City celebrates the festival of colors

City celebrates the festival of colors

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, March 8, 2012: The city celebrated Holi, the festival of colors and fun, which marks the beginning of spring, on March 8 Thursday.

Although Holi is more popular in North India, the people of South India have also gotten interested in it from the past few years, especially in those regions where the population of North Indians is higher. Several temples across South India celebrate the last days of their annual festivals as Okuli, during which people throw colored water on one another.

 

The festival was initially celebrated to spread the joy of harvesting. According to popular legends, Holi is named after the demoness, Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, who could reduce anybody to flames just by holding them in her embrace. Since the god of fire had promised not to harm her, she remained unscathed in the process while her victims burned to death. However, when she tried to burn Prahlada, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada remained unharmed while Holika burned to death.

Holi is usually celebrated on the last full moon day of Phalguna. In some states, Holi is celebrated 3 days at a stretch, during which people perform pujas, burn wood and waste, and throw perfumed powders of different colors or colored water on one another. The festival is grandly celebrated in places such as West Bengal, Braj, and other places in North India. A wide range of sweets such as holige and laddu are prepared and distributed on this day.

Since manufacturers of colored powders have begun mixing them with harmful chemicals that cause skin ailments, it is wiser to use herbal or home made powders on Holi. In the past, people used Tesu, Palash, Margosa, Henna, Turmeric, Kumkum, and Bilva leaves to make colored powders. Those celebrating Holi must steer clear of synthetic powders as they contain toxic substances such as engine oil, copper sulphate, lead oxide, and others.