama’s wife). Here’s how it goes. Lord Shiva was in deep mediation for a long time now. Irritated with this, Goddess Parvati wanted Lord Shiv back into his normal world and hence seeking help from the God of Love.

Lord Kamadeva tries his best to distract Lord Shiva, and even succeeds at a point in time. However, it is at the very same moment when Lord Shiva’s 3rd eye opens and burns the God of Love into ashes. When Rati comes to know about this, she prays to Lord Shiva asking him to undo what he did, but eventually fails. 

Saddened, she performs her mediation over the next 40 days towards Lord Shiva. Looking at her dedication and perseverance, Lord Shiva restores the God of Love, Kamadeva, in his original form. Hence, Holi is celebrated 40 days after Vasant Panchami, in several parts of the country. 

We at LatestLY, wish you and your family a very ‘Happy Holi 2020’. We hope you would have enjoyed reading the stories behind the origin and celebration of the festival of Holi.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2020 01:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).