Holi Festival Nepal – Festival of Color

Holi Festival Nepal

Holi Festival Nepal is also the festival of Color is celebrated on Falgun Sukla Ashtami to Purnima (February) lasts for eight days in Nepal. On the first day of the festival, a three-tier umbrella tied to a wooden post decorated with many colorful flags is installed in front of Gaddi Baithak Durbar (Throne Room) of Basantapur. It marks the beginning of the fun and frolic of sprinkling colored powder and water. It is known as Chir that looks like an umbrella and the ceremony of hauling the pole is known as Chirottanam. During this ceremony, peoples gather in Basantapur, Tudikhel, Thamel to celebrate Holi Festival.

Holi Festival Nepal

From the moment Chirottanam is observed children and old folks offer worship of Chir, celebrate the ceremony of Holi, scatter Abhir (Red powder) among men and woman sprinkle or throw Rang or colored water till the end of the festival.

Holi Festival Nepal
Chir Installed in Basantapur in Holi Festival

On the fifth day, the festival is also celebrated in the Royal Palace where the high civil and military personnel receive Abhir from His Majesty King. At the end of this festival in Purnima young people enjoy in groups and walk from one place to another they threw Red powder (Abhir) and colored water filled in rubber balloon in the body of passerby and to the young girls watching from the window. They also sing songs saying in musical tone in Newari “Juja Ya holi, Tho Fagu Ya holi Tanchayage La Lyasi ? Jhyale chongu Tukama wohe Lyasi Jita ma, wob  Lyase Madayakana Jahe Nayamakhu yo ma”. This is the festival of King, this is a time of Fagu festival, why lose your temper young beautiful lady? Om my mother the plant of Mustard in the window is that lady I shall make her own I vow not to eat food (Rice) until she becomes mine. And in the Nepali language, they sing songs saying- “Raja ko Holi, Maja ko Holi Jyan Jana Lagyo, Fatna Lagyo chhatri” that means this is a festival of King and this gay of Holi is almost at an end, my heart aches to see it off. The festival of Fagu or Holi being called as the festival of King and gave stress to the point that Fagu is legal and national festival with a public holiday.

Holi Festival is celebrated in different countries according to their traditions. Holi festival is an international festival. In India they celebrate jointly with singing and dancing, in China, Belgium, Hungary, Thailand, America, France they celebrated with fun and frolic of sprinkling colored powder wearing colorful funny dresses.

Holi Festival Nepal

On the last day of this festival after religious performance and worship offered to Chir at night, the pole crested on the first day is felled down or hauled down, taken to the riverside and burnt there that marks the end of the festival. Viewing that the next year that is coming be more prosper than the one just passed.

Origin of Holi Festival Nepal

Once Kansa the maternal uncle of Lord Krishna had sent a giantess named Putana to slay the child Krishna. The giantess had suckled her poisonous milk to child Krishna. That dreadful poison could have no effect on Krishna but on the other hand, the grantees died of her own poison. Lord Krishna’s follower had burnt the dead body of Putana. Consequently, people had celebrated the festival of Fagu or Holi since that time.

Holi Festival Nepal

Once to killed Prahlad son of demon King Hiranya Kashipu devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranya Kashipu sent his sister Holika to burn his son Prahlad because Hiranya Kashipu did not like his son to be a devotee of Lord Vishnu his enemy. In spite of his repeated protests, Prahlad did not a give up worshipping his enemy Vishnu. Being enraged with his son he made his son drink poison, inflicted on him a snake bite and dropped him from the mountain. Even then he did not die because of the blessing of Lord Vishnu. Consequently. Holika, whom no fire could touch, was sent out to put Prahlad to the flames of fire. Holika put the child on her lap and sat on the blazing fire. To the surprise of all Holika was burnt to ashes but the flames did not touch Prahlad because he was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. Thus the festival of Holi throws some light on the occasion when people burn the fire of “Holika Dahan” or “Chir Dahan” or fire of CHIR a symbol of sin which must be burnt to ashes.

Holi Festival Nepal

On such occasion, people go from one door to another to beg fagots which they burn in order to destroy sinful acts. Since that time people celebrated the Holi festival. During this festival interested people took and smoke the intoxicating hemp (Bhang), Dhatura stramonium Dhatura”. Dried flowering top of the cultivated plant “Ganja” a pure resinous Charus” to get physical, mental and relaxation pleasure and kicks during Holi festival.

Holi Festival Nepal – Some Aspect of Bhagavad Gita

“A sound mind in a sound body” as is a well-known proverb. The superstructure and its many-sided architectural excellence cannot exist unless the building has a firm foundation. Likewise one cannot build up a spiritual life unless one possesses a sound physique.

  • Every profession requires and demands certain special abilities and traits. If a person does not possess the requisite qualifications, he cannot succeed in that career. A soldier should have an enormous physical nerve, a technician must possess a sound technical knowledge and skill, a lawyer should possess the gift of speech, and an author must have a good command of language, and a man who practices religion should have the right type of mental aptitude. Man is a social animal he must contribute his share towards social harmony and prove that he is human by his action. He should identify himself with his brother- ness in their joys and sorrows and he should rejoice in the welfare of all beings. He should do labor and not ask for any reward.
  • Man is a rational being. Religion is not based on blind faith. One should anchor his intellect in God. To follow a faith without its knowledge is like undertaking a journey without knowing the distinction.
  • At the physical level, there is no difference between man and animal, as sensual pleasure is common to both. But at the intellectual level, there is a wide gulf. Man can reason logically and scientifically whereas irrational beings cannot. A man enjoys physical pleasure at the refined subtle level he enjoys spiritual bless. One’s spiritual bless lies not only in peace but completely identifying oneself with God.
  • If wealth is lost, nothing is lost, if health is lost something is lost if the character is lost everything is lost. Desire, anger, and greed lead the way of darkness. A thing which has birth has death also. This is a law of nature. The converse namely that which has no birth has no death is also true.
  • God is present everywhere at all the times. God is present in every atom and he manifests himself indirectly as the fragrance in flower, as light in the sun, as fire in the fuel and so on. Every human action is directed by the Gods.
  • When a man feels thrust he drinks water, when he feels hungry he eats food, when he is lonely he longs for a company of his bosom friends likewise, when he has thirst of knowledge he must study book to open his intellectual windows, and when he is spiritually thirsty, he needs Philosophy and religion.
  • Theory and practice should go together if they really want to serve the purpose. Just as a good player is one who knows all the rules and regulations of a game is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita.

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