Hyderabad: The festival of colours, Holi will be celebrated in India on March 24-25. It is celebrated in different ways and names across the country. However, the excitement and joy of enjoying the festival with family and friends remain the same everywhere. Here's a list of how Holi is celebrated in different states.
Uttar Pradesh: In this state alone, there are three celebration styles.
1). Lathmar Holi – It is mainly celebrated in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana. The festival has a unique flavour in these regions. 'Lathmar Holi' meaning celebrating Holi by playing sticks, has its origins in the Hindu mythology. Here, it impersonates the timeless love of Radha and Krishna. According to mythology, Lord Krishna used to go to Barsana with Radha and her friends to play Holi, where he applied gulal and teased Gopis. The Gopis used to pick bamboo sticks to chase Krishna and his gang. This tradition is continuing till date. Boys of Barsana go to Nandgaon to play Holi and are addressed as 'Horiyare' while girls are called 'Horriyarin'.
2). Holi of flowers - The festival of 'Holi of flowers' is celebrated on Ekadashi of Phalgun month when Krishna devotees play with fresh flower petals at Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan. During the occasion, smell of flowers spreads through air.
3). Holi of pyre ashes in Kashi - The 'Holi of ashes' is played in Kashi where devotees play Holi with ashes. It is also called 'Masaan Holi', 'Bhasma Holi' and 'Bhabhut Holi'. The tradition of playing Holi with ashes at the crematorium is being celebrated in Varanasi for centuries.
Maharashtra: In Western India, especially Maharashtra, Holi is colloquially known as 'Rang Panchami' or 'Shimga'. The festivities include Holika Dahan, a common tradition involving lighting a wooden pyre the night before the actual celebration. Next morning, which is the day of 'Rang Panchami', people celebrate Holi with wet and dry colours and water. The festival usually lasts for a week.
Rajasthan: In Udaipur, locals participate in Holika Dahan but in a slightly different way. The festival is organised by the royal Mewar family of Udaipur in a grand manner. A fancy procession is taken out as part of the festivities which include many decorated horses and royal bands. Later, a traditional fire is lit and the effigy of Holika is set on fire.
1). Dhulandi - The festival of Holi is celebrated as 'Dhulandi' in Shekhawati, Marwar and Dhundhaar of Rajasthan. It is celebrated on the second day of Holika Dahan. As a festival of colours and joy, 'Dhulandi' is celebrated with much fervour and joy by people of all ages.
2). Dolchi Holi - The tradition of 'Dolchi Holi' in Bikaner is about 300 years old. During which, men form groups and fill a vessel with water and colours before splashing it on people of other localities. It is believed that the festival started following a rift between two communities and water was thrown on each other. Down the years, 'Dolchi Holi' has become famous in India and abroad as a major event on Holi.
3) Holi of Brij - The Bharatpur division of Rajasthan is known as Brij Bhoomi. On Holi, traditions related to Mathura Vrindavan are followed in this area. 'Brij Holi' traditions were started by Raja Surajmal in the 18th century and are still prevalent among the people here. On this occasion local people worship Lord Krishna and men and women celebrate the festival of colours by dressing up as Krishna and Gopis. Special events are held in Kaman and Deeg areas.
4). Cloth tearing Holi - Cloth tearing Holi is celebrated in Pushkar. A large number of domestic and foreign tourists reach here to witness the event held at Varaha Ghat.
6). Pathar Maar Holi of Vagad – The festival of 'Pathar Maar Holi' is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Vagad and bordering districts. On this occasion, tribal dominated people of Banswara and Dungarpur areas play Holi by pelting stones to the sound of dhol and chang. The excitement of Holi lasts for a month. People in Kokapur village of the district follow the tradition of walking barefoot on the burning embers of Holika. It is believed that walking on embers helps to ward off disaster.
Chhattisgarh: Holi is known as 'Hori' and tradition of folk songs mark this festival. With the arrival of spring, beats of drums and songs of Radha-Krishna reverberate the streets. On Basant Panchami, the village Baiga (who performs puja in the temple) worships the Kukri (hen) egg in Holwar (the place where Holika is burnt) and places it on the wood of Babul (young Acacia tree). There is a tradition of preparing a new dish every day starts in the homes of farmers, which is called Telai Chadhana.
There is a tradition of celebrating Holi five days before the festival in Amarpur village of Korea district of Chhattisgarh. For years, people of this village have been celebrating the festival in this way. In Semra village of Dhamtari, Holi begins seven days ahead of the festival. For years, people celebrate every festival seven days in advance to avert any untoward incident.
Himachal Pradesh: People of Bairagi community of Kullu start celebrating Holi from Basant Panchami itself. The festival lasts for about 40 days and celebrations start a day before the entire country observes Holi.
There is a tradition of playing with colours after Holika Dahan across the country. But people of Bairagi community perform Holika Dahan after playing with colours. In this community, gulal is applied not on the faces of elders but on their feet and in return, elders apply gulal on the heads of the younger generation as a blessing.
Shyam Sundar Mahant and Vinod Mahant of Bairagi community said that their ancestors had come to Kullu from Awadh, Mathura and Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. During Holi, songs in Braj and Awadhi are sung here. With the arrival of spring, gulal is smeared on Lord Raghunath, after which this festival of colours continues till Holika Dahan. After which, these songs are not sung throughout the year.
Holi fair is very popular in Sujanpur of Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh. The Sujanpur Holi Mahotsav has a 300-old history and continues for three days.
Bihar: Holi is known as Phaguva in the Bhojpuri. Like many other Indian states, Holika Dahan is an integral part of the celebrations here. The celebration of Holika Dahan is similar to other states. The next day, Holi is celebrated with wet and dry colours and traditional music and folk songs are sung throughout the day.
The celebration styles vary in Mithila, Bhojpur and Magadha Pradesh. Youth make arrangements to burn Holika by collecting wood and cow dung cakes from nearby houses. Elders of the village gather together and sing Fagua.
On the second day, after playing with mud and colours, people wear new clothes, put gulal on the feet of the elders, seek blessings from them and enjoy different dishes. There is a trend of celebrating 'Kurta-Faad Holi' in Patna, 'Budhwa Mangal Holi' in Magadh region, and 'Umbrella Patori Holi' in Samastipur.
Punjab: The festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and colours. This apart, 'Hola-Mohalla' is also celebrated here. The festival lasts for three days in Anandpur Sahib and the bravery of Sikh warriors is commemorated. This festival is a specialty of a particular sect, known as Nihang Sikhs. The celebration includes elaborate display of traditional martial arts followed by music and dancing.
Haryana: Holi of Barwa of Siwani, Haryana is famous and is celebrated for 1.5 months. People of Rajput family have been celebrating Holi in Barwa village of Siwani for hundreds of years.
Panipat's 'Daat Holi' is also very special. The tradition of Daat Holi is continuing here since 1288. Here, men of the village are divided into two groups. They compete face to face and try to cross each other. The group that crosses the other is considered the winner. If there is a conflict between these two groups, then colour, that is prepared in the village, is showered on them. According to the local people, no fights take place while playing Holi, which has been going here for years. In this festival, hundreds of people try to cross each other, but there is no opposition anywhere. People participating in the festival believe that the tradition that has been going on for centuries should be followed with love
Madhya Pradesh: In Malwa and Nimar regions of Madhya Pradesh, Holi is considered incomplete without the traditional 'Gair' procession held in Indore. Gair means Holi procession or Phag Yatra and is related to the royal family here. In olden times, members of the royal family used to overcome barriers and come to the streets to play Holi. The tradition has been going on since that time and thousands of people come out on the streets and smear colours. The king of Indore started it with the help of elephants and after that there were continuous changes in its form. Today, water tanks and gulal are used. A vehicle laden with flowers moves along with the procession. Motor pumps are used to throw colors into the air.
Uttarakhand: Holi is known by many the names of 'Baithaki Holi', 'Mahila Holi' and 'Khadi Holi'. People wearing traditional costumes roam around the city singing and dancing to folk tunes. The gathering is known as Toli and the local people greet each other by applying colors on each other's faces and dancing and singing. Unlike other parts of India, songs and dances are essential part of Holi celebrations in Uttarakhand.
Assam: The festival has special significance in Barpeta district located in the western part of Assam and known for its vibrant culture and traditions. One of the main reasons for the popularity of Holi in Barpeta is its timing. Holi is celebrated in the month of March, which is the time of transition from winter to spring. For the people of Barpeta, this festival marks the end of the cold winter season and the arrival of warmer weather. This festival is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm, as it signals the beginning of a new agricultural cycle and the arrival of the harvest season.
It is said that Mathura Das Budha Ata started the special tradition of Holi here. Born in 1490, he believed in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Holi of Vaishnav sect is also special in Barpeta. People of this sect also call Barpeta as Ditiya Baikunthpuri meaning second heaven. Holi is celebrated here for five days and called Fakuwa.
Manipur: Here Holi is celebrated for six days and is locally known as Yaosang. The celebrations here are a mix of indigenous North Eastern and Hindi traditions. Holi is celebrated with both dry and wet colours. The main attraction is Thabal Chongba, a traditional Manipuri folk dance performed during the festival.
West Bengal: Holi is known as Basant Utsav or Dol Jatra. In Bengali, Basant means spring while Utsav means festival. Here women mainly wear yellow colour dresses, which is a symbol of abundance.
The next day of Holi is celebrated as Dol Jatra. On this day, a grand procession of Krishna devotees is taken out on the streets of Bengal, singing and dancing. It is often accompanied by smearing of colours on the faces of friends, family and even strangers.
Odisha: Holi celebrations are quite similar to that of West Bengal. However, the main attraction is that Holi in Odisha is the celebration of Lord Jagannath, who is also known as Dolgovinda. With the traditional mix of wet and dry colours, processions of Lord Jagannath are seen in many different cities and towns.
Kerala: This state has its own unique version of Holi in the form of Manjal Kuli, also known as Ukuli. The Kudumbi and Konkani communities of Kerala are known to celebrate in the traditional way. Unlike many other states, the predominant colour used here is turmeric or manjal kuli.
Goa: Shigmo, the local name of Holi in Goa is a huge celebration of spring. Street dances and traditional folk songs are performed by local farmers. Like every festival in Goa, tourists participate in the Shigmo festival with equal enthusiasm. Several traditional Shigmo parades are also organised in different parts of the state. Tourists gather from far and wide to celebrate Holi like a carnival on the streets. Traditional music is played during the celebrations.
Karnataka: In Karnataka, the festival of Holi is celebrated as 'Kamna Habba'. Holi is celebrated in a similar manner in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Hampi's Holi is famous here and people participate in the procession with drums. After playing with colours, people take bath in the Tungabhadra river.
Telangana: Holi is celebrated as a 10-day festival in Telangana, of which the last two days are very important. In some areas here, folk dance, Koltas is performed on the occasion of Holi.
Gujarat: Govinda Holi is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Gujarat. On this day, there is a tradition of breaking earthen pots filled with buttermilk, which are tied at a height on a rope. Hundreds of people come together to form a human pyramid so that they can reach the pitcher. On the next day, people use flowers and gulal.
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